All Forum Posts by: S Harper

Talk to her Housing representative.

I had a similar situation this fall - I also didn't want to be hard on a single mom trying to find a new place, but her lease was up and I needed her out.  The rep assured me that housing was tight, but all of her other cases were finding housing. 

Tenant didn't want to make time to look for a new place, and she didn't want to pay the increased portion for the more expensive properties that were available. 

I kept in contact with the representative and ended up having to go through eviction proceeding, but the rep was trying to help from her side. Document everything, make sure the tenant is aware you are in contact with the housing rep and that they will get a copy of the move out condition documentation. Housing benefits can be very difficult to secure, and people can lose the funding if they don't take care of the property.  Hopefully she will find a new place soon.

As mentioned earlier - I did this treatment in a rental last November, so can't speak to the longevity of it yet. 

These are the two blogs that I referenced the most when doing the countertops, and I also googled "how to envirotex lite" which pulled up some of the people talking about their bad results. The bad results videos helped me to choose a dark counter (in case it yellows with time) and made me Very Careful with the directions (the woman who didn't mix it long enough and had to sand everything off).

The original:

https://generalsplendour.blogspot.com/2011/02/ambush-makeover-my-formica-countertops.html

https://generalsplendour.blogspot.com/2011/02/countertops-answers-to-some-questions.html

https://generalsplendour.blogspot.com/2011/02/countertops-up-close-pictures.html

The blogger I saw in the comments:

http://livegorgeously.blogspot.com/2012/04/painted-granite-countertops-tutorial.html

http://livegorgeously.blogspot.com/2012/07/painted-countertops-q.html

Remodelaholic.com got updates from people who painted their countertops, a couple are Envirotex countertops from 4-5 years ago - the second one down is from GeneralSplendour. There are some good pictures for ideas. 

https://www.remodelaholic.com/diy-painted-countertop-reviews/

I had this same question in December - nicked, old, dingy ivory laminate countertops. The guy who was going to replace the counters with Lowes pre cut laminate and remove/replace the sink backed out at the last minute, and I had new tenants moving in within a week. So I had to find a method of refinishing countertops without removing the sink. 

The countertop kits from HD & Lowes have great reviews, but repeated complaints about chipping and bubbling after 18 months.

Envirotex epoxy has some good DIY blogger experiences, and I met someone who has had her Envirotex finish for 5 years and is still happy. This is the same stuff people use to do table tops with memorabilia - eg pennies, bar tops - so it is a very thick layer. I am not crafty, but read the blogs and the instructions several times. 

Cost - under $100 for 3 boxes of envirotex, paints, supplies. 

It took me a couple of hours in total - base coat, paint coat, sponge paint were all very fast. Envirotex needs to be mixed very specifically and used immediately, then you need to keep checking for drips for another hour or so. I checked in on the edges while taking care of other things. A couple of drips formed overnight, and were shaved off with a razor blade. Tenant loves them so far, but it has only been a 3 months. 

If you decide to give it a try, don't do a light colored counter. Lots of comments that the epoxy yellows. I did a black base and tried to make it look like granite. 

The pre-cut laminate slabs are great, but if this treatment holds up with tenants I will absolutely use the epoxy again. It looks fantastic in person. The bottom picture is after 24 hours of dry time. 

LMK if anyone has interest in the info and I can post some links to the webpages that were most helpful. 

Holy cow - guess I shouldn't be browsing the boards while post op. I completely missed that.

I had a section 8 property. My tenant was responsible for the damage deposit, and the county contract specifies they will not pay a deposit, and any and all damages are the responsibility of the tenant. 

The inspector had a list and went into every room and lectured the new tenant about housekeeping and care of the property. She came back for the 1 year lease renewal inspection and actually failed the tenant because the house was too cluttered and had not been vacuumed! Gave the tenant 7 days to fix the items on her list. The agency part was great. 

