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Rented a home in a college town. The landlord was a Doctors wife. It was her play money.
During our tenancy , we asked to have the home fumigated....there were small flys coming from our duct vents...seems they liked the moist area. SHe insisted we clean better! So we called in a pest control and they determined the flys had burrowed near the cement slab. They suggested that the slab was cracking underneath...and we should be more concerned with structural damage along with the fly infestation.
we paid for the fumigation and forwarded a copy to our land lady. Fast forward to our walk thru, we had the kitchen floor waxed professionally, we painted all the walls and removed any nail holes. We scrubbed from top to bottom. Six weeks later we get a letter saying the deposit had been deducted. She cited "crumbs" on the counter and the fly infestation had comeback. we took it to small claims court and the magistrate sided with her. Saying that despite our efforts, we didn't leave it in livable conditions if the flys came back! we showed him the professional bill and report....
Heaven help anyone who has a place in a college town....the magistrate will always side with the land lord as they "assume" the tenants are irresponsible college students......
Luckily when we bought our home in the college town, we rented out rooms and didn't screw over our tenants.
Loved being a land lord , and yes they in essences helped pay our mortgage, and for that I am grateful.
Rented a home in a college town. The landlord was a Doctors wife. It was her play money.
During our tenancy , we asked to have the home fumigated....there were small flys coming from our duct vents...seems they liked the moist area. SHe insisted we clean better! So we called in a pest control and they determined the flys had burrowed near the cement slab. They suggested that the slab was cracking underneath...and we should be more concerned with structural damage along with the fly infestation.
we paid for the fumigation and forwarded a copy to our land lady. Fast forward to our walk thru, we had the kitchen floor waxed professionally, we painted all the walls and removed any nail holes. We scrubbed from top to bottom. Six weeks later we get a letter saying the deposit had been deducted. She cited "crumbs" on the counter and the fly infestation had comeback. we took it to small claims court and the magistrate sided with her. Saying that despite our efforts, we didn't leave it in livable conditions if the flys came back! we showed him the professional bill and report....
Heaven help anyone who has a place in a college town....the magistrate will always side with the land lord as they "assume" the tenants are irresponsible college students......
Luckily when we bought our home in the college town, we rented out rooms and didn't screw over our tenants.
Loved being a land lord , and yes they in essences helped pay our mortgage, and for that I am grateful.
Sorry to hear of your experience. Too bad you didn't take pictures of literally everything, before and after moving in.
In all fairness though, owning rental property in a college town is a nightmare - and for obvious reasons.
I don't know if perfect is the right word, but my last two tenants (each couples) were great tenants, paid on time 100%, left my house clean and undamaged, and their sole reason for leaving was they bought their own homes.
I've had many other tenants that were good but not great. Minor hassles but no big deal. Stuff I could live with.
And I've had 3 tenants from hell! (2 couples and 1 single woman)
I too had a fantastic previous landlord. Very approachable and always responsive. He was on top of repairs. I wish all of my landlords were like him, it would be a somewhat stress free renting experience.
2.) I discuss it with them until I fully understand what needs fixing.
3.) I select a contractor, handyman, whatever.
4.) I provide both tenant and contractor with contact info and ask each to contact the other and arrange a mutually agreeable appointment.
5.) Depending on situation I request contractor inform me of cost of repairs if not quotable over phone. In this case I reserve the right to accept the estimate or seek a different contractor. (This has never happened. I've always accepted the bid.)
6.) I authorize the contractor to perform the work at a time mutually agreeable to contractor and tenant. Often this is on the spot after approved via phone.
7.) Contractor does the work and submits an invoice.
8.) I contact tenant and ask if they are satisfied with the work.
9.) If tenant is satisfied I mail payment check to contractor, and I'm done.
I've been through this countless times. It's part of your work load as a landlord.
Under NO circumstances do I permit tenants to perform their own repairs. It's prohibited in our lease contract.
That's a very sensible approach to completing repairs. You are a respectable landlord and that's how landlords should be.
That's a very sensible approach to completing repairs. You are a respectable landlord and that's how landlords should be.
Thank you. Unfortunately as nice as I treat my tenants there a few tenants from hell who won't return my phone calls or emails, or if they are late and promise to pay on X date they don't, they refuse to sign for legal notices, they treat me like their personal free ATM.
