All Forum Posts by: Robert Melcher

Deanna,

Without stepping into the sticky territory of profiling, is there any reason this person would be a concern for bomb-making?

Urea (yes, even concentrated from human urine) is an ammonia compound which can used in bomb-making.

Just saying....local authorities might be curious.....

First off, the trampoline is a no-no in my SFH rentals and I would demand its immediate removal. It is a liability nightmare for you if you allow it and you can not only be sued by an injured neighbor, your own insurer may cancel if they audit the property.

Then he can jump off the roof all he wants...

@Betty Cruz one more item escaped my first note:  If you haven't read Chapter 92 of the property code, you should.  Late fees can start no sooner than the first full day AFTER the rent is due (time to cure?).  So if its due on the 1st, late fees can start on the 3rd.  If due on the 3rd, late fees wait until the 5th, etc.

@Brad Larsen is correct, in that the professionals (licensed) PM will not be able to discuss service costs due to price-fixing concerns.

Much of the decision to charge for specific items, or as a PM, to either charge for the services or to include them in a set management fee, depends on your perspective of risk and time management.  

As an individual property owner and landlord, my concern (one risk) would be about driving away your renter with fees, when a renter at an apartment or someone renting through a PM would probably only pay an application fee.

As far as pet fees /deposits go, it can also be several ways. A one-time non-refundable fee, an increase in rent for the animal, or an additional deposit that is refundable if there is no damage.

The question is, can you manage it, can you be consistent, and can you estimate with any comfort which is best for you.  And be sure to disclose any fees you expect to charge UP FRONT during the application.

Most of these previously discussed are in the body of the primary lease document.

We have (mostly) SFH so we do have a pet addendum, and a pool/spa addendum when necessary.

Another PM adding to the thread....Out-of-state people on their first turnover are my best new clients.....

The lead paint finding should have no bearing on the eviction for unpaid rent.  Rent strike should follow the local landlord/tenant laws but should include notification and time to resolve, and if they signed a lead based paint acknowledgement, its on them because they knew about it.

I would object to them raising the issue at all in eviction court.  

We have late fees starting on the first day allowed by law.  Rent is due on the first of the month.

Since in Texas late fees can start no sooner than one full day after the date it is due, late fees start at 12:01 AM on the 3rd.

We send notices to vacate via email, or call to let them know if we don't have rent when the late fees start.  The notice is of course the first step in the eviction process. 

Hard copy notices are delivered to any still unpaid by the 5th.

Eviction filings are on the 8th.

Typically court is 2-3 weeks later.  We can have a deadbeat out in less than 30 days.

Late fees and filing costs are taken first out of any payment, so there's no battle to recover these.

It takes payment in full to stop court once we've filed.

I have had issues collecting on tenant damages through renter's insurance.  I put it on the tenant to settle the charges.

The standard answer is that the insurance is for the renter's possessions and not for the property.

The liability coverage is for injury on the property, not damage to it.

This is the reality of Property Management.  I have evicted cancer patients with children whose father abandoned them and the mother when she was terminal.  

Its the professional PM's job to enforce the lease, and the only armor a sensitive guy like me has when I do this is that my responsibility is to my client, not the train wreck of humanity happening in front of me.

And like the author, the skeptic in me wonders how half of my "victims" manage to clothe themselves on a daily basis....new cars, phones, hairdo, and can't pay rent.  The people who really need help get less respect because of those others.