All Forum Posts by: Sheila Bee

Hi all, I have a rental property (SFH) in mid city LA. It's an up and coming area but still very urban with a fair amount of crime. Last weekend, my tenants had a trespasser who jumped the security fence and pounded on the window at 2 am before running away after the tenants' dog started barking. Police were called and didn't find anything, not surprisingly. It turns out one of the bars in the fence was slightly loose, so I had that fixed the very next afternoon, but the repairman mentioned to the tenants that perhaps bars could be installed on the windows (no idea why he told them that). I have seen such bars on other houses in the neighborhood, but I'm reluctant to install them for a few reasons. On the flip side, I definitely want my tenants to feel safe and I especially don't want a lawsuit down the line should a break in happen. Any suggestions on how to proceed? The tenants do have ADT installed and are putting up more cameras. Also, if anyone has recommendations on someone who does this kind of work in LA (inexpensively) I would love to hear them. Thanks in advance!

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses so far. The handyman is coming out today to take a look and he has a wet dry vac so he’s going to give that a whirl, and maybe lift up the corner of the carpet to see what’s under there. I need to read over my lease but putting in a paragraph like the one suggested above about failing to report promptly seems wise - I’m going to do that for the next tenants. 

Hi all, I have an investment property in LA (my old house before I got married and moved). My tenants moved in in March and are annoying but pay on time, so thus far it’s been fine. However, last week the toilet started leaking and apparently leaked every time they showered - but they waited more than four days to report this to my property manager. They finally told him on Friday of Labor Day weekend. We were able to get a plumber who cleared the main sewer line because of tree roots clogging it. Unfortunately, now there is a stain on the carpet near the bathroom and they are claiming the room smells moldy and musty. They want the flooring replaced. My PM is having a handyman come check it out, but I’m really peeved because they may have caused this damage by waiting to report it! What are my best options here? Thanks so much in advance.