All Forum Posts by: Tamir Alush

I've been using trello to manage the different tenants. 

I have an awesome board with a card for each tenant with relevant

information such as property address, move-in date, lease expiration, deposit yes/no, last month yes/no, etc... (using Custom Fields).

I have this manual system for tracking rental deposits where I write down the amount that was deposited for each month, the deposit date, and whether it's a late payment or not. It's the only missing link on trello and I can't find a way to visualize this on my board. I tried looking around at the different power-ups but couldn't find anything that would fit. Any ideas besides writing it down on the Description field?

Great feedback guys, really appreciate it -- the consensus is definitely that the law is on their side, and I do take it as a learning experience and will be sure to comply and properly notify tenants in the future. Thanks so much for all the help!

I bought a small multi-family about a year ago and inherited a terrible section 8 tenant who constantly complained to Housing dept. about every little thing and made my life hell... Her lease wasn't extended and she vacated the apartment. Upon inspection, I found several issues which didn't allow me to give the security deposit back (after all she lived there for several years with children). 

I wasn't aware of the statutes that set the proper way I'm supposed to notify tenants of withholding security deposits, so I just let her know that I'm going to use these funds towards renovation of the unit via text message, and after the 30-day period allowed by law.

A few months went by, and she now hired an attorney and is suing me at small claims court for the security deposit. Naturally I'm more than willing to pay the security deposit back just to get past this and move on with my life, as this is not really worth fighting over, however the attorney is asking $1,500 in legal fees so the total amount they're willing to settle without going to court is just below $3,000. I've tried negotiating this figure down with no success. I've made three offered and they didn't even counter -- just rejected them. Per my understanding, they're well aware of the technicality for not notifying tenant on time and are basically "playing their position" and taking an aggressive position.

What would you do in such a case? I've heard that small claim courts always try to push for mediation before going before a judge, which is something I can use to my advantage, because they haven't budged at all in negotiations, however it is my understanding that the requested $1,500 in legal fees might go up if we don't settle prior to.

One more thing that is noteworthy is that they sued the management company (which I own) and not me directly (the property is under my name) and if this continues to trial they will need to re-submit the lawsuit. Perhaps this is something I can play to my advantage.

I've been hurt with several unsuccessful realtor-buyer relationships in the past few months. I think the biggest issue is with agents who are unfamiliar with investment methodologies and who are unwilling to do the extra work (figure out whether a property can cashflow and have the patience to go through several offers).

We are in a seller's market, but I have to believe there are agents out there who can't stand holding their clients' hands and keep explaining that a pink walls can be repainted...

I'm very numbers-oriented, pre-qualified for a loan and own other properties upstate. I'm also not a believer in making lowball offers until something hits.

If you know someone who can accommodate (or if you are one), I'd appreciate an introduction to an INVESTOR-ORIENTED real estate realtor in Broward County who'll be able to help me find the next investment opportunity.

Thanks in advance!