All Forum Posts by: Shaun C.

I house hack a duplex and just keep in mind that routers and modems both need to be reset from time to time to keep working. As long as you let everyone know where they are in the common space, and how to reset them, I don't think you will have a problem.

Another potential problem leaving it out in the open is what happens when everything goes missing? Who pays for that? You do unless you have video surveillance of the area.

I'm currently re-writing mine and after living in the lower part of a duplex between two SFH rentals, I don't want mine to end up looking like theirs when I move out. Tenants will never take as good of care as you will, so put it in their lease. Require them to be responsible for mowing, snow removal, edging and weed wacking, cleaning out landscaping beds of leaves and weeds, trimming shrubs and trees in the spring and fall.

Thanks for the replies. I really need to upload my current lease as I do have provisions in it for proper notice/right to enter and these(in the link) are going to be additions to those clauses. I do have a no smoking clause, and am familiar with the scent, not to mention screaming "WHO WANTS TO GET HIGH?" makes it somewhat obvious. Regardless, how can I evict them for being repeatedly disrespectful/loud? I've told them before the next time they were loud would be the last.

Regarding the lower tenant/property manager; sorry for the confusion. I meant that they will be the ones responsible for maintaining the property in terms of cutting the grass and shoveling, nothing more than that.

As far as the temp goes, if I'm paying utilities I want to be able to maintain an even balance between both units. The duplex only has one set of mechanicals (furnace/AC/water heater), so I don't see how this is any different than apartment complexes that have a shared system. Nonetheless, this is just a draft which my lawyer will be reviewing. Thank you for your comments.

I purchased a 2 unit duplex (2 bed, 1 bath each) last October. Previous to my purchase/upgrades, rents were $650/$750 split top and bottom including utilities, they are now $905/(N/A). Completed many renovations in the top unit while living below, and started renting to two younger girls (23,27) in January. Attitude problems with one of the girls started after only three weeks, the other is fine. I have warned them numerous times about being loud late at night, (2,3,4 am), playing loud music, even called the police once to tell them to quiet down.

Last Sunday, the problem girl had friends over, screaming, loud music until 11 pm. I've reached my breaking point. I would have started the eviction process on Monday, but I wanted to wait until I got rent from them for September.

I am going to wait until their check clears next Thursday to sit them down and offer to pay for a moving truck for them to leave at the end of September. It will either be that, or eviction as they were smoking weed upstairs, which I honestly don't care about, but if I can use it as a way to get them out, I'll do it; I've given them numerous warnings about them being loud and enough is enough. I also just paid a $260 main drain line cleanout because they were flushing things down the toilet that don't belong there, which I don't really mind since I hadn't done it since owning the home. Not a motivating factor of mine, but rents are also up in the area, and I think I could get $1000/month when they are out.

ANYWAY, after my first attempt at landlording, I've got a set of revisions/additions that I'd like to stick in the next lease. Any info or advice would be greatly appreciated before I send it over to my lawyer for a final draft.

The home is in a suburb of Detroit, has one set of mechanicals, and one set of meters. I'm trying to limit my exposure to insanely high utilities by putting limits for what I'm willing to pay. I'm not sure how this will be received by perspective tenants. I'm also writing in things for the bottom unit tenant who I see as my "property manager" for once I move out next spring when all upgrades are completed.  I can try and see about linking to my current lease as well.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EBnT_CjvAWRW6W...

Thanks everyone,

Shaun

I live 3/4 mile from Detroit in a bordering city and frequent downtown/corktown/midtown frequently after dark. Be smart and you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

Furthermore, the city is currently undergoing massive redevelopment; a new sports arena, an international bridge crossing comes soon, streetcar line downtown, and billions on top of billions put into redevelopment of vacant/derelict structures. Your investment will be rewarded in time.

I'm in Ferndale and pay around $110 for a duplex I own quarterly that has three tenants. Water bills used to be around $90, but now with all the suburbs having to pick up the slack for all those in Detroit that don't feel the need to pay their own water bills, the price went up.

I'd look at companies that come out and sub meter and start changing your lease to include tenant paid water, or a monthly limit. 

I haven't checked into how to do it legally in a lease, but I'm going to try and start finding more ways to motivate my tenants to decrease utility use with some type of financial dividend that gets returned to them quarterly if use is low.