All Forum Posts by: Amy A.

Nobody likes it when rents go up.  It doesn't necessarily mean she's a bad tenant.  It's just part of the business and you should expect complaints. I let tenants know the market rate rents in my increase letters, so they feel better about it when they see that they're still below market.  Unless the paint is peeling or damaged from a leak that has been repaired, I would not paint.  

@John McKee Thank you for the response.  I believe I'm in the right, but they are so positive that they're correct that it's making me start to doubt myself.  I've pointed out the section of the lease that says what our responsibilities are and they are still adamant that I should repair or replace their lights, plumbing, ceiling tiles, etc.  I don't think that our Commercial Assn. of Realtor's form lays their responsibilities out in enough plain English.  Also, the previous managers did whatever the tenants told them, so they've been misinformed from the beginning.  @Joel Owens yes, they are mom and pop.  I haven't been charging them (yet) for management because I want to keep the CAM fees low as their businesses recover from COVID.  After having a unit vacant for a while and seeing previously-stable tenants leave huge buildings vacant for an extended period, I'm not going for SSNL.

I assume you asked them if the batteries are dead?  90% of the time that's the problem.

One of the great things about NNN investments is that the tenants do all their own maintenance within their units (or so I thought). I've been managing a strip mall for almost 2 years and the tenants keep asking me to fix or replace their lights, heaters, toilets, ceiling tiles, etc. I remind them that Section 11 of their lease states that my responsibility is for the structure and theirs is for everything inside. They aren't happy. Previous management fixed and replaced things for them. Does this happen to anybody else? Am I misunderstanding my duties? I've been going above and beyond with maintenance and repairs of the outside, but they don't all seem to appreciate it.

@Joe S.  Eggshell from Benjamin Moore.

Stay silent, stay away, and follow the process as required by law.  I've been through this a few times.  There's nothing you can say that will make it better, and your words could be twisted and used against you.

5 years of rental history seems like a lot to ask for.  I don't even remember who my tenants were 5 years ago and it would be a lot of work to do all that research, so I'd probably go on to the next buyer. Also, you may manage it differently than he does.  Your best bet for good info is the local PM.

Net rental income is taxed, but often when people are first starting out the expenses plus depreciation are often more than the income.  Don't forget that the portion of vehicle use for your rentals is an expense as well. You can write this loss off against other income as well (up to $3000 if you're not a real estate professional).  Depreciation allows you to have positive cash flow but a net loss on paper, until you sell the property and the depreciation is recaptured.  

There are entire books written on this subject, so there's a lot to learn!

We spray everything with a light antique white.  The light hits the ceiling differently than the walls, so they don't look like the same color.  If it's a flip, we paint the trim and doors with semi-gloss white, which makes the walls look more creamy in contrast.  When doing it this way, the prep takes more time than actually painting.

I had an apartment on the market all month. I rejected 3 applicants before finally accepting a qualified one.  It's hard to find tenants in December!