All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

The applicants are continuing to call and send me texts, and I'm not returning them.  One of the co-applicants said in a VM that they asked the landlord in question and he reported that he hadn't given any bad feedback (which simply isn't true). The problematic one is leaving VMs and messages that say only "you need to call me."  The tone is vaguely threatening.  At what point do I contact my attorney?  He's not on retainer - I pay by the hour.   Surely they will just leave me alone. 

One of the most annoying things about this situation is that I have current tenant in the home who has been a pretty good tenant, but he is breaking the lease 6 months early so that he can move in with his girlfriend.  As per his lease, he must continue to pay rent until the vacancy is filled. I am aggressively marketing the property, but he is showing some impatience.  I will never do this again.  It will be in the lease in the future that if the tenant breaks the lease, he or she must find a qualified tenant to take over the lease.   It is so so frustrating to be trying to fill a vacancy this time of year, especially as I have other real estate work I need to be attending to.  I feel like I am putting in hours of work simply so that the tenant can follow his whim and move in with his girlfriend.  

I am still rather new at this, so I'd like your feedback on this rejection.  One of the applicants (the one who has been particularly polite and prompt with communication) is extremely disappointed.  He wants to know "what exactly was said" in the conversation with the landlord.  I believe I have no legal obligation to report any further details, but I also think he would benefit from the information.  Anyone want to weigh in here?  In the past I have provided only a simple statement when I have given notice of rejection.  

The criminal background check and credit checks were clear, and the combined income is good, but the one landlord I have spoken to (others have not returned calls) just called me to say he had called the tenant (one of my prospectives) repeatedly since yesterday morning to let him know he needed to get in for a walk-through, and the guy hasn't called him back.  When I asked this same applicant (who has a desired move-in date of December 15th) if he intended to honor the terms of his current lease, he took several hours to get back to me.  He said he would, but why the hesitation?  And why hadn't he notified landlord of an intention to move out on the 15th?  This combined with the reported failure to maintain the lawn = unfavorable landlord reference. I'm rejecting the application.  Thanks to all for your valued input.

But to return to my original question, I think a good thing to ask of the hosting family member is "What responsibilities did [applicant] have in your home?  Did the applicant do his/her own laundry?  Can you list any chores that were regularly handled to your satisfaction, such as lawn-mowing or cleaning?" I didn't get this far with this application, but it might come up again.  I'm going to have some questions on file for the future.  Any additional ideas would be great.  

Yes, I am inclined to give them a chance, but I'm still in wait and see mode.  I don't yet have returned calls / emails from most references.   

The three applicants have good credit (for their age).  They have good jobs with verifiable income, and together they make more than 10X the rent.  I met two of them for the showing and they were very polite.  FB profile looks just fine for one of them (I was unable to find the other two on social media).  But I have only spoken with one reference so far, which is the current landlord for one of the applicants.  He said the guy had always paid rent on time and the only issue he had with him was that he sometimes had to remind him to mow the lawn.  He had not entered the property since the tenant had moved in, but said he would in the next 24 hours.  A potentially bigger issue was that this landlord was unaware of his plans to move out.  The lease is up in a little over a month, so I'm assuming he plans to give his notice within a few days, but perhaps wanted to make sure he had found a place first?  The landlord didn't seem particularly worried - he seemed to think my assumption was probably correct, that the tenant was just on the verge of giving notice.  I'm awaiting call back on references for the other two applicants.  My gut is torn between they're just young (25) and making a few silly mistakes and they are young and going to be a total p.i.t.a to deal with.  This is for a beautifully-renovated property with gleaming hardwood floors, spotless paint, new deck with composite decking . . . and I am getting a lot of inquiries.  

I have three young tenant applicants (room-mates) who each have only one previous formal tenancy.  They have otherwise lived with family. I prefer to check with two previous landlords, so I intend to call these family members.  Does anyone have suggestions for screening questions in that situation?  I don't expect to get much that's helpful, but I'd like to at least try.  Thanks.

Thanks so much!

Hi,

I am finalizing a new lease and I want to add language that lets tenants know that they are not to attempt any repairs to appliances or other parts of the property where injury may occur to them or property may be damaged.  I'm not sure how to distinguish simple repairs (i.e. reattaching a loose cabinet handle or changing a bulb) from ones that are off limits, in a way that is clear and concise.  Can someone share your lease language?  I am working from a lease I got from RentPrep that otherwise has everything I need, with a few addenda needed.  I can put this repair portion in an addendum or in the lease.  Not sure which would be best, so advice welcome.  

Hi there,

I am also an investor in the KC area.  I am interested in wholesale deals and I would be happy to hear more, if you want to PM me.  Thanks and good luck!

@Destiny Fargher Oh yes, we are aware of that.  We don't expect that event to occur.  Also, in some cases the retirement account can be transferred as opposed to the employee having to take a distribution, right?  That's what happened with my former job.