Tenant Quandary

[rgb123]

amen to that....

I'm very much enjoying my choice here in Carlsbad, it may be cookie cutter and a large complex but the level of professionalism is a breath of fresh air compared to what I've dealt with in the last 2.5 years in CA.

And the private places I've lived in had no amenities whatsoever (pools, gyms). But the worst was dealing with neighbors (I had no mediator, no one to solve problems for me with bad neighbors) and simple things like garbage disposal. When I was renting an apartment that was actually a divided home, I had to negotiate with the other person living there -- and I could only throw away whatever fit into the bin each week. Apartments have dumpsters which is something I never thought about but a big perk when moving in and out of a place. And if my neighbors give me trouble I can report it without fear of being singled out and it being dealt with professionally.

echo none of this is directed at you, I have no idea what kind of landlord you are. But these are the options renters have so its just something to think about.

In the beginning going with a private landlord was attractive for different reasons.....but right now its definitley tipped the other way for me and one of the reasons is most absolutley problems with landlords, that just can't compete with the professionalism (and low security deposits) with the big managed properties.

It's kind of like the difference of staying at a no-name hotel or motel vs. a corporate business level hotel (like a mariott or hampton inn or something) one of them is a known entity and they have to follow certain codes, laws etc and you know what you are getting for the most part. With the no name inn.....well anything can happen and hey that's no big deal if you are only there for a night...but a year?

well that can be hell lol.

[echo42]

Originally Posted by rgb123

echo none of this is directed at you, I have no idea what kind of landlord you are. But these are the options renters have so its just something to think about.

No offense taken. It is interesting to see into the mind of a renter and know what their wants and needs are.

[rgb123]

I thought so, you had asked for renters and landlord opinions.

I was able to rent some nicer places going private (Though without the amenities).

I would think though if she has been there 6 years and has been such a good tenant hold onto that while you can, you never know what you will get next and I've heard some really bad stories!

[Pedro2000]

Originally Posted by echo42

No offense taken. It is interesting to see into the mind of a renter and know what their wants and needs are.

Honestly for most people, it's a place to live. Safe, secure, friendly, and either a property manager or landlord who will take care of things that might need to be fixed. Or somebody who actually thinks updating the carpet or kitchen isn't always about another 500 bucks in rent.

I've been on both sides of the fence and the truth is, many private landlords should just outsource most of the work to some handyman or some property management firm. Or they shouldn't be in the business of being a landlord at all.

When somebody wants fist, last, and a security deposit on a $2K per month place, that's $6K. If somebody is putting $6K down it sure better be nice enough. Because the truth is around the country, there are a million cases every year where landlords stiff their former tenants out of the deposit. Sometimes it's warranted, sometimes it's not. Many times it's because the Landlord is struggling to pay the mortgage month to month and don't have the money.

I've known plenty of people who couldn't sell their condo or home, so decided to rent it over the past 5 or 6 years. But their $2K+ mortgage turns into a $2300 lease if that. So they really never have the extra money to do anything. SO when there are issues that need to be fixed, like every house or condo has, they really aren't in a place to even fix it. And you'd be surprised how many landlords are either in this situation or are just slumlords.


If it were me, I'd definitely would like to know what the final plan is because you do need to start looking for new good tenants, but it depends on where you're located. If you own a place in an area where a place goes up for rent today and winds up being rented out in a few days, it's more on you finding a good tenant, than on worrying about what your current tenant is doing. And as somebody else stated, if you plan on raising rent often enough without really ever improving the place, most tenants would jump at moving to another place, especially if they were good tenants.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

echo42,

As a renter, we rented a downtown condo for 6 years from an older couple that lived in Ontario (California.)

We were DREAM tenants. Fixed stuff, never late on payments and left the place immaculate when we were done. But it was my call to reach out to them to let them know we were house hunting and that at some point in the near future we were leaving.

If you had this tenant for that long, just ask them. If they had been making payments the whole time and not late, I would say they are fairly responsible individuals that just a quick question wouldnt hurt. Nothing wrong with saying you would like a heads up just so you arent left holding the bag. Not enough of that these days, or maybe it is there, we just dont hear it enough. We just hear about deals gone bad.
No its not legal or in writing, but at this point with it being month to month anyway, you are past that point of 20 page lease agreements and are just looking for a 'gentleman's handshake' so to speak.

[echo42]

UPDATE:

This seemed to have worked itself out for another year. The tenant wants to sign a lease for another year but is pretty sure this will be her last year in San Diego due to job situation. I am not going to raise the rent.

This should work out well if she does in fact leave in one year, it will be time for me to paint and put new carpet in by then.

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by rgb123

if my rent were going up every time I renewed my lease I'd probably leave, unless I really liked the landlord, the home and the location.

month to month is the best option when considering moving to another city or moving in with someone and is a very nice thing to do, and if you require 30 day notice or even a little more notice then it shouldn't cost you much more, I'd think. Isn't it nice to have a good relationship with a tenant?

my experience with private landlords has been less than stellar in CA. But the better landlord did keep the rent lower, and looked to find a good tenant and build a solid relationship rather then rent increases, and lease lock-ins. They allowed me to go month to month after a year and encouraged me to find the right place for me...and they knew I was going to take good care of their place and never bothered them.

What a breath of fresh air.

Even still, I'm feeling more comfortable at the moment dealing with corporations and managed properties/complexes than private landlords, even those who use a property management service.

I've felt a lot more bullied and pressured when dealing with private entities, I think due to their own anxieties.

California has also been a whole different experience for renting to me vs. other places, and mostly for the worse.

I agree; here in So CAL, dealing with large management companies that know the law and act within those parameters with their policies, giving notification about maintenance, handling things professionally, set policies, etc. has been far better for me than when I've rented from an owner. Previously, in several other states I've lived in, I always tried to find a private owner and avoided the large plexes.

For the OP: In my current situation, the rent stays the same if we renew one year or longer at lease renewal time....if we go 6 months, there's an increase of about 20% and month to month is quite a bit more. But this is a large complex in a top school district and they get people waiting for homes to be finished or bought, etc.

In private situations I've had, rents are rarely raised until I move out. And it's usually year by year renewal. But I think there are many options and no one way of doing things. I think, based on the history, you should def. allow month to month temporarily, maybe 6 months, and sign on a 30 day notice. That is my opinion from a good tenant's point of view. From your point of view, prob. take others' advice to go with your gut.