All Forum Posts by: Malkia Ra

@Sean Ade great minds think alike.

I did exactly what you're considering 6 years ago... purchased a large SFH with a basement that I've been able to convert to it's own completely private apartment, and I've rented it consistently either via lease or AirBNB. It's without a doubt been a great investment.

Regarding the pool, I've purposely avoided purchasing properties with pools for two reasons: (1.) They're extremely costly, both the ongoing maintenance/repair, and the utility bills associated with it, and (2.) Considering the cost factor, it just isn't worth it in my area (DC-MD-VA), as we only get about 3 months worth of hot summer days for pool use.

1 Vote

Raleigh, North Carolina

Quote from @Nathan Gesner:

Quote from @Robert McCormick:

Can you handle some constructive criticism?

Her son slipped in the bathroom and accidentally kicked the wall hard enough to put a hole in it?

Tenant didn't have a trash bin until you bought her one?

Here's my favorite: "It wasn't her fault as her children caused some of it..."

If the tenant has children, she is responsible for their actions. If a tenant can't afford her own trash bin, she shouldn't be in your rental unless you like running a slum with pests. And I've managed 400 rentals for a dozen years and not once had a child fall and kick a hole in the wall. I'll bet dollars to bagels there were other signs that these kids were undisciplined hellions.

It takes some time, but you've got to develop a tougher stance on your tenants if you want to be successful. They should have verifiable income of 3x the rent. They need a decent credit score and a good landlord reference. Have they been at their job for two months or two years? What does their car look like? Can they follow basic instructions when filling out the application? If they are a higher risk than normal, don't accept them without a higher deposit than normal. You have to mitigate your risk.

Even after moving them in, you shouldn't allow them to abuse your house or live like animals. If they don't use a garbage can, it can attract pests and/or damage your property. Your lease should address their responsibilities and there should be consequences when they fail to abide by it.

Ha! Spot on. This guy don't miss!

2 Votes

Quote from @JD Martin:

Once you find a good tenant there's no point in just hanging around waiting for a better one. So do your due diligence on this one and see how it pans out. If they pass the credit/background check and have stable employment, it looks like their income passes and you could just pass on the cabinet rehab for now and probably gain a long-term tenant if her mother lives there already.

Agreed. Not to mention, testing the waters to see what other potential tenants may surface could mean you lose out on the great candidate you have now.

1 Vote

Paint after 8 years is definitely normal wear and tear. No charge back to the tenants.

The garage door damage is the tenants fault. Repair/replacement should be charged back to them.

The pest situation is tricky. Unless their lease has a section outlying pest issues, or, they've admitted to causing the issue, I wouldn't suggest holding them responsible for whatever damage occured.

1 Vote

Quote from @Paul De Luca:

In hindsight there were a few red flags that we now see. Our other tenants are awesome.

Hello @Paul De Luca, I'm curious, what red flags did you notice after she left?

0 Votes

Des Moines, Iowa

I also agree with the peaceful route. And be prepared to follow through with legal action in the event they do not pay, so that, if for no other reason, their non-payment appears when the next potential landlord does an eviction/rental check.

0 Votes

South Bend, Indiana

Quote from @Scott Mac:

If it were mine:

===

Hey, Madge (Midge or Polly) next time you take a vacation, pop me an email ahead of time please.

I need more communication than I'm getting now and when you were gone and not returning my calls, all I could think about was replacing you--and I don't want to do that.

Do you think you could help me out with this?

=====

Agreed.

The PM works for YOU, not the other way around. I get you may have personalities that do not jive; regardless, her lack of response and follow through is unprofessional and I would move to replace her.

1 Vote

Quote from @Theresa Harris:

He puts the claim in on his insurance and his company gets the money from the other person's insurance company.

As soon as he gave you permission to enter, you don't need him to be there-you can enter AND if it is an emergency, you do NOT need his permission to enter (eg a burst pipe).