That's why I'm selling all my properties as soon as the leases terminate, and there will be one less decent landlord renting properties. I've had it with being a decent landlord. I'll continue being decent until all my properties are sold, and then I'll be free from abusive tenants who think I am their personal ATM.
I don't understand why tenants don't understand the least term, "rent is due on the 1st of each month" and "a late fee applies each day if the rent is not paid by the due date."
I could write a book on all the tenant excuses and promises made but not kept. Unfortunately there would be no market for a book written by a well meaning but tenant abused landlord.
I'll turn my writing skills to fiction after I get out of the LL business. Or I'll pursue my art, cooking and soapmaking hobbies, and get a new dog to replace my recently deceased dog.
Meanwhile I will turn a deaf ear on tenants that appear to be placing unreasonable demands on landlords while at the same time not respecting and obeying their lease contract terms.
But if im in debt up to my eye balls on my very first property then the whole experience is going to be a boondoggle, scrambling to collect rent to barely make the mortgage, no thanks. The tiny home movement will also put pressure on rental rates and simultaneously home sale prices as that paradigm enables people to wait on the side lines without lining someone elses pockets in the mean time while watching land lords and land owners slowly starve to death in the market.
I've been watching the tiny house movement with interest. However, I do see a problem in that there don't seem to be a lot of communities very friendly to the idea .... so where can people put them?
Good luck "billing" at that rate. You'll never win. In order to get that ratecyou would have to be charging that rate in your field. And unless what you're billing the LL for is in YOUR field and we're hired for that you won't ever get it.
That's the same as a LL charging $90 a hour for plumbing and DIYing it. Judge is going throw it out as excessive charges.
I dint require my tenants to be there to let a workman in. I'll drive down or set it up. I do ask if they are available to let the workman in. Rarely has it been a issue. But it's not their job. Then again I also don't raise rent every year and tend to stay out of my tenants lives.
No. Seriously that's retarded. What was meant was if you first go see a house and it looks like crap with bad carpet dirty walls and messy why would you rent it.
If you're there for 6 months and the WH dies it's not your problem.
I would record it and leave it up to the judge. I may also go for punative damages, judge can throw it out but I can make land lords life hell and wish that he had kept his condesending "I will sue you" or "take your deposit" comments to himeself.
I've been watching the tiny house movement with interest. However, I do see a problem in that there don't seem to be a lot of communities very friendly to the idea .... so where can people put them?
Where ever they can find, trailer courts, RV parks, etc. That way you can watch the market without paying rent and strike when the iron is hot. There are also new trends of people living in modified shipping containers towed behind a large truck so you could park in an industrial area pop out the solar cells and have a mini water treatment system (other than for brown water).
A whole culture of people hiding around town not contributing squat waiting for the shoe to drop is nasty strategy for the establishment. Very few people paying rent will be disruptive to the establishment and very satisfying to watch.
Sorry to hear of your experience. Too bad you didn't take pictures of literally everything, before and after moving in.
In all fairness though, owning rental property in a college town is a nightmare - and for obvious reasons.
I rented in a college town for more than 25 years, and the sad truth is that the vast majority of landlords there were profit maximizers who assumed and planned for annual tenant turnover, and increased rents like clockwork. In the 1980s, I faced five rent increases in five years, was priced out and had to downsize three times, and the last time lived in my employer's offsite storage for four months, at which time I found a great and spacious below-market duplex owned by a retired teacher who had lived in it until retirement (the SFR was converted at that time to two units) and was renting it below-market to stable long-term low-maintenance tenants in order to ultimately leave it to her son with a huge step-up in tax basis.
Where ever they can find, trailer courts, RV parks, etc. That way you can watch the market without paying rent and strike when the iron is hot. There are also new trends of people living in modified shipping containers towed behind a large truck so you could park in an industrial area pop out the solar cells and have a mini water treatment system (other than for brown water).
A whole culture of people hiding around town not contributing squat waiting for the shoe to drop is nasty strategy for the establishment. Very few people paying rent will be disruptive to the establishment and very satisfying to watch.
You still have to pay rent in trailer courts and RV parks. And your "shipping container" idea is just plain illegal.
My property taxes alone are over $14,000.00 a year for a very small duplex. I charge my tenant $1100.00 a month...which includes all utilities. So trust me, it does not even come close to covering what I pay in taxes, mortgage, insurance, water, electric, oil heat, cable, internet and maintenance. I do not see myself as "contributing squat" to my community.
I truly find your remarks offensive, out of touch and ignorant.
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