All Forum Posts by: Vicki K.

Some areas in the Detroit Metro have a lot of these. Tri-Ievel think is also called split level. It's a single family home with a main level which usually has the kitchen, living room and dining room, a few stairs up to the bedrooms and bath and a few stairs down to what some consider a basement but it's better than a basement because it has much larger windows, thus more light so it can be used as a family room or whatever else.

I can't figure out quite how popular these are amongst tenants and potential buyers. These homes generally have more square footage but on the flip side are harder to maintain because access can be an issue. For example part of the home is on a slab so you may need to break concrete to access things like duct work, pipes, etc.

Anyone have any more insight on these? Especially those of you in the Detroit area. I have been wondering if these homes are a good investment too.

Wow, well let me just say... I did not expect things to turn out the way they did. As I said previously, the tenants asked to meet with me as they didn't agree with many points of my letter. I spent 1.5 hours with them and I there was nothing that they disagreed about. After I explained everything, they were even apologetic and told me how much they like the house and how appreciative they are of everything we do. I was ready for a "fight" - instead everyone was pleasant and relaxed. I was friendly and stern as all of you suggested and I think that most importantly I made them feel heard. Meeting in person and talking things through was definitely the right thing to ease the tension that was building between us and these otherwise perfect tenants - house is immaculate, rent is always on time, they don't cause trouble for neighbors and report issues timely.

They agreed that nothing will be replaced on demand. We will decide the course of action based on professional judgement. If it works, they should not have any objections. I think they realized they crossed the line on that one and simply backed off saying to me " we just want it to work; you do what is best".

They still would like to be present during repairs and inspections, and we agreed that if it is not an emergency we will work out a mutually convenient time. If there is an emergency or urgent repairs - they will be done. I also told them that I cannot keep sending contractors on weekends because that's the only day that works for them, because it costs me extra. They apologized profusely about that saying that they did not even think about those implications and said that going forward they will do what is necessary to be home during normal hours when things are scheduled for repair. Good compromise. I think the most important thing was for them to hear that they are not in charge. There are legal rights I have as landlord and that they have to cooperate. They took full responsibility for that.

I did give myself a pat on the shoulder for sticking to my agenda and my key messages. I was very nice but firm. I couldn't have dreamed of a better outcome.

Thank you all for your support in getting me prepared for a bad situation. Glad it never got to that and instead, I get to keep a good tenant for another year and hopefully have a lot less hassle going forward. Phew!

You guys /gals rock! Thank you!

Aly, A/C in Michigan is considered a luxury item, not a necessity so I am not obligated to have one. The house did however come with an A/C at the time they signed a lease so I have to maintain it or reduce her rent.

Hey this may be a good strategy for getting her out. A/C broke? Oh, really? Sorry, not obligated to buy a new one. Here is $20 off your monthly rent. If you can't stand the heat, you may want to move.

@Mike Dundon,

I'd love to get your referrals for good lawyers in our area. I really hope it doesn't come to that, but good to have the contacts for the future.

I am meeting with the tenants today at 6:00 pm. I really don't know what to expect. The guy is a pushover - his wife is the mean one, and she is the one who seems to be calling the shots in the house. On Saturday, I had my HVAC contractor at her house to look at the AC (same day she sent me a notice that it wasn't working) - she was home and not opening the door. I called her and asked her to open the door as he needs to look at the unit and repair it for her. She insisted that someone has told her the repairs are to be made outside and no one had to go in. Lies!!! I'd like to see her HVAC license - sounds like she thinks she is expert. She texted me later to tell me she felt I was being very rude to her when she was the one yelling at me on the phone.

Wonder how she will be tonight when I show up for our discussion.

Ah... the fun of tenant management!

Thankfully I haven't had many bad apples so far. Our tenants love us. We offer high-quality properties and are extremely responsive to all requests. Indeed they liked the house so much, wanted a 2-year lease right from the start.

Their term ends in February 2015.

@Aly L, we do have our suspicion that something shady may be going on with the AC. Our licensed HVAC contractor said that when he went to respond to the latest call about the AC not working, the unit was completely out of freon which he said could happen if there was a large hole. There wasn't, so he already is suspecting something is happening. He actually tightened a part on there so hard that a significant effort will be required to unscrew it to release the freon and he also marked it with a special market that can detect tampering. When the HVAC guy left, she was yelling at him "Oh, you will be back, because the AC will get replaced." Gotta wonder what makes her so sure!

I take it, if we can confirm that, I should have no problem evicting her, right?

Tenants should not be causing intentional damage to the property. That should be a sound ground for lease termination and eviction.

Jon, thanks for the links. I read what is on there and now I am more confused.

"What is "reasonable notice" before entering?

Hi Everyone,

I have a tenant who is becoming a royal pain in my neck. She does not allow anyone to enter the premises for purposes of making repairs or inspections (required city inspections that is) unless she or her husband are home. Our lease explicitly states that we have the right to enter with notice. I am based in Michigan where there is no specific requirement for how long in advance you need to provide notice. We have tried so hard to accommodate her and often reschedule visits numerous times.

We have had it. We gave them written notice that effective immediately we can no longer accommodate rescheduling requests. We will be providing 24 hours notice and will enter the property after that during regular business hours regardless of who is home. No minor children at the house. If they want to be present, we don't care. Take the day off and stay home.

There are other issues with this tenant as well. For example, she is mandating that we provide brand new AC and furnace units because the current ones are "on their last leg" and all we do is put band aids. In a written letter I also explained that as long as we restore them to operational condition, whether we repaired them or replaced them should be irrelevant to her. I do understand my obligation to repair any issues, but she shouldn't be the one to tell me what upgrades I need to make to the house. If the unit dies and I cannot repair it, I will replace it. Until then, band aids or not - not her problem as long as it works.

She doesn't agree with my letter and wants to talk (argue) about it. Can she legally tell me that I can't go in after I give her notice? If she continues to argue about this, can I tell her that I can evict her based on breach of contract? This is after all a clause in my lease which she signed.