All Forum Posts by: Michelle C.

My mother recently had a rental where the tenant rewired the electrical panels so that their units electricity was on the basement panel (paid by the landlord).  She actually walked in on them while they were doing this.  

Inherited tenant with a dog that did not go on walks outside- instead the dog used pee pads and the backyard exclusively.  The pee pads which must have leaked because the hardwood floor was badly stained.  Also the yard constantly had poop in it despite many reminders to clean up after the dog.   They did not get a lease renewal.

You might want to talk to a lender about getting pre-approved.  They will let you know how much you'll be able to borrow, etc.  Also, they will probably have requirements on the minimum amount of work history required.  My lender wanted to see a steady paycheck for several months, and also several years work history.   They did call my office to verify all this information, so be ready for that.  

I have a long clause in my lease that describes a multitude of items that are not supposed to go down the drain.  Ultimately I write that the tenant is responsible for the cost of clearing lines if it is found to be clogged by prohibited items or anything above and beyond normal usage.  While this might not prevent it from happening, it will hopefully inspire tenants to feel responsible about what they put in the drains.  

In my opinion, this is very risky and has little benefit to you.  State regulations about AirBnb rentals are in flux these days, plus your own insurance might not cover any accidents or damages.  If there is an emergency, you will not be the first to know, and trying to get access in short notice might be challenging.  Wear and tear might be increased with the luggage and people in and out.  If for some reason you had to evict, serving notice would likely be difficult if the tenant is not living at the unit.  Last, depending on the situation, your neighbors might not be crazy about the idea of increased traffic to your unit.  Why not just keep it simple and rent to someone who wants to live in the unit themselves? 

I had this issue come up with a group of roommates.  There were 3 roommates, and of course 2 of them would leave every year.  They asked for a walk through for the roommates who were leaving.  We did it that time, but will never do that again. We had people disagree about whose fault things were, and ended up causing a lot of issues between us and the roommates. While I was at the walkthrough, I also had a tenant argue with me over the policies which she was fully aware of, and it escalated to her yelling at me and having a fit. I don’t like being yelled at. Also, it’s another hour of my day that I lose, with no real advantage to me.

We have since revised our lease to say that there will be no walk throughs until the unit is completely vacant, and we do not walk through when anyone is present. We also have one person who is a main point of contact for the deposit and rent payments. Everyone is jointly and severally liable (make sure you include that clause), however we only have to deal with one person, not three. 

This is good for a lot of reasons… first, I believe that it’s impossible to determine the condition of the unit when it is still full of stuff.  Additionally, we don’t want to be involved in disputes about who did what.  Last, if issues arise, it may sour the situation between ourselves and the remaining tenants for the duration of their stay. It is much simpler to deal with one person, and only at the very end. Set it up in the lease and tell them in advance, they will learn to sort it out themselves. 

Just wondering what came of this?  Did they eventually cash it?  

My rentals in Chicago usually rent within 2 - 3 weeks from the first online posting to signed lease.   I usually get about 1 or 2 inquiries a day.  Once, I had a unit get 6 applications in one day, whereas a year ago the same unit took about 15 showings over the course of 1 week before I had someone move on it.  It really depends on the season, and what happens to be on the market at the time.  I pass on people if they don't meet my criteria, which happens a lot.  

I am finding that it is really important to screen people before I schedule an appointment, otherwise I waste a lot of time showing top people who don't meet my requirements.  For instance, I like to ask the important things:  how many occupants, if they have any pets, if they smoke, and what their move in date is.  A lot of times people who don't meet the ad's requirements will try to "get their foot in the door" by scheduling an appointment, and later admitting to having a dog, or not being able to move in for over a month, etc etc etc.   I even had one group of people tell me they weren't smokers until I had already screened them and sent them a lease, then admitted to being pot smokers at the last minute!  After spending hours on the screening on paperwork, I had to pass.  That can be really frustrating so I try to be very upfront about those things before and during showings.  

You might want to consider electronic payments to curb the "rent check in the mail" excuse.  This way it is definitive, either the payment was submitted or it wasn't, and you cant blame it on USPS.  I don't allow checks in the mail anymore.   

I would not offer a new lease to someone if they didn't pay on time in the past, especially if you had to file an eviction.  The income loss & stress someone like this can cause is not worth it.  There are plenty of good renters out there, sounds like its a great time to start fresh.   Also, I've learned in the past that inherited tenants can be difficult to deal with, as they tend to feel entitled since they've been with the property longer. Also, it will be difficult to prove any future damages, because they will claim that existed before, and you will have no evidence because you weren't there when the lease started.  Start fresh and you can pick and choose exactly the kind of person you want to rent to, and on your own terms!