All Forum Posts by: Jeff N.

I keep a tenant log using Google Docs (spreadsheet) for each rental. Any communication I have with the tenant I document in the spreadsheet. At the end of each month I PDF the log and email it to the tenant along with their monthly statement.

Hmmm, it always makes me wonder when new members make their first post advertising how great another site is.

Thanks Ed, I will add this to my lease.

I recently received a letter from my tenant wishing to end their lease early due to continued harassment from their neighbor. Its a townhouse and they share a common wall. Neighbor says the children are too noisy, but tenant says they are not and the neighbor is fabricating the complaints.

I have not received any complaints from the HOA and my tenant is an officer in the Navy and has always paid on time. He is at sea a lot and says the neighbor constantly harasses his wife. Since he is not home much he would feel better moving his family out of the situation.

My lease stats they must pay the remainder of the lease term to break the contract, but since he is an active military member and I definitely understand the struggle on family life this can create I told him that I would only charge a max one month rent penalty to break the lease, depending on how well they work with me showing the unit while they are still living at the residence.

I know this situation is common, but wanted some advise and suggestions. I have seen first hand how a neighbor can discriminate against a renter with kids and make their life hell. My concern is if this will be a common theme no matter who I place in this unit if they have kids.

If your lease doesn't currently specify when rent is due and when it is late, along with late fees, how they are compounded and actions taken with specific dates then I would highly recommend amending your lease and instituting these specifics.

Unless the tenant has a lengthy good track record with us I never deviate from the lease conditions. In most cases a letter of intent to evict that references the lease will let the tenant know you don't screw around. Instead of paying their cell phone bill first they will pay you.

What is a 3 day notice? If you mean a 3 days notice to pay I would recommend mailing a formal letter to begin documenting the process.

To me it sounds like you don't have a strong lease and the tenant is taking advantage of this. You need to update the lease within the guidelines of the state and local law and begin enforcing it. Then the tenant will pay you first before going shopping.

Any suggestions on property management software that is cloud based and allows tenant login to view and manage their account. Features such as:

Monthly statements
Tenant Payments
Trouble Ticket Management
Document Server
Owner Property Income/Expense Management

I'm currently using manual spreadsheets and Google Docs to perform these activities.

Rich, do you ever sleep?

Extremely jealous this morning. Sitting in my office wishing I was soaking in the knowledge in Denver. Definitely be there next year.

Josh, please post a lot of pictures.

Jon, I also used Home Depot on a rental and was extremely happy with the service and price. I pulled out old and removed myself, so I only paid the $97 install fee + $7 per step. I agree with a previous post, I feel the contractors are provide the excellent service in fear of loosing their HD and Lowes contracts.

Aloha!

Welcome to BP. I was stationed at Pearl Harbor for 5 years, back when most of the island was still pineapple fields. By the way, where do we get our pineapples from since they no longer grow them on Oahu? Hmmm.