All Forum Posts by: Karen S.

I'm annoyed that the tenant keeps paying so late that when my property manager sends my draw via EFT I don't get my portion of the late paying tenant's rent until the following month. However, the PM gets their commission and keeps all the money from the late fees.  They said the reason they get to keep the late fees is because of the work they have to do with trying to collect the rent.  I feel like they don't have to do any work because the tenant has already told them they will be late and when they will be paying so there is really nothing they are doing to collect the rent.  It almost seems advantageous for the tenant to pay late because they get more money each month by collecting late fees. It's a hassle for me because I expect a certain amount of money each month and when I don't get it, I have to keep transferring funds from another account to meet the minimum balance so I don't have to pay fees to my bank.  I think it's time to get the late paying tenant out. 

I have a tenant that has been paying rent late for the last 6 months.  Rent comes in anywhere between the 15th until almost the end of the month. Is it typical for property managers to keep the late charge collected?  I looked at our contract and it didn't state anything about late charges but it's very inconvenient for me to get the rent late every month.  

I don't know how lawyers work. Maybe they just get a percentage of what comes out of this.  They're the ones that probably put that idea in his head that the insurance company with payout to settle this.  What they're probably not telling him is that whatever he gets out of this, they're probably going to wind up with most, if not all of it.  This has been going on since early 2014 and we have a trial date set for next month. So frustrating!

Long story short, I have an ex-tenant who I had to evict because of non-payment of rent.  He filed a lawsuit against me for all sorts of ludicrous things that he says I did or did not do (i.e. trespassing, harassment, etc).  He basically has no money and is trying to collect on insurance money.  His lawyer is subpoenaing everyone he can think of even if they have nothing to do with this just to run up the tab so insurance will pay out instead of going to trial.  Right now the insurance company is willing to shell out a good amount of money but it's still $7K short of what this tenant is asking for.   I know I did absolutely nothing wrong and don't want to give this guy a penny.  However my time is also very important.  Would you pay and end all this nonsense or spend who knows how long fighting this in court in front of a jury for justice?

I'll check again.  I'm involved in a legal issue with an ex-tenant right now so I called my insurance agent to inquire if my umbrella would cover if my insurance is not enough and she said that a personal umbrella won't cover anything that is covered under a commercial insurance policy.  All this insurance stuff is so confusing to me.  

I have an umbrella policy but was told that it is a personal umbrella so it doesn't cover anything that has to do with my rentasl.  I just learned after 6 years of have rentals that I need to have a commercial umbrella in order for that to kick in if my liability insurance doesn't cover an incident.

When I bought my property 6.5 years ago, I was a total newbie and pretty much did everything wrong.  Bought when the market was still high (and interest was at 7.5%) and then shortly after, the bubble burst and my property way under water.  Long story short, I tried to do some renovations myself or hired handymen to do the work because my finances were very slim.  My question relates to lead based paint because I am reading about it and I didn't know that if the property was pre-1978, you're not even supposed to paint the property yourself unless you're EPA certified.  Does anyone out there have info that can shed more light on this topic?  I'm curious because many of the landlords in my community do alot of painting and renovation projects in their buidlings and I'm sure none are EPA certified. 

A few months ago I hired a property mgmt company to take care of my rental. I knew that the tenants were not going to be happy because this company is really strict with their housekeeping rules and the tenants are hoarders. The place is a mess and I just didn't have it in me to keep telling them to clean up. Long story short, tenants gave 60 days notice to move. They are supposed to be out this weekend but the lady just sent a letter to the prop mgr and said they're not leaving and she can start an eviction because they are looking into suing. These people live like pigs. I'm trying to find out who owned the building prior to the people that sold it to me. These people have been here for 15 years. I've owned it for 5 and the previous owners had it for 3 before they sold it to me. Any suggestions on how to get this information? When I bought this place, the inside was pretty run down. The man living there admitted that they are a mess. The lady says it is in the same condition is was when they moved in 15 years ago which I just cannot believe. The place is thrashed.

If I hire someone to do work (i.e. gardener, plumber), by law do I need to be present and watch them do their work? I have a tenant that says he is intending to sue me and one of his claims is my "failure to manage the agents and contractors" that I hire. I hired a landscaper to come cut down a tree in the yard and while they were there, I asked that they pull all the overgrown weeds and spray weed killer. This was in June 2013. In Oct, he called the police to file a police report that his property was stolen when the landscaper came 4 months ago.

This tenant is moving out at the end of Feb but before he does, he wants to file a lawsuit so for the last couple of months, he has been trying to build his case against me. He has nothing but he's trying his best to find things.

Back to the question, I don't legally have to be at the property when work is being done, right?

I don't require renters insurance and I'm sure these tenants don't have it. I'll find out tomorrow what happened and I may need more advice. Thanks everyone!