If he has been horrible since day 1 and you've had issues with non-payment, why have you not hired an eviction attorney to evict him?

The last part!!

Bad tenants don't get better, they get worse. And a bad tenant from day one should've been out the door ASAP.

2 Votes

**Disclaimer: speaking in generalities, not absolutes.**

Section 8ers are, quite frankly, typically low-caliber people and always come with a set of problems.

You can most-often point out the neighborhood section 8 homes, as their lack of upkeep/trashed exterior (and interior) is normally a tell tale sign.

The government gives the renter a voucher for the amount of rent they will pay, and the renter pays the difference of the monthly rent. It's not uncommon for those renters to fall behind although they pay very little every month. Imagine section 8ers owing back rent when they're only responsible for $175 of it every month.

And be prepared for there to be more people living in the home than what's stated on the lease. Section 8ers always have tons of people living in their homes.

And considering all this, their attitudes are horrible. Their sense of entitlement is through the roof.

0 Votes

Akron, Ohio

Quote from @Winter Heintz:

Quote from @Greg R.:

I've had a couple STR guests smoking meth/ fentanyl in my properties, which is pretty crazy because these are high end luxury units. Doesn't happen often but it's happened twice. I know because one tore down smoke detectors and they both left foil, straws, and other used supplies behind.

Regarding LRT, I usually don't interact much w/ the tenants or do the screening, my wife does. Can't remember what happened but for whatever reason I was at this property and showed it to a couple of young single guys. They were active duty in the US Marine Corps., and I am a Marine Corps. vet, so we hit it off. I bypassed the normal screening that we usually do, because, they're Marines and they'll be great tenants - right?

On the first day they moved in there was something minor that needed repair, so I go over there to take care of it and I'm greeted by a 80-90 pound german shepherd who was not at all welcoming. I was puzzled because the lease stated no pets allowed and they confirmed that they didn't have any pets or animals.

A moment later I saw one of the guys and asked him what's going on w/ the dog. He said that they decided not to tell me about it because they thought I would discriminate against them, so they went and got an ESA cert online (not worth the paper it's printed on), and said that now I can't do s*it about it. Those were literally his words, and this happened on the first day of the lease when they were moving in.

From there all kinds of drama, complaining that a fence was a few inches too close to parking space and was code violation, threatened to call fire dept, etc., etc. Literally complaining about every single thing on a regular basis. I was finally able to get rid of them, but they were a complete and major pain in the butt.

Wow! My husband is a marine corps vet and I would never rent to him. He would never pay bills on time if I didn't tell him what's due and when! (I know this because he never paid bills before we met , nearly got evicted when we did meet and got his truck repossessed a few months after we started dating). Military might teach tactics but they don't teach finances ! (I am also in the National Guard).

They sound like a pain!

I've had one person apply and say they have an emotional support animal. What do I need to verify that information? A letter from a therapist?

How did you get rid them out?

I've read service animals should be registered, not sure if emotional support animals fall within this category. If a registration is required in order to be considered a service or emotional support animal, I would ask for that documentation.

Also, the Fair Housing laws diff slightly for house hackers (owners who live in the property they rent). Therefore if you'd rather not have pets, you can legally (although still discriminatory) not have to rent to them.

0 Votes

Des Moines, Iowa

All Forum Posts by: Malkia Ra

Malkia Ra has started 5 posts and replied 176 times.

Post: Split Level House hack conversion with a catch

Post: Should we stick with the potential tenant we have now or wait?

Post: Should we stick with the potential tenant we have now or wait?

Post: Question about tenant deposits

Post: What's Your WORST Tenant Experience? How Did You Deal With Them?

Post: Non-paying tenant, eviction vs peacful termination of contract

Post: How to deal with slacking property manager

Post: Willful Destruction of Property?

Post: Section 8 Rentals - OH

Post: What's Your WORST Tenant Experience? How Did You Deal With Them?