All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

Hello,

I have a property that is managed by a property management company. The lease ended 1/31 and the tenant was supposed to move out end of January. The property management company applied last months  rent towards January rent and then the tenants said they couldn't move out yet. For February the tenant paid partial rent after the grace period, the property management company served a 3 day notice since they had not paid. It is now March, the tenants were supposed to move out the end of February, they have paid all but 200$ of February rent. They still have not moved out- the property management company said they had secured a new place to live they just needed extra time to finish moving.  The management company said the tenant will now owe double rent for March.

I have been using this property management company for a little less than 2 years. The tenants were in place already when this property management companty took over- I asked the property management company and they don't have the social security number of the tenant. They also do not expect the tenant to pay anything further. They said they didn't start the eviction process because they knew the tenant was on the way out and they didn't want to incur unnecessary expenses.

The property management company told me they use a collections person- who can obtain tenant's social security- etc, but they take 40% of whatever is recovered.

I told the property management company they need to let me know if a tenant does pay/ if they have to post 3 days notice so I can decide if I want to start the eviction process and that if the tenant was secured when the previous management company was there- they need to obtain the tenant's social before renewing the lease. They said they would do this

At this point I am really annoyed with the situation. I had several people (painters/ handymen, etc) on hold to take care of the rental once the tenant moved out, and i have had to defer them over and over because they tenant will not move out.

I was wondering- can I use a collections company of my own? Is collections better than small claims court as far as recovering owed rent? What can I do when you don't have a tenant's social? And what can I do in the future so this doesn't happen again? 

Thanks

I have a property management company that manages 2 rental homes for me.

Recently one of the homes had a leaking faucet. The faucet leak was brought to my attention 1/23.

I asked them to send someone out to assess leak on 1/23.

1/27- estimate provided to replace the faucet for 320$ and tenant complained of mold and I approved the repair on 1/27.

on 2/1- the property manager said the tenant was requesting to have the vanity replaced because of mold smell.

The property manager  gave me a quote of 2/4 to replace the vanity for 420$ and I okayed it.

I asked for an update on the cabinet on 2/17- she said they were having trouble with getting out the estimate. I received the estimate 2/18 for 1500$- she said they misquoted the first estimate. The property manager said I could get a mold remediation specialist go out to the home but she wouldn't inspect it. I contacted several mold specialists and just replacing the vanity seemed like the best option to me.

then 2/10 I received notification that there was a leak at the fridge of another home.

The tenant wrote that the leak could destroy the cabinet. I missed the original email and  responded 2/15 asking how old the fridge was and what was the make and model.

The property manager said she would ask the tenant. I asked 3 more times and finally she got me the info 2/23. I sent out a repair person 2/23 to look at it. The appliance repair person said one of the valves in the fridge needed to be replaced. He also said the leak has damaged the cabinets on the floor. I had to ask the property manager to go to the property to assess the situation. And she is supposed to go on Friday.

I am worried I will need to pay again to replace the cabinet because of water damage. The property manager will not speak to me over the phone. When I told her that it has been taking her a long time to get back to me and I've had to ask multiple times for info- she said she was having health issues and she was sorry. 

I feel like the water damage to the cabinets from the fridge leak could have been avoided if the property management company or the tenant had responded faster. Although I realize  i missed the ball by missing the first email 2/10.

I don't feel like the property manager is on the ball at all. Is her level of involvement normal? 

What should I do?

Edgar Rodriguez-  Yeah, it seems like HOAS are a bad idea- I'll avoid them for sure. 

I'm more interested ( in the long term) either moving into the home that I buy or  renting it out long term. In the next year, Im wanting to move to  Tampa and I don't feel ready to just move- because of all the uncertainty with coronavirus. I was thinking about Lutz and Wesley Chapel because I'd like to end up there,  and I'm not a big fan of more southern/city type areas of Tampa.

Lutz is Hillsborough- so that would probably  be ok with short term rentals right?

Thank you for all your info- I appreciate it:)

Hi,

I am looking to purchase a home in the wesley chapel, lutz area for usage (at least initially) as short term rental.

I was wondering if anyone has done short term rentals in homes that are located in communities, and if yes- how was that?

