All Forum Posts by: Mary Ann Aulbur

Hopefully, your original lease covered this situation in advance.  Roommates come and go.  So this should be expected and covered in initial lease.  If he chipped in to the security deposit, he may want his share back.  And (depending on the laws of your state) he may be legally entitled to his refund.  If the new applicant passes his application checks, you may want to cover this in a new lease all roommates sign.  Also, ask a lawyer to word it appropriately for your state so you can either recover damages when the tenants all leave or when one leaves.  This would require an inspection and remediation repairs before new lease is signed.  I do not know if the phrase on 3. "have no further claim" is legal in any state for security deposits.  

Only one dead body, but was house hacking with roommates.  Found it within a few hours but very sad.  He was a nice guy.  Other than that it was messes or sneaking in pets and leaving me fleas to get eradicated.

Bright, clean and storage.  Paint walls - light, neutral color.  Clean windows.  Add lights (wall and ceiling) and turn them on when showing.  Add simple storage with plywood and 2x4's or 2x2's then paint.  Enclose these behind doors or even curtains.  In lower end rentals, storage is hard to find.  Sometimes clean is hard to find.  Big closets are also hard to find.

Fencing in a B or C neighborhood is a plus for privacy and safety but just the back yard is usually enough.

If you allow pets, it can be a wise, money generating move or a very costly mistake.  So be careful, check their current residence and put safeguards in place.

I would change wording to say animal instead of pet.  Also have them sign that they have no animals in their family.  If they add any animal, they must notify landlord in writing before not after they are in the unit.  

I would talk to the tenant and tell them I like to keep the property in good repair for my tenants. And I noticed some things that needed fixing. Then I would fix the drywall (no charge) because chipped areas will get bigger.  If they had punched holes in walls, I would charge them for replacement. And I would replace the spindle and charge them for that replacement.  The last picture what is it?  If you installed something like a shower curtain rod and it pulled out - reattach more securely.

Also if corners are getting chipped and knocked about, I would consider adding corner guards (plastic or wood) as an upgrade for my tenant.  If you want to keep them and encourage them to be careful with your property, a yearly spruce up (even if just fixing small dings in walls) will help.  

Just tried zillow.  Few of the sold homes had prices, most were listed at $0.  Tried google searches when looking at homes sold on different sites "sold price not available" pops up and I did find one that was called homefinder which had a partial list of homes sold.  The county websites I use charge to access that information but since I do not pay that yearly fee, I am not sure how quick it is updated.  So it is not so easy to see how much it sold for.

If you decide to allow modification, pick who does the work.  Find the approximate location of wall mount wanted and alternative location if not possible due to electric, plumbing or support.  Inform tenant:  he will pick up tab and wall mount becomes your property; or after moving, wall must be professionally repaired to pre-installation condition.

Does he/she want this cost?  If not, brainstorm other options with him.  Most tenants cannot safely attach items to walls.  If you give him diy permission, could you be responsible for incorrect or unsafe installation?

I so hate it when we don't know what happened!

At least send her a card telling her she was a great tenant and that she is missed.  If you have made changes to the unit tell her about it.  Share a little news about the complex in general.  It gets lonely in assisted living facilities and she will appreciate your thoughtfulness.  If she is talkative, she will share your card with a smile on her face.  

Your being kind and thoughtful - What could it hurt?  What could it accomplish? -  Maybe another tenant, maybe a good reputation in the community, or maybe just the good feeling of doing something right.

It only costs a little time but can have a huge impact.  There is so many ways to make this a positive experience for her and for you.  So make yourself shine!

It varies. Usually several years. I really don't evict frequently and turnover time is short. But I have evicted a few times in the beginning of being a landlord and then improved my screening. Also, I am a small landlord of SFH and enjoy property management. M2M works for me.

 Mmmm....above that of a slum.  Depends on the inspector or his mood that day or maybe the expectations of the regional office. 

There is yearly paperwork for the landlord.  Why should anyone bother for little to no return?  If  it increased revenue, then it would make sense.  If many units needed to be rented, it may make sense and the paperwork could be streamlined.

I am not downgrading HUD assistance programs, but not all landlords would benefit from using this program.