All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

I primarily email my tenants. If that doesn't work, then a phone call. I have a business number and never text my tenants, because I don't want them to have my cell number. If they have it, I get texts at all hours. My business line rings only during business hours, after that, it goes straight to voicemail.

There has only once been an emergency (dryer fire), and they called 911. Nothing I could have done about it anyway.

Definitely put it in your lease for next time. This time, you will probably just have to wait until she is out. If you force showings on her, the place may be left a disaster and you don't want to show it in that condition.

Hi @Arianne L.. I'm going to give you the view of the PM, because we see this stuff all the time. 

Cleaning $96 - There is almost always some cleaning that needs to be done, no matter how clean you think you left it. In all my years as a PM, I have only once ever had someone leave a place completely clean and move-in ready. So, the cleaning fees are probably legit. $96 is actually not a large amount. The carpet and tile cleaning fees are completely separate from cleaning the apartment.

Touch up painted interior walls and Trim $135 - Did they tell you it was from the leaks? Could this be from scuffs and nail holes? - Depending on the answer, you can probably dispute this.

Replaced burned out regular and vanity type bulbs $19 - I always charge tenants for bulbs. If they were working when you moved in, then they should be working when you move out.

Cleared clog from front bath sink $25 - Hard to say. If there really was a clog, then they either used a $5 bottle of Drano, or they called a plumber, who would have cost at least $90 for a service call. They obviously didn't call a plumber, so no one can really prove there was or wasn't a clog. - I would dispute this one if I were you.

Replaced bad stove top burner pans $27 - Since it was documented that these were bad when you moved in, then definitely dispute it.

Replaced bad outlet plate $4 - This is a stupid charge. You can buy one at Home Depot for less than $1. The landlord could have just let this one go.

I hope this was helpful!   :)

This won't help you with the current tenants, but perhaps it will in the future. My leases all say that washers, dryers and garbage disposals are there on an "as is basis". So, if they stop working, the tenant can pay to fix them, or they will have not have them to use.  

I would not serve the 3 day notice and the 30 day notice at the same time. If they know you are ending their tenancy anyway, they have absolutely no incentive to catch up on rent. I would serve the 3 day notice only. Then if not paid by the end of 3 days, you can immediately file for eviction. No need to wait 30 days. 

I agree. I would not get in the middle of that. Sounds like fraud.

That is a very sad story. I agree with @Jason Krick, there really was nothing else that could have been done, from the landlord's point of view. I don't really know what that tenant was thinking. Did he really think that if he pulled a gun, they would just let him stay? Even if the officer walked away, he would have been back shortly with a lot more people.

I had a tenant a couple of years ago that had a trust fund. They are normally run by trust attorneys. I called the attorney and talked to him personally. He confirmed the trust fund and the attorney paid the rent for the tenant directly from the trust fund. The attorney and the tenant both signed the lease.

I also did a background check on the tenant and all was good. He was going into firefighter school (or whatever it is called) and was a really nice guy. He was one of my best tenants ever. I hated to see him go when he got a fire fighting job several hours away and had to move.

Hi. There are higher maintenance costs with larger houses. But, I don't think it really has to do with larger groups too much. Overall, people are pretty good at taking care of the houses. There will be small repairs that have to be done from time to time with any place. If renters cause damage, then they are charged for it. It doesn't seem to come up much.

Hi @Bryan C.. I am in Big Bear and manage both full-time rentals and vacation rentals, so I'm very familiar with both. 

If you have any questions, let me know. I'm happy to help. Michelle