All Forum Posts by: Mattie Covatch

I wouldn't call exterminators just for that. I've caught at least half a dozen mice in my own home this year. I put traps down, catch one, and repeat. Cleaned the place and checked for holes. My mice problem wasn't hard to control myself.

I would not even think about lowering rent.

If a felon, sex offender, a car wreck, a shady homeowner, a new low-income apartment complex, etc. moves next door, that sucks... but it's not a reason to lower rent. 

Unless the offender is within the local limits of a school/etc., there's nothing you can do about it. Most major city neighborhoods have an offender within a few miles... that's just how it goes.

There's even an offender in my nice neighborhood-- some homeowner let their offender son move in with them. I hate it, neighbors hate it, nothing can be done. It's about 80 feet far away enough from a school. And, it's not like offender = instant high crime stats either. I'd just prefer to live near decent people, but it's not like offenders or criminals couldn't drive around the area, even if they don't live here.

If you can't find a new tenant, then you might have to lower rent- but odds are, you'll find someone.

The tenant just wants a discount, and would probably complain about anything to get it. Ignore them. They wouldn't mind the sex offender living nearby if they get a rent discount, just if the price is the lower... LOL. That's really rather sick that the tenant would fake concern about their kid the "same age as the victim" just to get a rent discount. Ugh. 

Ricks DiMarco

My new roommate has been here only a week and already cleaned her bathroom. It's spotless. I haven't even seen her this week. So far, she's clean and quiet.

Ah, yes, the smoking outside the door thing. Yuck. Smoking is one thing I hate. I don't care if someone drinks or eats bon bons all day... those won't give me second hand effects and/or cancer. One person who came you couldn't really smell smoke on, but you're probably right about the washing machine eventually smelling. This person said she smoked "only sometimes and only outside" and her dog lived with her parents but she asked if it could visit some. Yeah, I said NO smoking and NO pets. Hah, tenants.

NEVER accept a kid in a roommate setting. Not bi-weekly weekend visits even. They WILL take advantage of it. Even a few nights a month of a kid could mean huge liability and plenty of damage. NEVERRRR. EVER. EVER. NO. Never accept a kid in a rent a room setting. They will end up staying the night more often, then they'll start coming over during the day more. Liability. Damage. Noise. And, if they get angry with you or a roommate, they could use their kid as leverage to claim you did something you didn't to get back at you. You definitely don't want kids. Talk about drama.

If they have adult children, it doesn't matter... unless there are grandkids they want to come stay. I say "no minors overnight."

When you give some leeway, they definitely take advantage of it. One roommate I had would have dates stay more nights than my rule (2 nights a month). Usually they went twice the limit. At least it's not more often, but still... gets old. I once had a roommate who would have her sibling stay a week every few months. That got very, very old and I had to tell her I expect this not to keep happening. My next lease will say "no overnight guests of any type, no exceptions." I'm done accepting overnight guests. Some are quiet, but... this isn't a hotel. They get the benefit of a cheap place and should be able to find somewhere else to take their date for a night. Overnight guests are just too much of an imposition in roommate situations. Some guests are quiet, but some hog the kitchen or bathrooms.

I'm glad you have a quieter house. Hopefully you can find another good match. I tell prospective tenants "we're very busy, and don't see each other often." I put "seeking tenant who works full-time or attends school full time outside the home, no work from home, and has a busy schedule and able to appreciate a quiet house." I don't quite phrase it like that, but that's the shortened version.

Here's hoping we both can retire from the rent a room thing soon!

Ricks DiMarco

I did find someone at the last minute, thanks for asking. I wasn't expecting to, but fortunately I got one at the last minute. They literally came, saw it, applied, and signed the lease just a few days before move in. It wasn't someone I would have usually considered-- outside my age range. But, so far (in a short week), so good.

I've had smokers come see the room too, then tell me a half hour into it that they smoked "outside only" (yeah, RIGHT. Not.). It is frustrating, isn't it? I've had others say they had no pets, they say "well, I have a dog... but it lives with my parents... can it stay here sometimes?" It's like... what part of the ad can't these people read? I guess they think I'm desperate and will take them if they seem otherwise fine. At one point I thought about it, but smokers just stink, outside or not. And, they usually end up smoking inside if it's cold. Maybe your smoker inquiries don't think their smoke would be a big deal if they seem pleasant too. Big waste of time for us. And pets.. I like pets, but not irresponsible tenants who don't care for their pets and let it destroy someone else's house.

I got a lot of inquiries of people with kids. They try to minimize it, saying that the kid will stay in their room. Um, NO way in hates. I'll never understand why people rent rooms in their house to people with kids. Kids cause damage, and the liabaility... sheesh.

You're right about the details making a match. If we hate smoker smells, someone else will eventually come along who does too. I also like a quiet house, and that's even a hard match to find.

