All Forum Posts by: Missy H.

Good for you!!!

Two words of wisdom.....

1.  Prepare a new lease agreement to have at the ready fro when the current leases expire.  You may want to add certain specifications, such as in the event of a lock-out, the tenant is responsible for obtaining a locksmith to gain entry to the unit without damage to the premises.  If my tenant called me to say they were locked out, i would not be in a position to drive there (2 hours) to let them in.  

2.  I only answer the phone between 8am - 6pm.  Any phone call outside those hours will go to voice mail.  I only return those calls if they leave a message indicating that it is an emergency.  If it is not an emergency, or they don't give me details, I will return their call in the morning.

Good luck and congratulations.

If she does not agree to a 6 month lease, I think that extending the lease for three months, if she pays three months in advance, is a good idea.  

If you don't normally do month to month, there is no need to start now. 

Is the rent being paid on time?  Then do nothing.  This is her problem and not yours.  She should have gotten a better roommate.  

If you believe her story about the bad roommate and want to keep the good tenant, find out if the good tenant can qualify for the rent on her own.

In either case, evict them both and then sign a new lease either with only the good tenant, or the good tenant and her new roommate, or entirely different tenants.

Don't get involved with their drama.

I just saw the pictures and the house does not look that bad at all.  

Quick question.....do you and your roommate plan to throw parties during the next 2 years?  If so, why stress about "fixing up" the place.  

Again, it is not that bad.  Why don't you wait until you have lived there for a while and build up some cash reserves.  Maybe, your friends can help you paint over the next two years and you can try your hand at installing your own flooring.  You can find how to do anything on YouTube.

As far as the garage....why worry about it now?  What will you be using it for that it has to be fixed in a hurry?  

If you are new to real estate, take the time to figure out exactly what you want and eat the elephant one bite at a time.

Good luck.

I recently had a similar situation in my duplex.  Thank God I do not live there.  Both tenants are relatively new.  The downstairs was the first to complain about the upstairs.  Then the upstairs called me to complain about the downstairs.  I told them both, over the phone that the city has a noise ordinance prohibiting disturbing loud noises after 9 or 10 pm.  If they have a problem after 9 or 10, call the police. If they have a problem with noise before that hour, they should communicate with each other.  I explained that if the next door neighbor (not my property) was too loud during the day, they would either put up with it or say something to the neighbor.  They would not call me, so if either the downstairs or upstairs tenant is too loud, don't call me either.

When I went to visit the property last week for the early HVAC maintenance, both of them were home and I spoke to them together and reiterated what I told them previously over the phone.  They need to communicate with each other and work it out.

I only have them fill out a rental application and request the last two pay stubs.  The rental application has an area where the prospective tenant signs that authorizes any previous or current employer or landlord to answer questions about the applicant.  I pull a credit report (MySmartMove) and call to verify all references.  

I don't ask for anything else.

Hope this helps.

All......my apologies for all of the typos and grammatical errors.  I should have proofread my posting twice before I sent it.  But I hope that you can get the gist of what I am saying.

I agree with @Thomas S..  I dress based upon what I have to do that day.  If I am coming from my 9-5,  I dress in business attire.  If it is my day off and I am running errands, I am dressed in what is comfortable with me.

I believe that it is all in how you behave and speak with a tenant that will dictate your future relationship.  I have met prospective tenants and signed leases in stretchy pants and a t-shirt, but when it comings to discussing business, I am ALL business.  It takes about an hour to go through the lease agreement and signing, along with the walk-through.  Everything is discussed and documented so the tenant knows that I know what I am taking about and what I expect.  

My properties are in B and C areas and I want the tenant to feel comfortable with me so they can communicate with me on a regular basis.  I do not want them to hide anything from me or avoid me.  I do know what the reprucussions are if a tenant feels that they can call you for any and every thing.  But I make it a point to tell them that I answer the phone from 9-5.  Any phone call outside of those hours will require a detailed message and if I decide that it is an emergency, i will call them back. 

I know that others may have a different opinion, but I do what works for me.  

In regards to finding contractors, there are many options to use to get names of contractors:

Angies List

Home Advisor

Yellow Pages

Even Home Depot now has a referral website....can't remember the name.

All of them are feasible ways to find contractors.  The key is to screen any company, no matter where you get them.  Get referrals and check the local court houses for previous claim history.... I can tell you stories  LOL!!!.

I am very familiar with residential renovations.  I have done and can do renovation/remodeling.  However, due to the distance of the rental properties from my home, I choose to hire contractors.  If I did not have my 9-5, I would definitely tackle a bathroom remodel on my home and love every minute of it.

Assuming there is no clause in the lease regarding guests:

1.  If the tenant pays all utilities, then there should be no undue financial hardship for you.  If you pay any utilities, raise the rent due to the added utilities that they will now be using...lights, gas, water.

2.  The tenants should definitely complete an application so that you can confirm that they qualify.  I would think that from an income qualification standpoint, it could only benefit the situation, but be sure to verify all other qualification:  previous evictions, bankruptcy, arrests...or whatever else would be a no-go as per your guidelines.

3.  Have all parties sign a new lease for a year (which is what the current tenant anticipates the guest will stay) If the current tenant balks at signing anew one year lease, something may not be quite right.

Let us know what you decide.