All Forum Posts by: Kendall Vrana

In a pickle and at my wit’s end here.

Tenant moved in for 3 months. We are long distance landlords, so we had a cleaner come through, and then allowed the tenants to move themselves in. We didn’t have a walk through inspection, which is a huge mistake and learning curve that won’t happen again. 

Even though they destroyed the house ($6k of damage), I can’t use the before images sent to me because our lease does state that we both sign a walk through form. Fine. 

Tenant broke SEVERAL other rules in the lease (illegal pet, agreed in writing to keep clean and there literally were feces on the floor, etc.). Is the lease nullified because I didn’t do a walkthrough on my end?? I’m ready to go to court but not if there isn’t a case. She is looking at owing close to $2200. 

Thanks for your advice. Kicking myself and then some— never trust people! 

Thanks for your insight, everyone! I have a lot of leads to follow. 

We do try to rent out the apartments all at once, and have had difficulty doing so. There seemed to be a lot of students looking for just a room. I will be looking up some of the things advised, thank you! 

Good morning all! 

Have a question regarding room-by-room rentals. We are investors in Savannah, GA, and have a lot of college students as our residents. 

We noticed that most college students prefer to rent or “sub lease” rooms for semesters. So far, (although it’s more of a headache), we have had great success in being some of the only landlords to provide furnished rooms for leases as short as 3 months (we have also used this model to support a couple traveling nurses and military personnel). 

For the safety of the college students, I try to only open the room rentals to other college or grad students. If I were renting a room, I certainly would feel safest with someone my age. 

Question is; can I put on our listings “room rentals for college and grad students only”, legally? We welcome anyone of any age to rent the entire apartment themselves, but again, trying to do right by our college students and their parents. 

Thanks again for your insight! 

Hello again-- 

Huge thank you to everyone who responded to my last question.  Have a trickier one today, I'm very lost, so thank you in advance for your advice! 

My husband and I own a quadplex in GA. Three of the rental units are rented out, but our fourth rental, a furnished 1 bedroom, is becoming vacant in February. After seeing a high demand in the area for studio rental space (photography, sketching, etc.) we have decided we want to pursue opening an art studio in this space. I have a 5 year background in the photography/modeling industry, good contacts in the area, and a general idea of what is needed in studio space. We have two prospective plans on how to use this space: 

Option A: The studio would be rented out for a monthly rate to a 2-4 resident artists only. 

Option B: In addition to 1-3 resident artists that rent the space monthly, also allow day-renters that can rent the studio for a higher premium but less commitment. 

This is the research we have done: 

-- We already have an LLC under which we can file the company.

-- The unit is zoned specifically stating art studios permitted. 

-- We have a solid business plan moving forward. 

We have never taken on this sort of project, and our city does not allow short-term vacation rentals. What can I do moving forward to make sure all of our bases are covered, and that this is a legal venture? 

Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone! 

My husband I and have an unusual and very unfortunate situation. 

Sadly, a great tenant of our unexpectedly passed away. His roomate moved out, and we have re-signed with new residents who are scheduled to move in on the 8th. 

Unfortunately, a lot of our deceased tenant’s belongings are still in the home. His roomate left town without dealing with it, and we have been unsuccessful in reaching his relatives. 

What can we do to clear the home in a lawful manner? Thanks, and cheers to a great new year. 

Hello, all! Ready for a doozy? 

My husband and I own a gorgeous, historic quadplex in Savannah, GA. It’s our largest investment to date, in good shape, but with little odds and ends that need repair. 

 We needed a handyman immediately to put new doors on a tenants room that was moving in today. The handyman demand here is INSANE— everyone worth their weight is booked for weeks. So, we took a (very poor) recommendation and hired someone.

We don’t like to judge off the bat, but he had shady written all over him. Refused to give us a quote, kept lamenting about his truck breaking down, little things that raised red flags. We unfortunately gave him the benefit of the doubt. 

Hours later, he has done two Home Depot runs (which we paid for), installed two doors, failed to fix the running toilet, and brought his “old lady” over to “help.” 

We asked for his rate, and after useless back and forth of him asking what WE would pay him, he demanded $500. Aggressively demanded. 

After a barrage of threatening and profanity-laced texting to “cost us 100x more” in damage if we don’t follow through, we agreed on $300. We never had ANY intention of not paying who we hired. He was paid $50 holding fee and we are to settle up tomorrow. That being said, we are concerned about our property. 

We in NO way want to under pay any good work, but this is simply taking advantage. We are also concerned since he knows the address of our property. Any advice? 

(Please don’t patronize us with “you should have done your research”, “you get what you pay for, etc. Trust me, we know.)  

Thanks, everyone! Just got new tenants for a different property today and you better believe the "toilet policy" will be in there! 

Hi, all-- 

We had an issue with one of our rental properties regarding the brand-new toilet that we installed about 3 months ago. We suspect foreign objects (feminine products, q-tips, makeup remover cloths, etc.) may have been flushed. 

I want to add to our lease a section that basically states "if damage to the toilet, pipes, or surrounding area are found to be the source of any foreign objects being flushed, occupants will be responsible to cover all repair fees and damages." 

Has anyone does this? Is this legal? Is this a good idea, or a bad idea? We're a bit annoyed considering this is a brand-new renovation and grown adults should know better. 

Thanks! 

Good morning, BP community! 

As always a huge thank you to everyone who has spoken up to help us in the past. This is such a great, overwhelming experience, and the support and knowledge of this community has been incredible. 

@Raymond Northcutt is closing on his 4th house, 5th unit today, so I've been looking to fill. It is a newly renovated 4 bed, 1.5 bath in a neighborhood that is quiet, but not necessarily top of the line. 

We have been inundated with interest. Many of these applicants are inquiring about Section 8 housing. Honestly, we are very unfamiliar with this. Here are some questions we have: 

1. In a nutshell, what can we expect? Go for it, or stay away? 

2. Barring any tenant issues (messy, destructive, those sorts) what should we put in the terms of lease, or be on the lookout for? 

3. If we decide not to go with Section 8, how can we turn down these applicants without offending or creating a legal mess? 

Thanks again! 

Thanks, @Rick Baggenstoss, this is very helpful!