All Forum Posts by: Jon K.

Don't accept the unit occupied.

That's absurd.

I would (assuming your city allows it) block the driveway for parking. Concrete block and no one can use the driveway.

I would make it clear that it is not my problem and is a neighborhood concern, and don't call me about this again ever- no exceptions- or your lease will not be renewed. The "no more driveway for either of you" would be my preferred approach. I would also look at their leases and any city ordinances to see if one of the duplexes was specifically assigned parking.

I also don't accept or reply to texts from tenants. Texts are for teenagers. It's phone calls or e-mails with mine.

New lease, all tenants must pass your rental criteria and reference check.

I wouldn't get involved in the "subletting" or roommate search or any roommate drama (roommates often break up and move out at the last minute).

Don't.

Put all tenants - and parents as co-signors if they don't qualify- on the lease. Then if one roommate chooses to leave, that's not your problem -- it's theirs.

If you choose roommates and rent rooms to strangers, you could have all sorts of issues. Occupancy of unrelated person, for one. Insurance issues. Roommates moving out at the last minute. Other people renting a room from you purposefully being annoying or dirty to try to prevent you from filling the vacant rooms-- then they can live alone and not pay more. People letting girlfriends/boyfriends staying over too often. Liability out the wazoo-- roommates bringing guests over, complete strangers living with each other (alcohol, assault, drugs, etc.). And are you renting to females or males or co-ed? Co-ed means more issues. Renting to, say, all females you'll end up with some females having their boyfriends/girlfriends stay over... annoying other tenants and adding more liability. Roommates breaking each other's things (or your new furniture), stealing from each other, claiming theft/assault/etc. to get out of leases, etc.

Why on earth would YOU want to be responsible for finding roommates who are complete strangers to live together? Then finding more compatible roommates each time someone moves out????

Make it a single family home. Let the college students find their own roommates. Get parents to co-sign for students who don't qualify. So so much easier, so much less hassle of finding people willing to live with complete strangers, so much less roommate drama to deal with, so so much less liability.

Central AC... if there's the ductwork.

A hot house is much less pleasant than an old-- but clean and functioning-- bathroom. Seriously, been there, done that. And window AC units suck. They're noisy, tacky, and block scenic window views. Plus then you're stuck running window units in every room of the house instead of pressing one button on a central AC to turn on or off the unit. And window AC units aren't typically in bathrooms, closets, laundry rooms, etc., so some rooms end up being an oven.

I've never heard of move-in fees.

If I was a tenant, I wouldn't live in a place that had a move-in fee and deposit.

Why would a tenant clean up the place before they leave if they know there's no deposit to get back? No deposit means no incentive to clean the place up or cause damages. Not that they do an amazing job of cleaning, but at least some clean.

Changing locks? With quicksets, that costs about $20.

If I was the tenant, I would expect the rent that I was paying to cover that $20 key change, and "administrative" costs. Not a non-refundable move-in fee. I would expect the landlord to cover their costs with the rent that I'm paying, not charge me a non-refundable "move-in fee." Deposit, sure. Move-in fee, no.

It must be a regional thing. Move-in fees would never fly in my area. Ever.

This.

Longer term leases is a ploy. You can tell him you can state you won't sell for a year, and say you can renew the lease year after year.

Use his "creativity" to renovate the home????

YIKES!!!

You might end up with lime green counters and wall murals and ridiculous crap all over the house. Or 5 years of a very annoying tenant.

What if the tenant claims you "owe" him for the renovation? Or wants to take the new granite countertops with him when he moves? Or claims an injury during renovations?

How is this a liability issue?

They signed the lease. Their translator's mistakes are on them.

Do your refuse to rent to elderly people who might not understand?
How about 'retarded' (literally) people who have an IQ of 50?
Non-verbal people? Those blind and deaf?

Heavily screen renters in a 30K house who can only afford $500 a month?

You're going to get some people who live in the ghetto for a *reason*. Either they are on welfare/section 8, or they are working poor, or have terrible credit, prior evictions or bad rental history, something. People don't often enjoy living in 30K neighborhoods where the areas are older, run down, crime riddled, poor, etc. If they had steady solid income and good credit and no criminal history, they would not be living in a 30K house. 300K, yes. 130K, yes. I like tenants to have a job- and a steady job, good/decent rental history, averagely good/decent credit, no criminal record, and have some *stake* in their lives-- a steady career and a J-O-B, good credit, something. Someone living in a 30K home is less likely to take care of a property in general than someone paying high rent for a 300K home. The more of your butt that's on the line, often the great your desire to take good care of it. Think of it like this: you have a Pinto and a Porsche. Which will you take better care of? There are, of course, sometimes exceptions with the very poor people living in the ghetto who do take good care of their homes. Also in such neighborhoods there are sometimes working poor immigrants who work 80 hours a week cleaning other people's houses and don't have much time to care for their own house. Environment, upbringing, assets, socioeconomic status, having stake on the line (career, assets, security deposit, something) affect these things. And, of course, some renters in $300K homes trash nice homes too-- it's just less likely from what I've seen than in $30K homes as the $300K renter has a job and is more easily garnishable.

I would not buy in that sort of poor neighborhoods, especially not to start, nor would I participate in section 8.