Rooming House Woes. Cut you losses or make it work?

Rooming House Woes. Cut you losses or make it work?

Investor · Toronto, ON · Member since 2017 · 35 posts · 14 votes

Hello Everyone,

I'm a new investor (under 2 years). I have never posted and truthfully forgot about this great site. I thought I would check it out and see what you all think of my situation.

I bought my first property in April of 2017. It is a rooming house in Windsor Ontario. I chose Windsor for the family connection there, cheap house prices and decent rents plus a 4% vacancy. I had bought it with 5 tenants with occupancy times of 1 yr, 3 yrs, 5 yrs, 7 yrs and 8 yrs. I was Leary of buying a rooming house but figured these guys aren't going anywhere so it's safe. Everything went great for a few months and that's when it started. 

One of the staple tenants moved out, my property manager turned out to be a terrible fit, the newer (1 yr) tenant stopped paying rent and I had to evict but not before he brought bedbugs into the place. Bed bugs took 6 months to eliminate which involved me having to ask another tenant to leave who was a hoarder and was making it impossible to exterminate the begs. These are just the highlights but you get the picture. As of now I have only 3 tenants out of 6 rooms but they all seem to be solid. 

I have hired a new property manager who is great. I have also bought another SFH which has great cash flow and I've never heard a peep from the tenants. I chalk this all up to a great learning experience and I got to learn most of the lessons people learn over years all in my first purchase and in under a year. Now I'm ready to dust myself off and move on. I have decided to sell the rooming house.

BUT part of me thinks since I have now suffered through all this, things must be ready to turn around right? And now that I have things sorted out I should stick around and reap the rewards. 

The other side of me says get out while the getting is good. There is every chance that the next problem is right around the corner.

SO I wanted to hear from anyone with experience. Is there a way to make a rooming house work? Any tricks I'm not thinking about?

1Reply
37 views

Most Popular Reply

Investor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2014 · 389 posts · 250 votes
8y

In my experience, startups (buying a property and getting it the way you want) are always relatively expensive.  The rooming house is going through that period now - cleaning, repairs, etc -- , because the inherited tenants weren't part of YOUR program. Don't jump ship yet.  I'd hang in there, get good tenants (DON"T just take whoever you can get to fill the spot. That's probably how the place got bedbugs!), settle in with the PM, and then re-evaluate.  If you do decide to sell, you'll get a better deal with all that in place.  It's one of the things that sold you on it when you bought, right?? 

I don't know the Windsor student market, but I've got a 5-br student rental in Georgia that's rented by the room instead of by the whole house (my son is one of the "tenants"), and I'm just closing out the first year.  Last year was pulling up a house full of carpet, replacing a 32-year-old AC unit, lots of other energy-efficiency upgrades (rent includes utilities), and only 3 roommates for 4 bedrooms.  Starting this month for the coming year, all bedrooms are rented to a good bunch of boys, and I've got better systems and plans in place, and more income to pay for it all.  The first time around the cycle with anything new is more about learning and preparing than anything else.

See this reply in the discussion

19 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Rental Property Investor · Durham, NC · Member since 2016 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    8y
    @Andrew Cox How long has it taken to fill the rooms? If it takes a while it’s time to maybe move on or get s new PM again
  • Investor · Toronto, ON · Member since 2017 · 35 posts · 14 votes
    8y

    @Caleb Heimsoth Hi Caleb, I have only had to fill one room before and it took months but that was under the old PM. New PM has just started advertising this week for the 3 new vacancies. My realtor said to get 5 out of 6 units rented and then we can list to get the most $$$. But I guess if I can't fill the spots I may have to take what I can get. Just looking for creative solutions that might make this place worth keeping. Any ideas?

  • Rental Property Investor · Durham, NC · Member since 2016 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    8y

    @Andrew Cox  I’m not going to be able to provide you any creative ideas.  If it doesn’t take to long to fill them and you cash flow with the market prices I’d keep it.  If it takes months or you barely cash flow I’d sell.

    The second rental (single family) I bought had inherited tenants.  They stiffed me on rent and then left the place a mess.  I cleaned and fixed it up, upped rent and it rented in 3 weeks.  That tenant has been great so far.  

  • Investor · Toronto, ON · Member since 2017 · 35 posts · 14 votes
    8y
    @Caleb Heimsoth Seems like second rentals are better than firsts. Lessons learned LoL. Thanks for your input Caleb.
  • Realtor · Windsor, Ontario · Member since 2016 · 55 posts · 54 votes
    8y

    The first one is usually the hardest!! If your current tenants seem to be good now and the place cashflows enough to be worth holding on to, then keeping it may be a good idea. However if you think you can find another property that will give you higher returns for less headache, it may be worth selling. I know finding great tenants in a rooming house can be more challenging than for other rentals. 
    Also, you've probably noticed that the market is strong and competitive in Windsor right now, so I'm sure you would have no problem getting the house sold.
    What neighbourhood is the house in? I am wondering if it could have more success as a student rental or even as short term rental units, depending on the neighbourhood.

  • Investor · Long Beach, CA · Member since 2012 · 313 posts · 190 votes
    8y

    Bro, are you cashflowing? if so, then the only reason you would want to sell is to get something bigger with the proceeds of the first place. If I wasn't trying to get something bigger i wouldn't sell. 

    Hey, i lived in Detroit metro for a long time, and spago trattoria (the small place, not the restaurant) is probably my all time favorite restaurant ever...It felt really homey, and the food was good, eh?

