All Forum Posts by: Rochelle Thea Fabrizio

I am also Active Duty and say DO NOT return the fee. It was a fee established to all renters and is an incentive for long term tenants as well as for renters to have a MTM lease option. I am pretty cut and dry when it comes to the rules (never used to be that way, but life lessons have hardened me a little). I had a great tenant who paid on time every single month without an issue. Unfortunately they left the exterior of the home in a state which I needed to hire a lot of work out. It took their entire Security Deposit to fix it as well as extra that I than billed to them (which they paid graciously apologizing for the mess). As much as I, as a person, felt bad for having to do that, as a business owner it was the right thing to do. You have to draw a line in the sand and always tell yourself, this is a BUSINESS... Always easier said than done. I do however love your lease term and deposit idea! Thank you for sharing that!

@Oleg Serdyuk I agree with @Marc Winter. They DO NOT deserve a cookie for anything. Nobody should be incentivized to do their basic required task, which in this case, is pay for their housing like the rest of us adults. You need to get them out ASAP. This has become a norm for them and will continue to be so until you take action. Occasionally, you will find a tenant that will begin to do the right thing if you start to take action and move towards the process of eviction. But likely she will just leave, not pay you a dime, and move on to the next unfortunate landlord. If at all possible report this to a credit agency so she will have some consequence and other landlords can take note and hopefully save themselves a headache. Best of luck!

@William Sevier do you happen to be military? Some of the biggest and most expensive issues arising with older homes is the electrical and the plumbing. Do you know when those were replaced if ever? I would absolutely put away more money each month for CAPEX (normally a little less than 10%..you may want to aim for 15-20%) to be on the safe side. Make a goal of a certain $$ amount you want to put aside for emergency repairs. My goal is always 10K per property minimum. (this doesn't need to be an immediate need but an ASAP need) Try to make things as low maintenance as possible. Carpet requires maintenance frequently. Make sure wood is all stained or sealed. Siding is intact with no rot or cracking paint, and ensure you look at that rough to ensure not cracking tiles that haven't been sealed or replaced. I manage two properties from a distance so this are big ticket items I'm always looking for. Hope this helps!

I am interested to see what other peoples perspective is on this situation. I had a similar situation in Florida with individuals residing at the residence that had no permission to be there. According to Florida Law, I had to go through the process of evicting them just like any other tenant. I served them a three day notice to vacate or pay. If they failed to do so an eviction process would have begun being served to them at the location. I then had deputies escort me to the property (I had to fly in from California) and clear the premises to ensure its safety. Naturally this type of tenant stole whatever they could get their hands on (fire extinguishers, refrigerator, shelving, closet systems, concrete patio sets, misc. paint and building supplies) and drew all over the walls. It may be prudent to have a way to "watch" them to ensure this doesn't happen. This was a miserable situation and I don't wish it upon anybody. I hope this helps and I hope your situation turns out better than mine without any vandalism. 

I would always exercise EXTREME caution when moving forward with unqualified tenants during this time. In some states they can move in, claim hardship from COVID, and not have to pay rent without any ability to evict them. If there are not ANY qualified tenants, and it is in your best interest to rent the property as soon as possible, I think that the increased months rent in advance is a good option as well as possibly charging them a higher security deposit to cover any potential pitfalls that are more likely with that class of renter. I personally have never had good luck after lowering my standards and it has ended up becoming more of a problem and headache than anything else. 

@Alvaro Rodriguez I agree with @James Hamling on this one. I have two properties (under contract for third) and keep everything in a portfolio. I keep receipts, rent receipts, leases, all applicable signed documents saved both electronically and in paper (kinda old school like that). For two properties it is not an issue at all and with a SF home rental, you won't be doing a tremendous amount of repair as you would with a multiple door unit. I have gone as far as to make my own receipt templates, and account ledgers to help with this. Just stay organized and on top of it and you will do just fine without paying for the service at this point. 

@Ivan Vasquez I completely agree with @Chris London. There is a very fine line to walk. I started off being entirely too trusting, forgiving, and empathetic. I have burnt myself pretty bad (sorry for the terrible pun here) twice for this mentality. I still try to be very caring towards tenants and flexible but it is as @Chris B. said. You give them an inch and they will take that mile for sure. You need to be fair and firm. Allowing her to pay it over a specified range of time is fair but yet is upholding the lease agreement to the letter, which is what you should be doing. I wouldn't always advice taking it out of the security deposit as that can get messy later, but it is another option and you can request replenishment of security deposit (in most states I believe) after you have used it on a repair. Best of luck! 

@Rory M. I have done something similar time and time again. I have had renters that I like leave and felt the need to do them a favor. One thing that I have learned thus far is that this is strictly a business. They knew that they were leaving behind a dirty home in and unacceptable manner (personal belongings behind is obvious) and the broken and removed items are clear. I suggest you deduct the items and cleaning from the security deposit and show proof in an itemized format with any other evidence you deem is necessary at this time. If you think they are going to fight you on the situation it may be prudent to send evidence up front in order to minimize potential of legal challenge, however this is completely NOT necessary. The only thing necessary in most states is an itemized deduction list. I understand the feeling of liking tenants, or appreciating them, but this is a business transaction and it has served me well to remember that. Best of luck in your situation!

Get the Behr Premium Plus Burnished Clay. It is a reasonable price, and is the perfect soft tone grey that is agreeable with any trim and both gray and tan tones. I have it in both of my rental properties and have had many friends and family copy the color into their homes as well. 

I own a home in California that I will be renting very soon and was attempting to rationalize the pros or cons of allowing cultivation (according to local state laws) of marijuana. What have you guys done and what is your opinion on this?