It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

If they start throwing parties, smoking in the unit, bring in a pet, start listing it on Airbnb or subletting the unit.

Basically what I use for each tenant moving in is the following:At Will Agreement (I don't do leases)Property rules Agreement (maintenance requests, what NOT to do, no smoking, etc.)Pet Addendum (if they have pets, and most good tenants in NB will have a pet)Statement of Condition (I used the general MA one)Lead Paint disclosure (print out packet, also have them sign paper and provide any documents if your home is in any way lead free/safe)For screening, it's important to be consistent and set guidelines up front.

Hi Stephanie,Just some of my thoughts on this.How rough is the neighborhood (after dark).Who is going to do the showings--you?

They rarely hold the tenant responsible for things that are clearly their fault (missing smoke detector for example, was there on initial move in, not there on yearly, clearly the tenant removed it but the owner is generally responsible for putting it back).  

There's no "magic" to it, no "smoke and mirrors", no "guru" nonsense or any of that.

$15.00 per closetLight fixtures – glass cleaned and bulbs replaced $15.00 per fixture /$1.00 per bulbCeiling fan, blades- clean top & bottom, motor housing dust free $30.00 -$50.00Vacuum – per room (carpet is shampooed by management after move out at no charge) $15.00Carpet- burns, stains, soil as per estimate / replacementBaseboards – dust, wipe off, vacuum per room $15.00 per roomA/C vent cover – vacuum, dust $15.00Windows – Glass, tracks, clean and dust free $20.00 per windowTo remove window pane, slide pane to center of track- grasp each side, gently lift up and pull forward to remove, clean, replace in correct order.Window- Glass replacement $35.00 per windowScreens replacement- $25.00 per window -$40.00 per patio door $25.00- $40.00Mini-blinds replacement $20.00 per windowPatio door – Glass, clean both sides, track vacuumed, wiped clean $35.00Patio blind replacement $50.00 per windowOutdoor patio globe- clean $15.00Sweep off patio and railings $15.00Bathroom exhausts fan/vent cover, clean, dust free $15.00Bathtub, clean tub and tile surround $25.00 – $60.00Bath sink, vanity/countertop, clean $20.00Bath – medicine cabinet, clean inside, mirrors, light guard $20.00 minBathroom floor & wall tile – wash, clean tile $20.00 minTowel bar replacement $18.00 minToilet tissue spindle replacement $5.00Toilet – clean inside bowl and outside $20.00 minToilet seat replacement $20.00Kitchen cabinets – wipe off grease; remove shelf paper, empty out $20.00 minKitchen-sink, countertop, wipe off, clean garbage disposal ring $20.00 minDishwasher – clean, remove any food particles from inside $20.00 min Vent hood – wipe off grease, clean filter, clean light guard, top/underside $20.00 minStove/ Oven- wipe off exterior, clean under drip pans, clean oven/racks $25.00 min to $125.00Drip pans – clean (replacement cost is $7.50 each) $30.00 maxBroiler pan replacement $20.00Refrigerator/ Freezer-wash off exterior, top, seals, inside, crispers $20.00 min to $75.00Walls / Woodwork – remove nails, screws $15.00 minWallpaper boarders-removal per room $50.00 minNicotine – stained walls/ woodwork that require cleaning (see below explanation) $25.00 per hour min.The cost to prep the unit for painting requires the walls and woodwork to be washed clean from the smoke odor/ and nicotine stained damage.GaragesGarages should be swept clean and all debris removed.

She also left cigarette butts in the house which i sent her a cease letter for but can’t prove if shes still smoking in the house.

After the smoke and mirrors, they are easily above a 30% management fee.  

The biggest issues is not the fire damage but its the smoke.