All Forum Posts by: Kathy Johnson

If you didn't build one into the lease, calculate the unexpected costs of turnover at an unplanned time.

Quote from @Carl W.:

Quote from @Kathy Johnson:

Tell them that their renters insurance covers their personal belongings.

This is exactly what I did. However, they're complaining they have a high deductible and I should pay. 

 I'm sure the tenant chose the deductible level when they got their coverage.  If the company issuing the renters insurance felt that you are liable, they would have contacted your insurance company seeking compensation.  I would play the broken record, "The renters insurance you chose will handle any claims about your personal property."

Tell them that their renters insurance covers their personal belongings.

I would go ahead and have notice posted because you won't lose as much time if they do hold over.  Even if they are planning to be out on time, tenants who force use of the deposit for last month's rent typically do not leave the rental empty or clean.  They may even convince themselves that the junk they leave behind is worth something to you so they are doing  you a favor.

Quote from @Cameron Harms:

Thank you @Kathy Johnson, very helpful. How often do you flush your water heater? And do you do anything specific for cleaning out exit plumbing? Appreciate the advice!

We have rentals in a few different locations so the rentals in the area with hard water gets more frequent flushing of the water heater.  For the plumbing, we snake it out or if there is a recurring root issue, we have the local plumber come snake it out with a cutting snake.

Check every drawer/cupboard for left behinds and for funtionality.

Run the built in or supplied appliances to test functionality.  Could include heating/air, oven, dishwasher, washer dryer.

Rekey locks

Clean out exit plumbing so the new tenant starts fresh and any hair clogs will be the new tenant's.

Make sure fans (kitchen and bath) are functional

Flush and inspect water heater.

Check under sinks and around toilets/showers for any signs of leaking/moisture damage.  Verify that the turn off/on valves are functional (prevents problems later when there is a plumbing emergency.)

The pet deposit or fee is to cover damage.  The pet rent is to cover additional wear and tear from the pet so the age of your carpetng and the type of flooring and landscaping will affect your calculations.  

Quote from @Mario Morales:

Quote from @Kathy Johnson:

Is the existing wall unit electric or gas?  If gas and vented, one advantage that a wall unit has is that they are available in an electric free version which means the tenant will still have heat in power outages. We have experience with the Williams brand and our tenant was very happy to have heat during recent power outages.

 Hi would you mind sharing the model and/or link?

 My husband says the natural gas Williams wall unit is Williams model 3509822, 35k BTU natural gas.

The one we had installed in our rental is a natural gas but the one we just had installed in my mothers house is propane.

The model for my mom's house: https://www.wilmar.com/Sku/311...

The one in our rental is same but natural gas version.  They do make a 50K btu version but it is a deeper cabinet so requires more space than we had for a hallway installation.

There is an added fan option which is useful to distribute heat when electricity is on but not when power is off.  My mother is using a galafire heat powered fan to move some air when power is down. 

My husband has the part number for the natural gas furnace but he is out picking up supplies currently.  I can add the info when he returns.

Is the existing wall unit electric or gas?  If gas and vented, one advantage that a wall unit has is that they are available in an electric free version which means the tenant will still have heat in power outages. We have experience with the Williams brand and our tenant was very happy to have heat during recent power outages.