All Forum Posts by: Michael Craig

Don't Cali Idaho!

@Cameron Riley

Short answer: NO. A LL can only deduct the cost accrued from damages caused by the tenant, a LL cannot just keep the full deposit because a tenant violated the lease.

With that said, tally the cost of the damages and deduct that from the security deposit - that is how much you keep. Be sure to provide the tenant with an itemized receipt. Example:

Security Deposit: $1,000

Cleaning Crew: -$300.00

Cost to Patch Wall: -$150.00

Moving Crew to Remove Tenants Belongings: -$295.00

Tenant Receives: $255.00

Take photos of each item of concern and include them in the letter you return to the tenant. Also, include copies of the receipts from the cleaning companies, contractors, movers, etc. If the damages account for more than the security deposit, send the itemized list with photos and receipts and outline what tenant owes to you. 

Lastly, only deduct what you can justify and are willing to defend in small claims court.

Pedro, it depends on the demographic but i found Venmo to be the most effective way to collect rent. Once the rent is in your Venmo account, you can transfer the respective rents to the specific accounts.

Venmo also does a great job of tracking each transaction which is good for your records and the tenants records.

@Raj Ahuja

I thought about forwarding the bill to the tenant but I didn't want to add insult to injury. The tenant has been at the property for close to three years and they've always a been a pleasure to have. 

If there was significant damage then it would have been a different story.

@Constantia Petrou

I found Zillow to be the most effective means for placing long term tenants in my market of B tenants. Craigslist does not even compare. 

I also found that "For Rent" signs bring a lot of phone traffic but hardly any (if ever) qualified tenants.

It is 5 o'clock and I get a text from a tenant in the downstairs unit, "Mike, we have a steady drip in the bedroom coming from upstairs.". I respond, "On my way".

When I arrived at the property, I called the upstairs tenant and learn they are out of town until weeks end. I let them know of the situation and they told me to let myself in to their apartment to find the cause. I searched the apartment and all the areas where plumbing ran looked normal and dry.

The downstairs apartment has plaster ceilings and the drip happened to be coming from a seam of where a support beam meets the ceiling. Coincidentally, right above this seam is where plumbing work was performed 2 years ago. To me, the obvious cause is one of the joints in the newly installed plumbing is leaking.

After calling every plumber and contractor in my small city, my ace contractor luckily calls back and can swing by!

We looked everything over, twice, and agreed the new plumbing must be the culprit. We head upstairs and prepare to remove the trim, flooring and sub-flooring, and upon doing so the ace notices a steady stream coming from the bed room. We follow the stream back only to find the condensate from the AC unit is dripping into the house (Yes, the upstairs tenant leaves the AC on for their cat while they are out of town). We adjust the AC unit so it is not leaking inside, wipe down the floor and call it a day. I was relieved that we didn't have to tear apart the apartment!

@Raj Ahuja

I was informed that the significant other was moving in. I didn't bother to put them on the lease as I was told that it will be temporary and they will be moving out by November.

Hello,

I have an apartment that is not suitable for a pet. The tenant of this apartment asked if they could get a dog. I responded saying they cannot. The tenant then claimed that their significant other is going through something and that this dog will serve as a support animal.

Here's the KICKER:

The significant other is not on the lease as they moved in months ago to flee NYC. 

As a LL am I obligated to allow a tenant to purchase a support animal after they have moved in?

As a LL am I obligated to make special arrangements for a tenant who is not on the lease?

Thanks in advance.

  

@Sami Gren

It sounds like the contractor did what he could to patch over the mistake... 

You can try to get new cabinet doors. Maybe explain the situation to the store you bought them from and they can provide new doors at a discounted rate. Might be your only option to get the desired outcome you want.

Replacing cabinet doors and hardware is low level work that doesn't require special tooling or knowledge. May be worth doing it yourself.

As for the contractor, you likely won't see the money you paid him as he did complete the task. Perhaps he can help replace the cabinet doors and hardware at no charge if you decide to go that route.

@Andy Chen

A cleaning should suffice in this situation. For future reference, include on the lease: "tenants are responsible for having carpets professionally cleaned upon move out."

If it were me, I would hire a professional carpet cleaner. I would have the cleaner provide documentation stating cleaning is mandatory for apartment habitation (or recommended) whichever the cleaner believes to be true. Then I would have the carpet cleaner clean the carpets. Make a copy of the receipt and the document that shows the cleaning was necessary and include it on the security deposit itemized receipt. Be sure to deduct the FULL amount of the cleaning from the security deposit. Also include before and after photos of the carpet if you think this will help your case.

Any tenant with reason will accept this cost. However, in the very unlikely event they do not, you have a strong case in small claims court.