All Forum Posts by: Tone Church

Thank you to everyone who replied so far. I will comment this evening on all input so far.

I received a text message from one of the deceased tenants children this afternoon that said the following: "My mother in law's lawyer friend told her that there is a 60 day hold on evictions. That meaning there is no rent due for two months and her belongings can stay there for that time. I wanted to touch base with you if you were advised with other imformation."

@Edgar Martinez I co-host the one in Newburgh. Message me for details if interested. There's one this evening taking place via Zoom meeting. Very mix and mingle not much or really any of a sales pitch.

Yesterday I received a call letting me know that my tenant was found deceased in one of my units yesterday morning. They lived alone.

I spoke with a family member who said they are waiting on the examiners report and will let me know the official cause of death and if it was related to COVID-19 or not. All of the police and ambulance that surrounded the house were wearing gloves and masks, I was told by a neighbor in the house next door.

As a relatively new landlord not sure what the order of operations is here, what I should be considering etc. Any advice would be appreciated.

1. Should I file an insurance claim? I will need a professional cleaning from a disaster recovery company for COVID-19 if it comes back that that was a factor. I may also need a cleaning at the site the body was found depending on how long it had been there. I was told by someone that if it had been a while I may need to replace all carpets.

2. What should my communications be to the downstairs tenant? An elderly woman that may also be fearful and had just signed a 12 month lease renewal?

3. Family member of deceased individual asked if they still have to pay rent. From what I understand the terms of the lease get passed on to executor. The lease was set to expire May 31.

Any other advice would be appreciated. Very stressful situation as I have only been a landlord for a year and feel awful for the family.

Thanks everyone.

@Joe AiolaI would like to meet and connect with the same people. I know there's a Meetup group there.

@Mark Otto good feedback. Does your handyman sometimes handle anything that the others you mentioned also handle? What is the rate difference between your handyman and the others you mentioned?

I have been renting for a year. I have two rental properties. So far whenever there have been issues I couldn't handle I have called specialists (electricians, HVAC technicians, etc.) Someone suggested I get a handyman and lately I have been thinking that despite having a few contractors I have relationships with that have done quality work I don't really have a "team" or collection of people to call on that I trust for fair pricing and good work and reliability. It works for now but if I'm going to scale from 4 units to 40 units I need something a little more structured and thoughtful so I can feel confident.

My questions are:

1. how have you structured your team?

2. What was the process by which you built it?

3. In what situations do you rely on a handyman instead of a specialist and what is the difference in terms of pricing (I'm sure it varies by area and I am in the Hudson Valley of NY)?

4. What other considerations should there be? I understand they should be insured and licensed when required but what else?

@Anthony Wick good question. Would need to check with insurance company. They have liability in that they sign the lease with me. So essentially they are the responsible tenant from a legal and financial standpoint.

@David Woz there's a name for this and it is becoming increasingly popular in some areas. Wondering if anyone else here has any experience with it.

I was showing one of my rental units and someone came to see it and offered to rent it from me and then Airbnb it out as short term rentals for workers and then once the theme park opens up for families visiting the area. Essentially I would get my rent each month and they would serve as property manager and be responsible for all maintenance calls and requests and keeping it full. Has Anyone done this? What do you think of it?

@Nathan G. Thank you very much. This is a very useful resource and answered some of my questions. I will continue to refer to it.