Most of the homes available, with what I am looking to spend, are located in a community with HOAs.

Has anyone had any issues with doing a short term rental/ air bnb single family home in a place that is not part of a community/ not HOA.

Do I just need to apply to Hillsborough county for license?

I don't live in Tampa at the moment, so I was considering using a property management company- at least initially. Does anyone have any recommendations for companies?

Also I know that the short term rental industry has been significantly impacted by the coronavirus. Any recommendations or suggestions in this department?

Thanks in advance.

Dennis,

don't you think i should confirm that she has a dog there before I send her documentation/ notice. I clearly told her in writing a month or so ago that no pets were allowed on the premises. I haven't driven by since the walk through in November. 

Angela, 

i don't even know if the boyfriend is living there. I will ask the tenant about it. Also I already told her no dogs/ pets. I was there in November and didn't see signs of a dog. I could talk to her again and do a drive by to make sure. Yes I don't think I should talk to the neighbor- her only solution and request has been to get rid of the tenant.

i was thinking that I should forward the email to the tenant and ask her to stop contact with the neighbor from now on. But wasn't sure

Bill,

that is the reason I didn't deal with the neighbor the first time. She sounded sort of insane on the voicemail and she was rude. The tenant has been good so no I don't have a reason to believe the neighbor. The neighbor actually looked me up on leepa to find our who owned the home and then looked up my number. It was a few months after my husband died, and I was not happy about it.

Hello,

i need some advice on how to handle this tenant issue.

my husband brought this tenant to the rental home in 2016. She's been there with 3 kids since then. My husband died last year, so I've been managing the rental since then.

The tenant has always paid rent on time and been respectful/ good- when I have dealt with her. She doesn't bother me with minor issues and takes good care of the property.

we renewed a yearly lease in November 2019. I did a walk through prior to renewal and it was all ok. She asked me if she could have a friends dog there and I said in an email- NO. 

i met the tenant's boyfriend when I did the walk through. I did not get the impression he lived there and there were no signs of a dog there.

i got a voicemail from the tenant's neighbor a little while back. In the voicemail,  the neighbor said

the tenant had been rude to her and had threatened her. She also had said the tenant had a dog and that it " came at the neighbor" up to the fence ( they are separated by a fence). So the neighbor called the police. I took a look at the police report and it didn't assign blame to anyone/ resulted in nothing. The neighbor was rude to me in her voicemail- so I addressed the issue with the tenant and not the neighbor. I told the tenant that the dog couldn't be in the rental anymore- that was prior to this email below and prior to the walkthrough with the tenant.

so today I received this email from the tenant's neighbor today. And I am looking for suggestions on how to deal with it.  I know I need to be sure that the boyfriend isn't living there ( he is not on the lease )and that a dog isn't there ever but when it comes to the neighbor, I think it's more of an issue of them just not liking each other . I think the neighbor wants to get rid of the tenants because she doesn't like her. When I ask the tenant if she had threatened the neighbor she denied it.

i wanted to come up with a game plan prior to contacting the tenant or neighbor.

Thanks

I have a tenant who emailed me a few weeks ago saying she was moving. I went to the home and did a walk through to see what needed to be done with the home. A week or so afterwards she texts me saying that she was denied the loan and she isn't moving. She texts me around June 5th and asks if this can be the last month because they are closing in a few weeks on a home, after all. 

Backstory- my husband had been dealing with the tenant up till a year ago, when he died. The tenant has been in the home for 10 years and has been a good tenant.

I had told her June could be her last month if she'd be moved out by the end of June. She said she needed to confirm when the closing date would be to make sure she would be out by the end of June. I've been waiting a few days and haven't heard back yet.

The home needs new carpet, a paint job and a few minor repairs. 

My question is I cant wait forever for this tenant to let me know if she is or isn't moving since it needs some work done prior to a new tenant. How would you suggest I let her know that she needs to truly give notice of when she is moving ASAP? 

I could require her to give a real 30 day notice? 

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Nathan, thank you for your input. So many good suggestions- so awesome! I do have a lot to learn, and I don't think I should just blindly let a big company take over as James had suggested. Thank you!