All Forum Posts by: Corey G.

Quote from @Greg Francis:

Titan has been terrible so far for me, its been a week and they still havent opened the account even after they had everything and it was prepared by attorneys they work with daily, any other suggestions?

It's been a while but I don't remember it being difficult to open an account when I did. I didn't use an attorney or anything. I think it was electronic through the website. 

Quote from @Patrick O'Sullivan:

Hey Corey,

Good question — a lot of landlords run into this with the newer online platforms. They’re convenient, but the downside is you often don’t get the full SSN or DOB for your records.

If you ever need to collect on a debt or get a judgment enforced (like garnishing wages), having the full SSN and birthdate makes things much easier for your attorney or collection agency. So it’s smart to have it in your files before you hand over the keys.

One option is to keep using the online screening for convenience, but add your own rental application as well — even a simple one-page PDF — that collects the info you need (full legal name, SSN, DOB, emergency contacts, etc.). Many landlords do this and then verify the info by checking ID.

Just make sure you store it securely — shred paper copies when they’re no longer needed and keep digital files encrypted or password-protected.

Hope that helps — it’s extra work upfront but saves you headaches down the road if you ever need to track someone down for unpaid rent.

Yeah I think I need to make something like that and collect it myself. 

Quote from @Patrick O'Sullivan:

Hey Corey,

Sounds like you’ve done a good job digging into Arizona’s abandonment rules — good on you for checking the statute directly. It really does come down to whether you have clear evidence that the tenant is truly gone and whether any personal property is left behind.

In practice, many landlords in your spot lean toward filing a formal eviction if there’s any doubt — it’s slower and costs a bit more, but it protects you from the risk of an illegal lockout claim if the tenant suddenly pops back up. Plus, you’ll have a court judgment in hand for any unpaid rent or damages, which can help if you need to pursue collections later.

If you do go the abandonment route, just make sure you follow the letter of the law: post and mail the notices, wait the correct number of days, take photos to document the condition of the unit and what was left behind, and store any personal property as required. That paper trail can really help if there’s ever a dispute.

One extra thing some landlords do: try calling utility companies to see if the account is still active — that can be another clue. And documenting any attempts to reach the tenant by text, email, or certified mail helps too.

Hope that helps a bit — it’s never fun, but sounds like you’re on top of it!

Yeah I continued with the eviction. The power was still on in his name for 12 days and while I found out the apartment was pretty much empty after I had already filed the eviction paperwork, it was just easier and quicker to continue it than start all the way over again. 

Quote from @Martin Dengler:

Quote from @Corey G.:

I thought I'd give an update, I reached out to titan and they did exactly what I wanted. Plus I get 25 free domestic wires a month. Thanks for the tip. 

Are you still happy with them, or any other suggestions?

I still use them but mostly as a go between from my Solera account and my Crypto account. The free wires transfers are nice. Make sure you keep a minimum of 500 in the account or they'll close it. I didn't realize this originally and got my account closed but they opened it right back up for me. I haven't actually been transferring funds lately because most of them are invested in my crypto account and I haven't been bringing in active funds to deposit in my IRA (it's mostly passive now). But I still have the account and it works well and customer service is good.

Quote from @Bill B.:

The units are not the cost, it’s Freon, labor, insurance, PROFIT, etc etc. 

I purchased two 3 ton units last year for less than $2,000 each. Freon, delivery, install/remove labor, etc etc. Added another $1,600 each. $7,200 total. I know the unit cost because I use a guy so small he can’t afford to front the unit cost. So I put them on my credit card. 

Ps. I emailed one of those ‘become an ac tech websites” about their classes. It wa almost $10k for less than 2 months of training. Basically AC college. But maybe a way for someone to get started. 

7200 for both, that's a smoking deal. I get that AC companies have to buy Freon but most of these units come prefilled... at least the package units. Delivery is free when purchased online. The crane, the labor, disposal, insurance, I get that all that costs money but I highly doubt labor costs have gone up that much in 3 years... the company isn't giving out big raises if they are worried about inflation costs. I know insurance costs have skyrocketed but enough to justify these increases? Maybe I just need to find a one or two man operation that doesn't have the big overheads. 

Quote from @Allan C.:

I hear you - that's a big capex burden in one year. Ideally you spread out your replacements over time or you keep adequate reserves to handle all the deferred maintenance. 

unless you're replacing 10+ units a year I suspect bulk purchases won't be getting you far. Your working inventory costs would negate your wholesale savings. Good luck!

I was going to replace the main ac in my personal home until I was told it would cost me 15,000 for a 4 ton split system. I installed a mini split in my living room a couple of years back expecting my main AC to go out since it was nearly 20 years old and wanted a back up. About a year later my main AC went out so I rushed out to buy a window unit for my bedroom. I did that for a while but decided it was worth it to get the whole house done ...with mini splits. All together less than $4,000 for 4 mini splits (most installed myself) and I have more cooling capacity and I save electric because I'm not heating the whole house unnecessarily. I'm seriously considering just doing mini splits in all my properties instead, It's usually cheaper to replace them then it is even for a service call with the AC company. The real problem is where to place them at my properties.  

