All Forum Posts by: Lashawn McCauley

@Dan Turkel  The link is not working. Can you repost the link? 

@Daniel Harbuz Thanks for the feedback. The next time I have a vacancy I'll try your price suggestion to see if that works. 

Before I start I want to thank Johnathan Soto for referring Facebook marketplace as a means to advertise my apartments and search for appliances. With a combination of Facebook and Zillow I was able to get my apartment viewed by more people and found a new tenant.

Now on the flip side, after getting a lot of calls two negative ones stood out…

After listing my apartment I noticed within the first week some people would call and tell me they needed to move right away, usually within that week. My response always was to create an awkward pause by not saying anything for 5 seconds and then respond by stating we have a process that candidates must complete their credit and background checks, submit proof of income, and then we review all candidates. They usually state ok and then hang up. Which leads me to wonder why do people call expecting others to solve their problem? I’m not giving you an apartment immediately because you have an immediate problem, and if our first interaction is you calling with a problem then that is what I will expect from you.

I also had a woman call and ask me if I accepted a specific rental voucher and I stated I’m not aware of that voucher. She proceeded to tell me it’s illegal if I refuse to accept the voucher and I repeated I’m not aware of the voucher but you can apply. It seemed this woman has a hard time finding an apartment but does she think using a threating tone will get her an apartment? If she did get it she will always have a contentious relationship with her landlord.

Has anyone else have these awkward type of experiences?

@Ray Reed thanks for the information. I was able to get the PSEG service transferred in my name by bringing the eviction paperwork. 

@Ray Reed Didn't need to. The family abandoned the apartment. The other tenant informed me they left two weeks before the court date. They were answering none of my calls when I tried to reach them before the court date. I was able to enter and remove the garbage that was left. 

Thanks for the information. 

@Vinnie OBrien The person would have to be a resident within NYC shelter system. 

NYC's Human Resource Administration (Public Assistance)  has a program called S.O.T.A (Special One Time Assistance) specifically for employed people whom live in NYC shelter system. (Most of the people fell upon hard times and are working and need to find an apartment. Similar to any applicant you have good people and negative people.) Due to the excessive demand of shelter in NYC the city had to develop strategic programs to assist people with moving out of shelter and with the explosion of rent prices in NYC many people are looking to other cities close to NYC such as Newark, Irvington, Jersey City, etc.. to find apartments they can afford. 

To qualify for S.O.T.A. apartment seekers must earn at least twice as much as the amount of the rent of the apartment they are applying for. For example if the rent is $1,000.00 per month they applicant must provide proof of income of at least $2,000.00 per month. Landlords can conduct credit and background checks and have applicants submit  pay stubs and any other qualifications they may require of any applicant. 

The city will require a few pictures of the apartment to make sure it is live-able and once a lease is signed and submitted to HRA, they will verify the applicants income, and it will take up to 10 business days for NYC HRA to write a check for the total amount of the 1 year lease. 

For example if the monthly rent is  $1,400.00 NYC HRA will write 4 checks of $4,200 each which is a total of $16,800 (the yearly rent). They will not issue a security deposit check they will only give you a voucher letter to submit a claim. I think it will be a very long process to be reimbursed for any security deposit claim. There also isn't a clear guide if you need to evict the tenant during their lease how and if you have to reimburse NYC's HRA. 

NYC is vested into this program because they want to reduce the recidivism of people leaving and coming back into shelter. 

If anyone is interested I have a contact person who can provide more information. 

@Michael Smith It's called S.O.T.A. (Special One Time Assistance) specifically for employed people whom live in NYC shelter system. They must earn at least twice as much as the amount of the rent of the apartment they are applying for. Landlords can put them through credit and background checks. 

I purchased my multi family first buy and hold property in Newark, NJ using the FHA loan. My next deal I want to use the 203K loan or purchase a property that I can force appreciation by rehabbing while I house hack.

I'm willing to meet to learn how to transition into my next property and to discuss my experience ( I can also discuss rent rates that I'm experiencing and how I was able to get one tenant to pay their rent for a whole year using a program from NYC.) 

@Ray Reed thank's for the update and adding the correct prices. I wasn't informed about the $75 fee for the court officer to clear out the apartment. 

Can you post the website where you can check the court dates?