It sure is a frustrating process to find people, but I've been fortune enough to find decent people most of the time after screening out the crazies, the smokers, the kids, the pets, and the people evicted. I've had a few months total of vacancy since I've rented rooms, but I enjoyed having one less person here.

I absolutely want to retire from the "rent a room" thing ASAP.

He should've been evicted right after paying late.

You need a stricter PM.

What if your PM fears evicting anyone for fear of retaliation-- due to repairs, or some claims of discrimination that didn't occur, or anything else?

Things leak. Mold happens. You repaired it quickly and let the tenant stay in a hotel. That sounds like it's going above and beyond to me. The tenant didn't notice for months that something was leaking. I'm not sure how they could claim that's your fault. They're supposed to report repairs promptly.

If the tenant got fired, I'm not sure you would see that $6000 ever again. Maybe the tenant has savings, tax refunds, or a new job?

Why should a landlord pay for one month's rent? Especially when you don't want to pay for one month's rent.

You signed a lease that required 30 days notice. That's your problem. You agreed to this, and now you're stuck with what you agreed to in the first place.

You knew your lease was coming to an end. Why didn't you start looking and packing a month ago?

If the place you want to move in to is ready NOW, not 30 days from now, and you're not willing to pay for a vacant month, don't sign the contract. Find somewhere else to live that has the move-in date that you want.

There are some apartments that let you reserve a rental one month in advance, only requiring deposit up front and not a vacant months rent. Usually that's larger apartment complexes that know they'll have some apartment in their building open 30 days from now. Try the larger complexes.

Or, try mom and pop owners who advertiser vacancies sometimes 60 days in advance. Or ask a smaller owner that has a place ready now if they'll hold it for you for one month. Perhaps split the cost.

Or give your current apartment 30 days notice now. And, start looking for places quick. Some private owners and craigslist finds are "available now" so you could find a place at the last minute.

Plenty of people find apartments at the last minute. Maybe you're too picky or set an unrealistic budget or maybe you live in a rental area where places get rented quickly.

You'll of course need overlap when moving.

Moving is expensive. Movers expenses are to be expected. Having to pay some overlap between two apartments is to be expected. That's life, and the contract that you agreed to, so you're stuck.

For sure. Give a tenant an inch, and they'll take a mile.

My old apartment complex didn't care that I was very allergic to exterminator chemicals. The chemicals literally made my eyes swell 80% closed. I had to always find out when the exterminator was coming, and check into a hotel for a few days. The apartment didn't care that I was allergic, and I didn't know I was allergic to the chemicals they were using when I signed the lease. Their response? Tough rockos. I would respond similarly... tenants will deal with it.

The foreign inquiry is a no-go. They're not even in the USA yet-- and won't be until move in day. (Yes, they really do work for a nearby large internationally-hiring company.. not a scam.) But, they don't have a car, and it's literally impossible to live here without one. Well, assuming you want to go anywhere.

Should I mention allergies in my ad? Or wait until a "roommate" discussion for that? I think I'll just handle it and ask any inquiry, "I was wondering what type of foods you usually cook... I've got a few allergies. Are you allergic to anything too?"

I lived in an apartment once that had required exterminator service.

The exterminators would knock then enter the apartment if not home.
Didn't like it? Tough. Apartment said you could move.

If you were home and locked the door from the inside, exterminators would try again later that day and the next.

The apartment didn't care if we liked it, were allergic to it, had pets or not, were home, or what not. It was required, and was part of the lease. They would simply return and enter when you weren't home if you refused to let them in. They couldn't care less if we didn't like it, and we had already signed away their liability for contents so they didn't care about potential for theft.

What would I do? Tell tenant you require exterminator service. If you want, find a time when tenant will be home and the exterminator meets the tenant and does the job.

I have a decent inquiry who is a good match, accomplished professional and verifiable.

One issue is... they are not in the country yet. I verified that they are doing a one-month professional residency here. It's not some Nigerian scam. I verified their name and local job here through a big-name, reputable local company that often hires internationals already. The company has this person on their website too. They're real. I obviously only accept money locally in person and, in this case, in cash.

My (allergy-related) "problem" is that they are from the Middle East. I have no problem that a tenant is from there -- it's just that I have rather bad allergies. Do most Middle Easterners cook with tons of spices that bother allergies? Would my kitchen never smell the same again? Is curry popular there?

I've had Asian roommates who cooked with spices before, and that didn't bother my allergies. The spices only smelled a short while after they cooked. Is it the same type of spices in Middle Eastern cooking? Has anyone been around Middle East cooking?

Like I said, I don't care where someone is from - I just don't want to be allergic to their cooking!

My stupid allergies hinder a lot of roommates, and I've never been around Middle Eastern cooking (no restaurants like that even) here so I'm not sure if that would bother my allergies. I've very allergic to cigarette smoke and have to ban smoker roommates. I'm allergic to cats and bunnies and all sorts of junk. It's a pain.