All Forum Posts by: Mona V.

Hi,

Question for rent-to-own pros - Who pays the HOA fee in such an arrangement, the tenant or the seller?

Thanks!

wow, Thank you all for advise!!. I finally decided to go in with the flooring first because my flooring wouldn't be floating, easy to install, avoids a sandwiched dishwasher, hopefully will protect the subfloor from leaks. 

Thanks all for your inputs. Cabinets first would save some sq ft cost, is there any other reason to go in with cabinets first for glued vinyl planks?

I am working on one of my rentals and need to do the flooring and the kitchen cabinets. I am thinking vinyl planks for flooring, ones which glue, not the floating ones. What do you put first - cabinets or flooring? I think its cleaner if I get the flooring complete and put cabinets on it but I have never worked with vinyl planks before. Any advise from experienced members here would be helpful. Thanks!

Hear your pain. Don't worry, its more common than you think. I have worked on two houses and can already write a book on contractor experiences - not showing up for weeks, or not doing what said, or demanding more money in-between or anything else you can think of. Plumbers drilling through floor joists, carpenters drilling through plumbing pipes, using cheaper/different material than agreed upon. I have had a landscaper cut all the trees and create a mess in the yard, refused to take them out when we had already agreed on it and demanding more money because he knew I had to leave the country next day. Even the good ones you find, pay them their price in time, and you might think you have developed a good relationship with them for future work, will disappear when you try to contact them for a future job in a good market. I don't give anyone huge work now unless I have seen their work on a smaller fix, I don't give all the work to one person even if I think they are as good and might be cheaper, since if one leaves you have someone else doing the other job. I have also learnt to fire fast and hire slowly. I have had good/bad experiences with people from craigslist and through referrals, so wouldn't say one is better than the other. I wish they all could say "NO" if they really didn't want to do the job, instead of wasting time for both of us involved. I do have huge respect for the ethical contractors who work hard and take it through. If I find a good contractor now I enjoy working with them till it lasts, with complete understanding it might be short-lived.

@Roger S. Its true for if owner is not using a  broker and owns less than 4(3 or 4 I frogot) units. I am licenced real estate agent, even if I am the owner, FH laws are applicable for my rentals. 

Just changed everything related to "animal":), will mention no animals allowed in the yard, thanks all!

@Lynn McGeein  I have not formed any statement yet, I didn't know if I could tell them that. I'll try telling them upfront and hopefully they understand.

@Brian K. @Kim Meredith HamptonThe septic system was just repaired and the backyard had drainage issues which were saturating the drainfield. We had to regrade and put two quad truck loads of topsoil just to get the drainfield in a shape that the water would drain out, it was very hard to achieve. Its loose and can easily be moved, last thing it needs is anyone digging or moving the dirt there, which took a lot of effort and money to put in place.  System is very delicate and after one year of overuse by tenants (12 people staying when 3 are on the lease), thousands of dollars into it for repair, a year of pain, I am not up for taking any chances. No digging, no moving dirt, can't afford it! I don't want to differentiate between different kinds of pets just to keep the policy simple.  

Also, is it ok to ask applicant was evaluated on the DSM-V?

My rental has a no-pet policy. Mainly because the septic field of the house was just repaired and its all dirt, an animal can really destroy it fast. Its seriously costly and if its destroyed now I really wouldn't have much to repair anymore. A lot of people contact me and when I deny saying they mentioned pets and we have a no-pet policy, they claim its an ESA . I went through all the forums I could find here and I have gone through the Fair Housing Laws regarding disabilities and ESAs, but still have some unanswered questions.

Can I deny based on - "The presence of the assistance animal would pose an undue financial and administrative burden to the provider"?

If not, I would like to give them a form and require them to get it filled by their licenced medical provider, like a lot of people mentioned in forums. But I could not find a copy of such a form anywhere. I see only the letters from the fake ESA certification sites when I search. Can anyone point me to a solid form to use for verification, a letter which I can ask them to take to their doctor to fill. 

Is it ok to call the medical provider too for verification?

Thanks!