All Forum Posts by: Danielle Scott

Thanks for your helpful reply Coleen. Most of  the repairs (to me) are more annoyances and inconveniences than major issues. For example, the AC seems to be low on freon and will cool but not well so the house stays warmer than I'd like. There is a loud dripping/popping noise coming from inside the walls that wakes me and the neighbor up at night.  Things like this mostly. 

I definitely think he considers me a nuisance but I go out of my way to make his life easy and pay on time. I am a landlord also (different state) and always take care of my tenants promptly. Guess that's what one of the problem is - I'm too nice. I don't know how to get past this? I cant fix these things myself nor should I have to. 

This house seems like it was one what was put together quickly and not very good quality so things are breaking pretty regularly. I typically have to contact him 2-3 over the course of 10 days to get something fixed. The most exasperating part is him saying he will send someone so I will clear my schedule and wait for hours with nobody showing up. I have reviewed the lease and am following the proper procedure for requesting repairs. Would you just suggest showing up at his place of business if this continues? It seems a little drastic but I'm willing to do about whatever to not have my time wasted. Don't plan on renewing my lease but have to have some resolution until it's up.

I am renting a townhouse in Houston, TX. I have had numerous issues with the PM not fixing things at all or in a timely fashion. He will only respond to text - not email or phone and no office to call. At first I would call and email when something was broken but when he would never respond I would text him. He will reply and says "confirm your availability to send x contractor" for the repair. I give him several dates/times and then that's the end of it - nobody shows up. I follow up asking what happened and he will ignore me or ask for more dates I am available then the cycle repeats by nobody showing up or they show up hours late. I have taken off work or made other changes in plans several times to meet a repair contractor for whatever was broken at the time and they either show up 2-4 hours late or not at all. Most of these repairs are inconveniences - noises from pipes in the walls, the AC being low on freon and not cooling very well, broken cabinets, etc. I do not have the contractors contact info to confirm or schedule appointments and he will not provide it. I finally got the owner's email address and let him know about the issues with the PM, which I thought would end it but it hasn't. Contacted the HOA and they won't do anything either. What can I say/do to this man that will light a fire under him and stop wasting my time? I was advised by a real estate agent not to withhold the full amount of rent or pay for them myself and deduct it from the rent. It seems like I can do nothing and I am very frustrated. I am a woman and definitely feel like he takes advantage of that fact. My significant other is a real estate agent and he said he would talk to him but what will this do? I am capable of handling my own business but it definitnely seems like men respect and will respond to other men better than women. I am a landlord also and cant imagine treating my tenants this way. Please help!

How do you prevent them from getting coverage and dropping it after they prove they have it? I read somewhere about making the landlord a third party on the app. 

I'm a landlord newbie and am going to encourage my tenants to get rental insurance. Does anybody have any doc or part of their lease they wouldn't mind sharing that covers this? I don't particularly want to pay a lawyer to draft a few paragraphs when I already have the rest of the lease set to go. Something that says rental insurance for your personal belongings is highly encouraged but if you chose to forgo it all damages to the tenant's personal property will be at the tenants expense. Thanks!

@ Derek Lacy - What's the best way to contact you? 

I will be converting my current home into a rent house as of 6/1 due to moving out of state. When I called my agent they said the current company no longer wanted to insure my home due to the fact that I am renting it to three female students and treated it as "college housing". I've called several agencies and get the same excuse every time. The one that would cover quoted the same policy at $700 a year and asked all kinds of questions like how long they were planning to stay, what kind of degree, ages, etc. This seems very intrusive and way too difficult. Any advice or tips on how to handle this and cover my house? Do you have to do this every time you get new tenants and have your insurance company vet your renters? Seems like a unnecessary hassle.

Also, to clarify I don't want to pocket their money and not fix the things. That would be dishonest. Just didn't know when would be the best time to fix them if damages would keep occurring due to new tenants. I have a lot to learn!

@ Patti - Thank you! 

Looks like this is what I need: 

https://arkansasrealtors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2014-Landlord-Tenant-Handbook-FINAL.pdf                                                                                                           Is there anyone I could use as a reference besides a lawyer? The lease does specify that the tenant will be responsible for any damages that occur during the time they reside at the property and the deposit will be given back within 30 days. For example, I came to the house last month and noticed several deep scratches in the wood that were not there beforehand from moving a couch. I thought it was very fair to fix these things and split the cost equally amongst myself and them but I will look more into the code. Seems like the most correct way to do it is fix the things that need repairing then have the PM do a detailed move in move out checklist from now on.

I became a landlord somewhat by accident and know next to nothing about how it works. l own a home and rented out my spare rooms to three other girls while I lived here. An opportunity presented itself this summer and I moved out of town, thus becoming a landlord to the same girls I lived with. The dynamic has been interesting for sure but with a few bumps we've made it work. When they move out in June 2017 I am going to get a property management group to take over the lease to lessen my headache and establish a more professional type of setup. They have been living here on average 3-4 years so small damages have mounted up, thankfully nothing major. I meant for this to be a house for me to live in so the finishes I put in are quite nice, not what you usually see in rentals. I have a few questions on how to handle repairing these things: 

1. How should I split up the repairs? I received three separate deposits for the three tenants. I lived here also for most of the time of their lease, making four of us total.  I planned on splitting any repairs four ways in the common areas (living room, dining room, kitchen) equally amongst the four of us. Any damages in their individual rooms would be covered solely by who inhabited it.  Would this be the most fair/best way to do it? 

2. What is considered something to be repairs to be taken out of a deposit vs normal wear and tear? Deep cleaning of the entire house and carpet cleaning will for sure be coming out of the deposit, but these are standard move out charges. For example, nail holes and scratches on the floor from dragging furniture are things that will come out of the deposit. The appliances are quite dirty as well as the white cabinets in the sink/bathroom. Hopefully there is a service willing to really deep clean. What about smaller things like grout in the showers needing to be touched up? Mold on the ceilings above the shower from not using the vent in the bathroom? Slow draining sinks due to them being full of hair? Cleaning out of dryer vents since they haven't been in years? Yard maintenance due to leaves not being raked/grass being mowed? Anything else to be thought of? 

3. If I am going to rent out the house to a new tenant once they move out should I fix these things right away if they are only to get damaged again from the next tenant? Would it be wiser to put this money aside for the future to fix it all at once? Fixing something large like a hole in the wall or broken oven, yes, but floor scratches? Would it be worth it if you have to keep fixing?  I would be using this money for repairs but perhaps not at that time. Is this legal? I might want to live here again someday and won't want to come back a house that's been rode hard and put up wet for lack of better terms. 

Thanks for your responses. I look forward to June when I won't have to be as hands on! 

From a legal standpoint if they don't pay for the mattress or refuse late fees can I take it out of their deposit? The person who agreed to pay for the mattress is now avoiding my calls and texts. Was reading up on some AR tenant laws last night and I read that landlords can terminate the lease for any reason with 30 days notice. They've been late on rent enough times for me to terminate, and there is a clause in the lease that says if rent is late 2 or more times the lease agreement is void and will be terminated.