All Forum Posts by: Karen Johnson

@Nathan Gesner I found some good templates online that I can use. Thank you!

Thank you @Melanie Thomas!

@Bruce Woodruff thank you very much for your feedback. Think you are right about the temporary/suction cup types. We would probably leave them in when she leaves. In my mind, if someone likes the place, they shouldn't be deterred by grab bars in the bathroom, and for any young person who is deterred, there will be an older person who is more interested. We shall see.

@Scott Mac thank you for your feedback!  Agree that it can be seen as an upgrade in the future.

@Blake Johnson thank you so much for the feedback. I didn't realize there were ADA licensed vendors. I will have to confirm if my usual contractors are or not. 

@Nathan Gesner thanks as always for the feedback! Regarding the written agreement - do you think it needs to be drafted by a lawyer? If not, do you happen to have something similar I could model an agreement off of? 

Appreciate the help, everyone!

Hello all,

Seeking advice. Tenant has recently asked for grab bars to be installed in the bathroom shower. She’s older and feels it will make her safer. I totally get that. Wondering if and/or how best to accommodate this request. Should we:

-Suggest temporary grab bars that can be attached with suction cups and leave it to her to purchase them? If we purchase these, I’d be worried about liability if they detached and she slipped. 

or 

-Get grab bars professionally installed? if we do this, should we eat the cost or ask her to share in it in some way?

She’s been a good tenant so far and I’m not trying to nickel and dime her. I think if we accommodate her request it may also lead to her staying longer term (she’s really made the place like home and was at her previous place for a long time until a large rent increase forced her out).

I know it’s a fairly simple request but it’s the first we’ve got of its kind so looking for guidance. 

@Afia Amponsah I suggest you join HAPCO since you are landlording in Philadelphia. Lots of helpful individuals there who can help with questions specific to Philadelphia rental laws.

It seems like you are working very hard to help a tenant who is demonstrating bad faith. They have been dishonest about rent being paid and then have made a partial rent payment, likely with the knowledge that this will make it harder for you to evict. If I were you, I would begin eviction proceedings and let the tenant figure their lives out for themselves. Do not waive any more late fees and DO NOT accept any partial rent payments. This problem is not going to get better and you need to adhere strictly to your lease. You’re a good person with a kind heart, and there is a place for that, even as a landlord. However, this tenant seems to want to abuse your kindnesses and I would be tread carefully with this one. 

Thank you everyone. I called the police department and there was an auto-incident report. Apparently, the driver also hit several cars before driving into our house. I then called my insurance and filed a claim, providing the incident report number and precinct information, the contact information for the driver and also for my tenant. Hopefully this gets resolved without too much (more) trouble.

@Nathan 

@Nathan Gesner I completely agree about the tenant. I think his job sometimes takes him away for days at a time, but I will follow up with him and remind him the importance of communicating with me swiftly.

Definitely county by county in PA. You would need to narrow down your areas of interest and then search the county websites.

Thank you so much to everyone who responded. I will start taking action immediately.

Good day,

I will be researching other posts on this topic as well, but appreciate any help I can get.

Tenant texted me last night to say that someone drove their car into my rental property on Saturday night. Would have been great to know about this on Saturday when it happened, but not much to be done about that now. Tenant has the individual's contact information and is in the process of filing a police report, he says. There was a passenger in the car who was seriously injured, taken to hospital and requires surgery. Not sure what the circumstances were. Our house is set back from the street and has a driveway. They somehow drove all the way to the house, knocked down a pillar for the upstairs porch, drove into security door, shattering the glass and bending twisting the metal framing, and also broke the downspout on our drainage system. I obtained a phone number and an address for the driver from my tenant, as well as pictures of the damage and of the vehicle in question along with license plate. I have no idea if this person has insurance. 

What are my next steps here? I presume I should call my insurance company in case this individual has no or low converge. Do I take ownership of getting the police report filed? Do I contact the driver of the vehicle? Do I need a public adjuster? I've never been in a situation like this before so any and all advice is welcomed.

Thank you.