All Forum Posts by: Phil Earley

My Dad tried this with us back in the 70's.   He didn't see the value in paying us $5 a month in allowance and wanted to teach us how the world worked.   He put in a fee structure for all the chores around the house and made us turn in our list at the end of the month.  

We all made over $20 a piece so he went back to how it was always done.   

@Mike Cumbie  It depends.  Who was responsible for the home not being move in ready in this situation?  If the property manager drops the ball, the deposit goes to the owner.  If the owner drops the ball, fee goes to the property manager.   We are all in this together and have responsibilities to each other at the end of the day.   

If a landlord, tenant, or property manager are in breach, odds are they owe the other parties something.  We all need to play by the same rules and not take advantage of others at the end of the day.   

The security deposit should be called a non-refundable reservation fee once submitted to hold the property.   Once possession is taken, the fee becomes the security deposit.   

These are the policies and procedures a strong management company brings to the table.  Collecting monies like this or getting the lease to stick is what we do for our clients everyday.  

Lots of good info above to get you pointed in the right direction.  I would solidify a policy now, put in writing, and implement it exactly.   If you treat the neighbor next door any differently in the future, welcome to your first fair housing lawsuit.   

Appfolio.  we started with Peachtree, then went to Buildium, and then to Appfolio 4 years ago.    It can handle whatever you throw at it. 

I would assume your lease is the same as the neighbors.   Take a look at what violations are being committed and how the lease reads for corrective action.   Reiterate those to the management company.   You'd be surprised how some people including landlords don't know what their lease says.

Take pictures of violations, continue to get police reports, and continue to notify the management company.  It could take some time to remove the tenants per your state laws but having a file papered correctly as opposed to neighborhood gossip will help.  The management company wants uneventful tenants also so team up, don't add to the issues.  Depending on the owner, the call may add fuel to the fire so start with lease and go from there.  

Coordinating and dealing with your future renovations sounds like the issue.  Tenants want to find something turn key and be left alone.   It would be like leasing a car today and having the dealership tell over the next 12 months these are the 9 recalls they will be taking care of for you so expect to have to coordinate everything and deal with all of the disruptions.   

Reacting to these one off expensive minor repairs can be avoided.  Every 8 years, replace all faucets, under cabinet water lines,  toilet mechanicals, washer and dryer lines and vent hose just to name a few.    A handy man can knock out everything in 2 hours.  You can buy all the material at huge discounts because you aren't reacting or relying on others.   You can also get the handyman to warranty his work so that if something fails, he will fix for the price of the part only.  

If any of us have to pay someone to react, it costs more than it needs to be.    

Proactive maintenance saves money and time.  

I'll assume the property manager manages the building here, not your condo.   A nuisance repair such as this must be ok'd by the owner(s) of the building. 

Cosmetic repairs, convenience repairs, nuisance repairs, repairs that have nothing to do with habitability, or repairs for plain customer service have to be ok'd by the owner of the investment.  

Property managers gain nothing by not taking care of a tenant.   If these types of repairs aren't being made, the issue typically stems from the owner not willing to pay or doesn't understand tenants are customers.  

If I had a blank check book from all my clients, I'd have the happiest tenants in the world.  

If my assumption is wrong and the manager manages your condo, open up the checkbook and it will be fixed asap, piece a cake.