All Forum Posts by: Yiv L.

@Paul Crowson, does your contract says tenant has to pay all the repairs? Where I am here, I am paying for all the property repairs and maintenance, and tenants only pay for landscaping. Electrical outlet issue is my responsibility to get it fixed. Probably this is what she was trying to tell you?

@Greg B. this is a pretty unique unfortunate situation. I think if you are not sure about the applicant but can not deny, month-to-month or six month lease will help to get them out sooner.

@Carrie Pledger $80 and $100 ceiling fans from the same big box store are not necessarily different in quality (don't go with the cheapest, say those $40). Mostly just the look or newer/fancier style or finish. Look around for bang for the bucks. Also, plenty of same products can be bought online (ie, ebay) for a bit cheaper and no sale tax, if that is important to you.

Thank you for your inputs @MIke Franco, @Andrea M., @Greg Potter, @Jason A., @Tom Goans.

Specific to Tom's suggestion, I do have a "Peaceful Enjoyment" clause in my lease.

Two of my neighboring tenants in the 4-plex quarreled, caused by small kids from one family playing and making some messes on the other family's front yard (the complex has open front yard), then verbal exchanges from adults.

The family with small kids (7 and 8) just moved in over a month.

The other family (late middle aged with 3 teenagers) moved in almost a year, and are very good paying and quiet tenants. They do not like to be disturbed..

I talked to both families, but not sure how much it helped. I do not have any vacant unit to move them around. I know I am not peace keeper, but I suspect sooner or later, one or both tenants will break the lease and leave if it continues this way. Any suggestion?

You need to take current landlord's words with a grain of salt, make sure what they say adds up. If the landlord wants to get rid of the tenant, they may paint good pictures of the tenant too. Also, if there is a moment of silence when a good question is probed, for example, the answer needs to be thoroughly analyzed.

I am not a seasoned investor, but I have done a lot of thinking on the matter myself. So, here are my takes:

Advantages:

5-units or more: Main advantage is getting lower cost per unit. Probably better normalized vacancies. Fewer competing potential buyers (due to loan structures and other factors), and thus lead to possibly better deals. However, if the number of units is pretty close to 4, the cost advantage is probably not there.

Disadvantages:

Need commercial loans with tougher terms, higher rate, higher costs and short-term loan (5-7 years). But to me, the main disadvantage is that, as @Tom Goans mentioned, if you get fed up by your tenants and throwing in the towel, you can pretty much get rid of your 4-plexes or fewer a lot easier.

@Francilia Herrera, make sure you take plenty of pictures and videos inside the house with her belongings in places. You might need them later.

I would ask these questions:

- If you don't add the storage, will you have problem renting out the place?

- If you add the storage, can you raise the rent?

If the answer is no to both of the questions, probably it's not worth the cost. If yes to one of the questions, more studies need to be done. If yes to both questions, I think it's worth the cost.

@Alex Dewberry, I am not sure what you are trying to achieve by contacting your tenant's work place. IMHO, you might get tangled with legal complexity.

I know you mentioned you can not afford to lose the rent, even one month due to your situation. I am afraid you will lose a lot more if you continue to let this tenant do what she's doing. You might be better off to hire a qualified PM, and file eviction.