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Aw, I made a fool out of myself with that one, didn't I? I see it time and time again where people respond to the first post without reading the whole thread. I did fail to completely read the whole response, you are right.
Mea culpa.
This moment of irony was brought to you by one incredibly harried woman who needs to just shut the heck up.
No harm done LM - I can see where someone's eyes might have glazed over reading all my verbiage about the finer points of codes and whether or not that plug on the medicine cabinet just might be a GFCI in disguise after all.
And even so (speaking of harried, I just got back from doing some home improvement on a house that turns 100 this year ) one more possible reason for needing to replace the windows occured to me. If they are in the bedrooms but do not meet egress requirements, then the LL is on the hook for bringing them up to code and cannot pass the cost on to the tenant.
This LL may not be aware of fire and building codes but as a previous poster said, this is a business so ignorance is no excuse.
OP I do hope you get a lease with your name on it. "Stuff" happens and it's better for you to have a legal right to be there in writing signed by all parties.
OP also asked what someone would do if they got a rental property with a long term tenant. I tend to be "nice" and even if the market will bear higher rents, I couldn't see hitting a long term tenant with a huge increase. It really depends on the market. The risk in having your rentals be on the high side is that people move out more frequently and increase your vacancy rate. High rent doesn't do much good if you don't have a tenant in there paying it. Empty rentals eat money in the form of taxes and insurance, and in the winter they eat fuel for heating. Add to that the fact that tenant screening is no fun and you can understand why some landlords stay on the low side with what they charge for rent. So if your place is in a desirable location I would probably have snuck the rent up a bit as long as it was still him in there and at such time as your b/f moved out, gone in and re-did the place to make it nice and then increase the rent accordingly.
one more possible reason for needing to replace the windows occured to me. If they are in the bedrooms but do not meet egress requirements, then the LL is on the hook for bringing them up to code and cannot pass the cost on to the tenant.
This LL may not be aware of fire and building codes but as a previous poster said, this is a business so ignorance is no excuse.
Interestingly, the windows weren't something we told him we needed, just wanted eventually. They are storm windows so no screen, and not really useable, BUT, they are in a laundry/storage room so nobody really cares. Now the LL said at one point in our email conversation that if he only did the windows, he would leave the rent alone. We tried to bargain - said do the rugs but not the windows. Now he's doing it all, and the rent increase is all but set in stone. He feels the windows are "more pressing," but there's no leaking issue, and it doesn't affect heating costs because the thermostat for the building is in the first floor apartment.
I really don't think this guy knows fire and building codes. He bought the house a year ago from a long-term friend, and my boyfriend says it seems he quotes from a Landlords For Dummies book every time they've had to deal with an issue. I have a feeling it's going to be an interesting year, but hey, cheap rent!
I have a rental in Ventura County, CA., where there is no rent control. LA County has had rent control for a long time. Under rent control you can only raise rent 3% for 2012. We have a tenant paying $1235 which was the going rate we had to offer a few years ago, to get the apt. rented. The highest rent for the same style apartment is $1700. I would like to raise the rent to $1500. $1235 to $1500 per month. I am not sure I can do that though. That is why I joined this City-data.com - Does anyone know what a Landlord's rights are in regard to raising rent?
You should start a new thread instead of adding on to one from August 2011 ... just go to the renting forum (when you see the list of posts) and click on "new thread" in the upper left.
You might also post in the appropriate California forum, if you need answers from local people.
I have a rental in Ventura County, CA., where there is no rent control. LA County has had rent control for a long time. Under rent control you can only raise rent 3% for 2012. We have a tenant paying $1235 which was the going rate we had to offer a few years ago, to get the apt. rented. The highest rent for the same style apartment is $1700. I would like to raise the rent to $1500. $1235 to $1500 per month. I am not sure I can do that though. That is why I joined this City-data.com - Does anyone know what a Landlord's rights are in regard to raising rent?
If you're not in a rent controlled area you can raise the rent however much you want once the lease term has expired. What you should take into consideration is that a rent increase of $265/month is huge and you may well lose your current tenant. If that doesn't bother you and you're confident that you can easily find another tenant who will pay $1500 for the place then go ahead. But if your tenant has been a good one and you'd like to continue the relationship, the sensible thing to do is raise the rent reasonably every year if your current tenant plans on otherwise staying.
I think you have opened a can of worms w/ your demands. I also think that the LL has decided rather than the easy going ten year tenant he was told about, he now has a somewhat demanding "new" tenant, You. And the LL is keeping your boyfriend month to month so he can decide to quit playing your game and give you 30 day notice. Are you marrying? If not, you are essentially a roommate, not on the lease, making demands. Not a good bargaining position. I would have built some sort of relationship w/ the LL before making demands because you weren't part of the deal when the LL bought the place. Hope it works out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by alphaloria
I am moving in with my boyfriend at the end of the month. He has been living in his apartment for ten years. He was on a lease for one year, and has been month-to-month ever since with no rent increases. Last year, a new owner took over the building, and this July raised his rent $50, which he had no problem with.
We asked that before I move in, he do the following:
- Install a handrail on the stairway from the ground to second floor in the hallway (not the apartment itself, which is on the third floor)
- Replace the ten year old very worn rugs
- Replace two windows
The landlord has come back to us quoting $3,000 for the renovations, and that as a result he will have to raise the rent an additional $150 per month. He has mentioned that he will draw up a new lease and ask for a pet deposit for my two cats, which is fair.
From what little I understand about Philly's renter laws, a landlord cannot increase the rent as long as there are building code violations. Lack of a handrail is a building code violation. There is also no GFI outlet in the bathroom, which may or may not be building code.
It is also my understanding that carpets that have worn down due to wear and tear are the responsibility of the landlord. I have not looked into windows so I am not sure where the responsibility falls.
My questions:
1. Is my understanding about rental increases and building codes correct? Does his rent being month-to-month change that?
2. Is my understanding about the cost of rugs falling on the landlord correct?
3. If we play hardball with the landlord, can he legally drive up the rent purposely to run us out? Do we have any rights at all since he is paying month-to-month?
4. What CAN we do, if anything?
This is a landlord who is very new to being a landlord. All of our communication is being done through email, which is good because everything is in writing, but bad because he can (and does) easily gloss over links that we have sent him regarding his responsibilities versus ours.
He has told us that he will send a formal letter regarding the increase, which does not sound like the lease he originally proposed to write. My concern is that he may send a letter demanding more rent, and either drag his feet on these "renovations" or not do them at all.
We do not want to be taken advantage of, but my boyfriend has been in this place for ten years and would like his next move to be in a house he buys.
I think you have opened a can of worms w/ your demands.
I don't know if you meant to or not but you're answering the OP when a new issue has been raised by another contributor.
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) one more possible reason for needing to replace the windows occured to me. If they are in the bedrooms but do not meet egress requirements, then the LL is on the hook for bringing them up to code and cannot pass the cost on to the tenant.
