All Forum Posts by: Karen F.

Plan on getting rid of this woman asap.  You could simply file for eviction for the lease violation of having him living there when he is not on the lease, but it would be easier if she also didn't pay her rent. How does she pay her rent?  Does she mail you a check?  Maybe the check won't arrive this month?  Get the police reports of the visits to the property.  I'd file for eviction, based upon the person living in her unit who is not on the lease, and the fact that he is disturbing the peace at the property.  Don't warn her - you've already discussed it with her.  If you warn her, she could call the health department about imagined health violations in her unit, and then for the next six months or longer, any eviction you file against her would be seen as retaliation.  If you have grounds to evict, file (assuming that courts are open in your area).  If evictions are suspended where you are, there is nothing you can do, other than try to get him arrested, or offer her cash for keys to move out.

I think you'll be fine.   You sent them an appropriate accounting, and returned the balance.

Be very careful.  This man is surely mentally ill, and off his meds.  Contact your local police early tomorrow morning and ask for guidance.  Give them the man's name, address.  Let them deal with him.  If he shows up at the office again, the manager should retreat to a safe location and call the police.

Fully rented, 100% rents coming in.  BUT... I counseled all the tenants in mid-March about all the social welfare benefits available to them, and again a month later.  I carried a couple of tenants until their unemployment started coming in.  One tenant we took food and dog food to, until her unemployment started coming in.  Another we employed to do deferred landscaping/maintenance, and then found other similar work for him with other property owners.  And the three vacancies we had at the beginning of the pandemic, took a little longer to rent out, because we were VERY picky, and insisted upon the maximum deposit allowed in our state.

Another thing to keep in mind is that renters tend to be very hard on properties.  Count on needing to do a lot of rehab on the property if you ever want to sell it, after it has been a rental.  To me, this seems to be a poor return on investment, maybe 18K/yr if you have no major expenses, on 375K of your money and credit.  Basically, it would take about 40 years of rental income (minus expenses) to pay off the building (if you were buying it for 375).  I tend to look for properties where five years of the net rental income would pay off the purchase price of the building.  I'm happy if I can find one where 7.5 years of net rent would pay for the property.  Ten years of net rental income paying off the building would be considered around standard.  This property, you're looking at 40 years of net rental income to pay off the purchase price of the building if you were buying it the day that you turn it into a rental property, plus you have a significant risk of the tenants damaging it.  If I were you, I'd plan to prepare the building for sale, so that you could get the best price for it when you sell it.  Don't turn it into a rental.

You're not really asking about sec 8 in general - in general, tons of issues.  In THIS case, sounds like he's one of the rare gems.

An inherited single sec 8 tenant with a 5 yr track record?  Absolutely take him!  Just educate yourself, and make sure you request a rent increase every year from the housing authority.  We inherited a Sec 8 tenant paying $550/mo when the housing authority would have paid 800, and foolishly asked for them to increase it to 750, which they did without batting an eyelash.  Next renewal we asked for 850, and got the 800.  So find out what the max is that Sec 8 would allow for that unit, and ask for more than that at renewal time.

NO! The security deposit is to cover damages and any other costs associated with the tenant AFTER they've finished paying all the rent.  Tell them that the boyfriend who is staying must sign a new lease now, and provide a new security deposit, as if he were a new tenant.  Tell them that you will inspect on the day the lease ends, after she has moved out, and if there is no damage, you will return the deposit then and there to both of them, and his new lease begins, with his new deposit, that you've already collected.  It's between them how they divvy it up.

You do it exactly as if they were both leaving, and a new tenant was moving in.  You get the deposit ahead of time from the new tenant, you sign the lease ahead of time, you inspect after move out, and you return the old deposit according to the laws in your state.  The departing occupants are her and the boyfriend.  The new occupant is the boyfriend.

I never take cosigners.  Too hard to go after them, too hard to collect if you win a judgement.  Do you want to buy yourself a lawsuit?  I'm sure you can find better tenants who have a more reliable track record of rent payment.  Also, do realize that if you rent to these people, you are renting to people who are essentially running a daycare (with their grandchildren there every day).

If you really want to rent to these people, I would have the son, his wife, and the grandparents all be on the lease, and take the biggest deposit you are allowed in your state, and ask for prepayment of rent, too, if that's allowed.  You want enough to more than cover you for the high risk that you'd eventually have to evict the grandparents, if/when son stops paying their rent.  Do you really want to be in that position?

My limit is 2 occupants per bedroom, because any more than that is overcrowding.  I have the names and ages of all occupants on the lease - I tell the tenant that I need to know who is living in the unit, in case some thing happens (like, God forbid, a fire).  Of course, the people who are 18 and over all sign the lease (since I'm gonna have to evict them, if they don't pay, so they might as well be legally on the hook for the rent), but of course, the children do not sign.  The only people who are allowed to live in the unit are those who are on the lease.

I would give her by text 24 hrs notice of inspection for whatever excuse you can come up with, and get in there and inspect, pronto.  Take pix with your cell phone of every room, all the beds in there.  Then leave.  Later that day, or the next one, assuming that you see more than 4 beds in that house, give her a notice to quit for lease violation for having brought in occupants who are not on the lease - name them as Jane Does 1,2,3,4, and John Does too if you think that there are males in there who don't belong.  Name at least one John Doe, to cover the possibility that any adult male is living there.   It's not your problem to ascertain whether or not the people using the beds are adults or children - more than 4 beds, there are clearly more than 4 occupants, in violation of the lease.   AFTER the notice to quit for lease violation (or notice to cure or however it's done in PA) has been served, have communication with her, only via text or email, never again orally, that you rented that house to 4 occupants, and that she is in violation.  Then offer her deposit back in full to move out immediately, give it to her as soon as she's out and has signed a letter saying that she gives up all claim to the unit, and you've changed the locks, and count your blessings that you moved on this so quickly and got out of it so easily.  You will have dodged a bullet.

A nice house in a B+ neighborhood to a woman who is raising some of her stepdaughter's EIGHT children who were all taken by the State, who doesn't want her son to know where she lives, whose source of income is aid from the State?  Is there something about this neighborhood that would warrant taking such a marginal tenant for such a nice house?

In any event, you really need to get rid of this woman ASAP, before the many children there destroy the house.  An extra $200/month for the extra two grandchildren is irrelevant if she already has 4 related women and 8 related children living there - it sounds as if she does.