Quote from @Allan C.:

It's inflation. Just accept it as cost of doing business. Your rents have inflated more than cost of goods, so you should be able to offset it. 

I'm sure you're seeing similar cost escalation in everything else, from general maintenance costs to insurance. If you're running an efficient business your opex should be 30-40% your gross income, thus your net should still be ahead.... 

I know inflation has hit pretty hard but the units themselves are only a little more expensive than they used to be. I figured everyone with multiple Ac units would be buying the units wholesale and paying a company to install them for cheaper. And while I have raised my rents somewhat I haven't raised them as much as I probably should have. Most of my properties are paid off and so my expenses are pretty low but when I gotta come out of pocket 40 grand to replace the AC units on one building that operational expense skyrockets. 

Quote from @Austin Clarence:

I have used Juan 602-499-5573 for two 4 ton systems. I believe they ran $4500 and the most recent one last year was around $6K. I try to stay away from the big AC companies who have huge margins. 

Does Juan have a company. I guess what I'm asking is if he's legit? 

Over the last 5 years or so prices on new AC units has seemingly skyrocketed in the phoenix area. I used to get 2 ton package AC units for 4500, 5000, 5500 and now they are 8500+ and that's with a company I've been using for a long time that that I've given a lot of business to. Well now a lot of my units are coming out of warranty and I'm thinking about doing replacements but the cost is way too much. What are you doing for new units now a days? Wholesale online seems a lot cheaper but getting a company to do the installation worries me, does anybody order online and then pay for install? 

Also, I've paid quite a bit for repairs recently because I didn't want to replace the units and they are pretty substantial in cost as well. Often I'm told that the replacement parts covered under the 10 year warranty come with labor minimums and so it's often cheaper to not use the warranty because it's cheaper ... is this normal or am I getting screwed on this deal? 

Quote from @Wesley W.:

Agree with @JD Martin.  Here we have to properly evict, and store for 30 days.  My lease states they must pay for storage fees to get their stuff back.

In your situation, I would move to evict.  If she left the utilities on and her possessions were still present inside, you'd have a hard time making the case to a judge that she absconded.

One "short cut" you could try is reaching out to her and explaining your situation with her still in legal possession of the unit and not paying rent to ask her to send you a "return of possession" notice (search it up online) to stop the accruing charges to her.  You may even proactively negotiate to waive some of what's currently due if she does this within 3 days, or whatever.

What I've suggested is essentially a "cash for keys" scenario, which I'm philosophically against - but it is a solution you could try.

I did look it up and AZ does have some rules for abandonment which I've posted below. 

"J. For the purposes of this section, "abandonment" means either of the following:
1. The absence of the tenant from the dwelling unit, without notice to the landlord for at least seven days, if rent for the dwelling unit is outstanding and unpaid for ten days and there is no reasonable evidence other than the presence of the tenant's personal property that the tenant is occupying the residence.

2. The absence of the tenant for at least five days, if the rent for the dwelling unit is outstanding and unpaid for five days and none of the tenant's personal property is in the dwelling unit.

A. If a dwelling unit is abandoned after the time prescribed in subsection J of this section, the landlord shall send the tenant a notice of abandonment by certified mail, return receipt requested, addressed to the tenant's last known address and to any of the tenant's alternate addresses known to the landlord. The landlord shall also post a notice of abandonment on the door to the dwelling unit or any other conspicuous place on the property for five days.

B. Five days after the notice of abandonment has been both posted and mailed, the landlord may retake the dwelling unit and rerent the dwelling unit at a fair rental value if no personal property remains in the dwelling unit. After the landlord retakes the dwelling unit, money held by the landlord as a security deposit is forfeited and shall be applied to the payment of any accrued rent and other reasonable costs incurred by the landlord by reason of the tenant's abandonment.

C. If the tenant abandons the dwelling unit, the landlord shall make reasonable efforts to rent the dwelling unit at a fair rental. If the landlord rents the dwelling unit for a term beginning before the expiration of the rental agreement, the rental agreement is deemed to be terminated as of the date the new tenancy begins. If the landlord fails to use reasonable efforts to rent the dwelling unit at a fair rental or if the landlord accepts the abandonment as a surrender, the rental agreement is deemed to be terminated by the landlord as of the date the landlord has notice of the abandonment. If the tenancy is from month to month or week to week, the term of the rental agreement for this purpose shall be deemed to be a month or a week, as the case may be."

There is more about storing a tenant's personal property and such but it seems like essentially it comes down to whether the tenant's personal property is in the unit or not. If not, then it's 5 days + certified notice + 5 days and I can retake the unit. If personal property is in the unit then it's 10 days + certified notice + 5 days and I can retake the unit (such as the case I described above) but then there is the matter of storing the tenant's stuff which is a pain. 

An eviction on the other hand is 5 days notice + eviction paperwork + process server + 3 to 7 days for a court date + 7 days the judge usually gives them to come up with the rent or move out but I would also get a judgement for late rent + fees. 

I guess the main difference between abandonment or eviction would be whether or not I know if there has been reasonable evidence of the tenant's presence at the property or not.