Real Estate Investor · Kirkland, WA · Member since 2012 · 480 posts · 116 votes
OK, so you've done all your screening, the tenants look good. No bad reviews from previous landlords.Tenant drives up in a nice new clean car and has good appearance. They move in, then comes the first visit 6 months later and you find the place looks like it hasn't been cleaned in weeks. What do you do? Do you expect your tenant's to keep the place clean and sanitary on an ongoing basis, or do you just wait until they move out and deal with it then? If it keeps getting worse and worse, at what point do you take action, and what action do you take?
Real Estate Investor · chicago, IL · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 231 votes
12y
i have visited tenants' prior residence and not had a problem. if they're out-of-state, then i just go based upon the appearance of the inside of their car.
when the people say they don't want me to visit their place of residence, that says it all.
you can also sometimes tell a lot about a tenant by the way the front yard looks.
Real Estate Investor · Kirkland, WA · Member since 2012 · 480 posts · 116 votes
12y
@Scott W. , Just curious - when you did visit, how was it arranged? Was it part of your screening process or a less formal thing? Were you able to go room to room checking the condition?
It seems difficult, if not impossible, to make it a requirement of a screening process - since some people are moving from quite a distance. However, it would definitely give you a clue of what to expect at your place. And just by asking if they would allow a residence visit could reveal something by their response to the idea. Driving by a residence could also give you some information as far as the condition of the yard, the condition of the cars in the driveway, what type of people are hanging around the area, etc.
Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
12y
There are several ways to approach the visit.
One is to just state the obvious. And explain that since it is required prior to accepting somebody and that you must decline anybody who refuses the visit.
Another is to indicate that some document needed to complete the screening was omitted, and that you would be happy to go to the applicant's home after work to get it taken care of.
Some landlords will insist on looking at every room, inside the refrigerator, inside the oven, inside the toilet(s), inside the bathtub(s), etc. If you intend to be this extensive, then the obvious and direct approach is probably best because it won't be such a surprise. You have to realize that there is a difference between "lived in but tidy" and "complete mess". You might also find that there might be some acceptable "clutter" due to getting stuff packed into boxes anticipating a move.
And if they have prior rental history (more than just one previous landlord), going back two landlords to ask about housekeeping and move-out condition also will get you some insight.
Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
12y
In regard to hoarding.
There are various "disabilities" that one should not discriminate against under Fair Housing. Hoarding is now one of those - plain and simple. That is why I have a housekeeping addendum and left in opportunity to cure, re-inspection criteria, and that landlord will allow for reasonable accommodations; just trying to remain within Fair Housing guidelines. Fair Housing does not mandate that you cannot remove a hoarder; you simply have to follow certain procedures (best to have in writing) and apply those uniformly. The folks at Fair Housing are aware of issues due to hoarding such as health and safety - the housekeeping addendum is intended to "promote" health and safety for all residents within any building.
- Understand and agree. Visiting the tenant to see how well they're taking care of their current residence before they move into yours - the housekeeping addendum and opportunity to cure - all good points. Prevention is always the best. While a housekeeping agreement is a good thing to have, I'm not sure how much good it would do with tenants that are accustomed to living like slobs. If you have to constantly be on their case about following the agreement, it might just be better to let the lease expire and not renew it. I wonder if any BPers have had success changing a dirty tenant into a clean ones. If you have, let us know what worked for you.
Steve, thank you for providing that. That's a good list of housekeeping standards to begin with. Besides the list itself and the inspection, I'm particularly impressed that they included what happens afterwards if standards are not met. Being upfront like that should eliminate any surprise or misunderstanding about the whole inspection. We have a list of housekeeping requirements and have been conducting regular routine maintenance and safety inspections, but never spelled out exactly how the issues would be addressed. Here's the specific part:
"The Housing Authority inspects each unit at least annually, to determine compliance with these standards. Upon completion of the inspection the Housing Authority Inspector posts a letter to inform the tenant of any fail items and the date that the dwelling will be re-inspected for corrections."
Making it a process like that makes it just a routine thing - no thinking involved - just follow the process.
Thanks for taking the trouble to provide that information. I think this is very helpful.
I know this is an old thread but the link for your copy of the good housekeeping for tenants is no longer there. Anyway you can message it to me. Thank you.