All Forum Posts by: Tricia O'Brien

@Nathan Gesner

Does it usually cost the tenant more if the landlord is listed as an additional insured as compared to being an interested party?  Do you usually insist on this in properties that you own or for your clients where you manage their properties? Thanks 😊

Hello!  I have a new tenant moving into my California rental home in about 24 hours.  On his " Renter's Policy Declaration" with Lemonade Insurance, he has me listed as an "interested party".  I asked him to list me as an "additional insured party". Are these 2 terms the same thing or should I try to get it changed I want to be sure the company tells me if he stops paying the premium. Also, if he causes a fire or other covered risk, I want to be sure his insurance is the main one to pay, not mine.  Thanks!  

I have a vacant single-family home listed for rent on Zillow and my realtor, who is doing a tenant placement service for me, gets inquiries through Zillow Rental Manager.  I've done 2 small price reductions since it was listed 40 days ago but have only had 4 showings and 2 completed applications in those 40 days.   I've also recently reduced the minimum credit score to qualify from 650 to 600 a few days ago. 

One thing I would like to try to generate more "buzz" and more applications is to have my realtor take it off Zillow for 1-2 days, then re-list it.  I was thinking this should wipe out the thing on Zillow that states "108 contacts, 40 days listed."

Then it might get a lot of new views because people will think it's a new listing.  Do potential tenants think, "There must be something wrong with it if it's been on the market for more than a month and not been rented yet"?  Do you think this technique would cause Zillow to put the # of days listed at 0 when it first gets re-listed?

Lots of people have inquired, but they usually don't fill out the realtor's Google questionnaire or don't send in current paystubs (he won't schedule a showing without these 2 things in place) or they do not meet the minimum requirements for income and/or credit score.

Any replies would be appreciated! 

@Bei He

How much will the THOW cost from the manufacturer / vendor ?  Then, assuming you can get a neighbor to cooperate with fence removal and re-installation, how much will it cost for rolling it in, then hooking it up to electric/ water/ gas lines and permits?

Zillow

People who give fake landlord references are a red flag.  I sometimes figure this out when they give me someone's name as their last landlord at a single-family home. I talk to the reference on the phone. Then I check the tax records and that person is not one of the owners

@John Kunick

@John Kunick

Hello!  My realtor recently told me that it is illegal to use a tenant's security deposit to pay unpaid rent.  He says the security deposit is only supposed to be used to pay for damages to the property. Is this true?? 

I looked up the law related to security deposits , California code 1950.5.  I found it on :  leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.  

It seems to say that one of the things a security can be used for is "The compensation of a landlord for a tenant's default in payment of rent. " 

What do you all think? 

 This realtor  recommends, for tenants without a verifiable rental history (like young adults who have only rented from their parents), you should collect at move in: the first month's rent, the security deposit, and the last month's rent. That way if they don't pay, you can use the "last month's rent" to pay yourself while you are evicting them.  If you collect a double security deposit, you cannot dip into that security deposit to pay yourself for that last 2-3 months of rent while you are evicting them and they are not paying rent.

Any replies would be appreciated! :) 

What is the current HUD or other govt agency position on what we can ask tenant applicant who claim they have a service dog? I have a tenant applicant who claims she has a 60 pound dog who is a service dog. She presented one of those bull**** certificates from www.servicedogcertifications.o...  She states the dog went through special training in Florida to assist her with anxiety and panic attacks. Supposedly the dog can assist her to the ground if she starts to pass out due to a panic attack.  Can I request or require her to present proof of that completed training in Florida as part of my tenant screening ?  Or... Can I require her to do a meet and greet with the dog so we can see if the dog is well behaved? The rental home is in California. Thanks ! 

An applicant for my house in California has recently lived in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and I want to do my own background checks by county.  If I know she has lived in Merrimack county New Hampshire, is there an easy way to check eviction records or criminal records online?  For example, in California I can google "Case index Stanislaus County California" and put in someone's name and date of birth and see if they have any active cases or certain types of convictions. Anything like that for NH or MA?  I know the nationwide criminal background checks can miss a lot. Any replies would be appreciated!