Hyper Landlord! (Fairfax, Washington: real estate, apartment, renters)

[CathyL100]

We finally found a great house to rent in a great neighborhood. The homeowner plans on returning to the house after this assignment. We knew he was a little highstrung when we rented the house. We took possession of the house July 1st. He spent 2 hours going over what was expected of us, while I struggled to keep our little ones mellow. I understand he wants the house kept nice for them. He has called twice to check on the house. Then I got an email today saying he was coming to inspect the house in a week. It does say in the lease that he is allowed to enter to inspect the property, standard clause. I have just never had one do it, let alone 3 weeks into the rental. He also says he will be doing this each time he returns to the area, about once every other month. He says he will let us know the day before he comes. Does anyone else find this a bit much? What do I do about this?

[NissanTechnician]

Wow, that is a little excessive. I understand making sure the house is well taken care of for when he moves back in, but thats a little ridiculous.

[mdcrim]

Wow, sounds awful for you. While it sounds like it will be a huge pain, I personally wouldn't go out of my way to clean and make the house perfect for his visits. I would just live your life. This can work 2 ways by the way. If he is this type of landlord, you could be the tenant that calls about every little thing... EVERYTHING!!! Or you could just be up front with him, tell him that he is welcome to come per the lease but, since you are in possession of the property for the term of the lease, you will comply with the lease but continue to live your life and not go out of your way to impress him every other month.

In regards to his frequent calling, I would not return his calls or, when he reaches you, ask him if there is a problem? Tell him that, while he is welcome to call if there is an issue or a problem, you do not have the time to devote to returning his frequent check up calls.

Sorry you're dealing with this. VA has some really good tenant rights groups-they are normally run by the county.

[slim04]

I hope you got a below the market rent to put up with this BS. I would consider it an invasion of my privacy if he has no cause for frequent inspections. If he wants to treat you like a housesitter, he should pay you, not the other way around.

FYI, an apartment landlord typically inspects an apartment no more than twice a year.

[5stones]

just to play devils advocate....
He may have been REALLY burned by past tennants. After the first few "inspections" he may become more secure and see that you are looking ouor for his investment.

My parents had a rentals in Houston and Fairfax and the horror stories I could tell you. ALL form very "nice" people with good jobs etc...

But, no I also wouldn't go out of the way to clean etc.... He probably just wants to make sure that the property is being well cared for.

On a plus side.... it seems that if you hae ANY problems etc..he would be "jonny on hte spot" to get them resolved and repaired!

[Yankeesfan]

This sounds very annoying, but the bottom line is, it's his house. I just talked yesterday with friends who have just moved back in after renting out the house for two years, and heard about what bad shape the place was in due to renters who weren't intentionally destructive but did little cleaning or maintenance. As 5stones said, maybe seeing that you are taking good care of the house will cause him to lighten up.

[VRE332]

nobody is ever going to take care of a rental property the same as an owner. That's just the reality of renting out a place to someone. Also this landlord sounds like a real control freak. Tell him , if he comes over again you will call the police and have him removed. It's an invasion of your privacy.

[mdcrim]

Yes, it's his house, but he has rented it out and the person is paying him for the priviledge of living there. If he wanted his house to remain in perfect condition, he should have never rented it out. And I agree that you are being treated more as a housesitter than a tenant.

I am saying this as a landlord. And as a landlord I know that I will most likely need to repaint and very possibly do a whole lot more work prior to being able to sell my rental property. To re-rent, it's just normally small cosmetic stuff. But I expect it-it is a rental...

[HEATHER72]

Or he could have gotten renters like one house on my street. I heard at the last HOA meeting that a neighbor thought she saw them carrying out kitchen cabinets. Hmmm... hello?!? Call the police. So hubby and I peeked in the windows a couple of weeks ago. OMG... they took everything BUT the kitchen sink! They took all the appliances (refrigerator, microwave, stove top, double ovens, dishwasher). They removed all the upper and lower cabinets including those in the butler's pantry. This house had a lot of cabinets! Keyword being had. They also took out all the counter tops. Unreal! The only thing left in the kitchen was the cabinet that the sink goes in. I bet they also raided the bathrooms. It's people like that is the reason why I'd never rent out my house.

[5stones]

Tell him , if he comes over again you will call the police and have him removed. It's an invasion of your privacy.

NO you can't...
sorry but by law he only needs to give you a 24 hour notice between 8am and 8pm.
As long as he give notice he can come over every week.

A TRUE PAIN yes! but illegal no.

Read over your lease, usually it will state how many inspections will be done etc...
You said about 1x every 2 months when he's in town.

Here's a good article for you to read with all sorts of questions...
washingtonpost.com – Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland homes and real estate news and headlines.

The law says a landlord who plans to enter an apartment to inspect the premises, make agreed-upon repairs or show the apartment to prospective tenants or buyers, must give reasonable notice before entering and do it at reasonable times. A landlord may enter an apartment without warning if it is impractical to notify the tenant or if it's an emergency. Tenants need to notify a landlord if they plan to be gone for a while, to arrange for routine maintenance and apartment upkeep. Tenants can be liable for damage to the property if they don't give such warning.