Unfortunately the tenant started hoarding, stopped cleaning, and let people start living in a tent on the patio (this was in an HOA controlled townhome neighborhood, so that was not fun). Ended up having to evict them, but the section 8 case handler told me that usually tenants are careful to keep the landlord happy, because they know section 8 can remove them from the program if they aren't following the rules.

I would absolutely rent section 8 again. Also, there aren't enough properties in my area that accept vouchers, so it could possibly lead to shorter vacancies. I was also told that if you end up renting to a family new to the program they will most likely be very good with the property and their rent portion, as they know how hard it was to get by prior to getting into the program, and they don't want to risk losing their spot.

If you do have any issues with the tenant, I was told to send copies of all tenant notices to their case manager, and they will help 'encourage' the tenant to straighten up.

Anyone in Denver have a lawyer recommendation? 

Just to clarify and respond to questions:

I am working with my tenant (the one on the lease), her family, and am in contact with the detectives and other agencies helping her.  

Have clarified with her, her parents and her victums advocacy counselor when rent is due and when end of lease is.

They all requested the locks be changed. 

I have texted tenant to let me know when she wants her parent or other representative to get her new keys from me.

She has already texted that she intends to move, but hasn't gotten back with any details.

I am trying to figure out how the guys belongings can be dealt with legally once  she ends the lease or if an eviction is necessary (and hopefully without getting into a worse situation with him).

I'm on the county notification list, so I will get a call when he is released. 

Tenant has a restraining order against him.

He is restrained from the property.

He will have a GPS on him, police notified if he gets within the perimeter the authorities set. 

The  police have told the neighbors to call 911 if they see him or anything strange.

The police and the advocacy group have referred me to an agency that can provide info on his rights and how to deal with the situation but have been unable to talk to anyone there yet. Just goes to be voice mail.

Looking into finding a lawyer.

I changed the locks at the request of my tenant, her parent, the county victim advocacy counselor who is working with my tenant, and the police.

The boyfriend has a bail amount assigned, so he could get out. He took her keys, so could access the property and her belongings.

Tenant, her parent, and advocacy counselor have all informed me of her intent to move out and requested flexibility. I am going to start getting things in writing to have something listing a move out date, etc,, but would like to work with an attorney to ensure that I am doing things correctly. Police have warned me that even though he has not applied or signed a lease, he could have substantial rights. I am hoping to do everything as by the book as possible.

So my tenant has always said her boyfriend doesn't live there. She finally admitted two weeks ago he had moved in and asked to add him to the lease. He has not submitted an application and is not on the lease. He assaulted her, she is in the hospital and he is in jail for now but bail is a possibility. Her lease is up 8/1 and am guessing she will not renew, but won't be out of the hospital by then.

Any good attorney recs for Denver metro?

Any advice? I have already told her parent that everything needs to be in writing going forward, have changed the locks and am working with police. Going to call CO housing today, but the more advice the better.

Thanks

My partners and I are having a conversation about when to not renew a lease if your tenant has a good payment history. Thoughts?

One says to not renew for just about any reason because the market is too strong to not have an excellent tenant.

Another says to keep them unless it is a major issue if they have a history of paying on time and don't call for multiple small maintenance issues.

I am the one who deals with filling the units and know that it can be difficult to find perfect tenants, but get irritated when someone likes to me.

This has become a significant topic as we have two homes up for renewal with tenant issues. *One is section 8 and has become a hoarder and gets frequent fines from the HOA for items left outside (two partners don't care because the rent is always paid) * One is a tenant of almost 2years who pays on time, cares for the inside of the home but has suddenly stopped caring for the exterior, and appears to have moved in a dog and a boyfriend but denies both. When pushed, she finally admitted to the boyfriend, but says she asked for him to be added to the lease and she is just dogsittimg (the dog tag lists her as the contact).

@Account Closed - I didn't keep any of their money and they were scheduled to move in this week.  Odds of getting a good tenant in immediately is pretty low, so I am assuming it will take me a couple of weeks to fill the house.