Investor · Austin, TX · Member since 2013 · 443 posts · 174 votes
I have a rental property where I rent out bedrooms. The kitchen/livingroom is considered a common area. Recently it has been a problem getting people to do basic stuff like lock the front door, clean their dishes, take out garbage.
I am considering installing ring cameras at the front door, near the sink, near trash can. This will help me determine who is causing issues and manage things remotely.
You can get a lock that has an auto feature after a set amount of time, I love using those. And why don't you just give somebody a discount on rent to be in charge of all those things?
If you leave it up to a group of people they will all expect someone else to do it, it is better to single out one person and make it their job.
Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
3y
The one guy I know who runs a rooming house like this lives in an apartment on the first floor and has a whole six-camera setup connected to his computer down there. He rents out three bedrooms on the second floor, two in the attic, and he just finished part of the basement for his sixth unit.
Get something where the door locks automatically after 5 minutes. For cleaning, tell them that a cleaner will be coming in once a week to clean the common areas-they are responsible for doing dishes and keeping the place tidy and that rent will be increased $X a month to cover the costs.
Honolulu, HI · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
3y
Aloha,
You really need to check local law on surveillance video, especially INSIDE the house. I am a big fan of cameras, but you really risk privacy issues inside the main living area. A separate laundry room or purely storage area would not likely be an issue.
Do you have, and have you clearly communicated in writing, a set of "House rules"? Or do you have your specific issues addressed in the individual Rental Agreements?
Do you have appropriate Landlord insurance on the property, that covers your personal property in the common areas among other elements? Do the individual bedrooms have separately keyed deadbolt locks?
Investor · Austin, TX · Member since 2013 · 443 posts · 174 votes
3y
@Richard F. I don't have it in the lease yet but was considering sending out a lease addendum out to all the existing tenants. They are month to month so if they don't like it they could leave. I have insurance that covers property. No separate keyed deadbolts.
Investor · Austin, TX · Member since 2013 · 680 posts · 1k+ votes
3y
@Joseph Weisenbloom, what you are describing are issues arising from renting out rooms instead of units. Assigning responsibility to individuals in a house is far more difficult than to a lone tenant. Be VERY careful not to violate right to privacy laws that vary state to state regarding camera surveillance . I think you are risking a lawsuit as most people would assume some level of privacy inside a dwelling even if renting just one room.
Here are a couple actions to consider.
1. Find a smart lock on the front door that auto locks after a time limit to ensure security to the home. Yes you need some kind of security, if not you again could be liable if say an intruder comes inside the home that wasn't even locked. You may need to have a lock box some where outside with a key in because eventually a tenant will be outside with out key or phone and the auto lock will lock them out.
2. Humans are not robots and they eventually will do want they want. Washing dishes , taking out trash or picking up after themselves mean different things to different people. However, there is one thing that usually motivates people and that is money or incentives. You could do this in two ways. Get everyone together and tell them you will have to charge an extra $25 in rent to have someone come and clean the common areas unless they do it themselves. (I don't think you will have much success with this but it is an option). A better solutions is to increase rent by some amount and go to your best most responsible renter and ask them if they would be willing to clean up the common areas for the additional rent money collected. If this solution is taken don't tell the other tenants who you are going to pay to clean up. This may cause more messes if they think their additional rent is paying someone else to clean up. This might eventually just become a deal in private with another tenant to clean up peoples' messes. However I would emphasize to your tenants that if they cannot clean up after themselves that it may mean non-renewal.