  • Investor · Toronto, ON · Member since 2017 · 35 posts · 14 votes
    8y
    @Cassidy Logsdon Hi Cassidy. My thoughts were on getting another SFH. Much less headache and turnover than a rooming house. Selling might be good now as you said. Not much on the market right now. Short term is an idea though. I was even toying with the idea of airbnb but I think the place is not nice enough. It's at Moy/Wyandotte in Walkerville.
  • Investor · Toronto, ON · Member since 2017 · 35 posts · 14 votes
    8y

    @Chuy Gonzalez

    Hi Chuy, I bought the place because the numbers worked great on paper. Cash flow a plenty. But it is costing me a boat load right now. Exterminators and renovations after booting out bad tenants has cost a lot. In this place I need 4.5 units out of 6 to pay for expenses and financing. Right now I'm at 3 units and have been for months. But if I get all 6 spots filled it is great from a cash flow perspective. But keeping it filled is the challenge.

  • Rental Property Investor · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2016 · 14 posts · 6 votes
    8y
    I find a great key to having more traffic to your rooming home is making it look and feel more like a real home, where tenants could see being comfortable and staying long term.
  • Investor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2014 · 389 posts · 250 votes
    8y

    In my experience, startups (buying a property and getting it the way you want) are always relatively expensive.  The rooming house is going through that period now - cleaning, repairs, etc -- , because the inherited tenants weren't part of YOUR program. Don't jump ship yet.  I'd hang in there, get good tenants (DON"T just take whoever you can get to fill the spot. That's probably how the place got bedbugs!), settle in with the PM, and then re-evaluate.  If you do decide to sell, you'll get a better deal with all that in place.  It's one of the things that sold you on it when you bought, right?? 

    I don't know the Windsor student market, but I've got a 5-br student rental in Georgia that's rented by the room instead of by the whole house (my son is one of the "tenants"), and I'm just closing out the first year.  Last year was pulling up a house full of carpet, replacing a 32-year-old AC unit, lots of other energy-efficiency upgrades (rent includes utilities), and only 3 roommates for 4 bedrooms.  Starting this month for the coming year, all bedrooms are rented to a good bunch of boys, and I've got better systems and plans in place, and more income to pay for it all.  The first time around the cycle with anything new is more about learning and preparing than anything else.

  • Real Estate Broker · Detroit, MI · Member since 2014 · 384 posts · 149 votes
    8y

    I'm a Property Manager so I only consider the numbers.  There are a lot of factors to consider; initial cost, cash or financed, income potential, etc.  PM the details or give me a call to discuss.

  • Investor · Toronto, ON · Member since 2017 · 35 posts · 14 votes
    8y
    @Lydron P Aguillera I tend to agree with you. When I bought the place I start off painting and gardening and then when the **** hit the fan as stated above I had to stop due to funds.
  • Investor · Toronto, ON · Member since 2017 · 35 posts · 14 votes
    8y
    @Anna Watkins If I can get a good group I might keep it. But rooming are hard to leverage. I had to buy cash and didn't realize at the time it would be so hard to refinance to get my money out. Just another mistake I made. LoL Just I'll see what happens with with the tenants first. But from you story it sounds like what I was says about hold in there and reap the benefits of all the crap I went through. Thx
  • Investor · Toronto, ON · Member since 2017 · 35 posts · 14 votes
    8y
    @Jabari Long Hi Jabari, I'm ok with the numbers if I could keep all the units filled. If it stayed full it would clear $500/mth but it's never full. Any thoughts on how to stabilize a rooming house? I'm only really thinking of selling because I don't seem to be having any luck with this type of rental. Also it's hard to get you money out on a refinance with a rooming house.
  • Investor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2014 · 389 posts · 250 votes
    8y

    @Andrew Cox -- another idea (for a long haul) -- investigate various organizations or groups that might want to lease a rooming house for their clients.  There was a BP podcast a couple of years ago about an investor whose entire niche was specialty properties like this -- transition group homes for developmentally disabled adults,  or "clean living" homes for recovering substance abusers (I have a high school classmate who's lived in a home like this for several years).  It would definitely take time and effort to find a good organizational match, but would pay off in long-term stability.

    Does your place appeal to university students?  Make connections with various groups and market to a certain lifestyle interest -- artists, or environmentalists or international students or whatever -- there's a lot of turnover with students, but if you set yourself up with a pipeline, it's much easier to fill vacancies from the same interest group.  @Michaela G. in Atlanta has a community of duplexes, rented individually but all to various creative types (artists, musicians, etc) and the land between the buildings is intentionally meant to be common community space.  As @Lydron P Aguillera said, set up the property so that the common areas pull the tenants together, and you might be onto something that works well long term.

  • Investor · Toronto, ON · Member since 2017 · 35 posts · 14 votes
    8y
    @Anna Watkins Great minds think alike. I have a connection at an addiction recovery facility and am going to reach out next week to see if we can work together. Great advice. Really outside the box. Just what I'm looking for. Thx
  • Real Estate Broker · Detroit, MI · Member since 2014 · 384 posts · 149 votes
    8y

    @Andrew Cox reduce vacancy & collection by leasing to organizations not individuals directly.  Organizations with programs like Permanent Supportive Housing will lease from you to house their Program Participants.  They always pay on time and the occupants have Case Planners that visit monthly to make sure the property is clean and well maintained.  Also, the type of tenant should not hinder your efforts to re-fi.  PM is your need specifics.

  • Realtor · Windsor, Ontario · Member since 2016 · 55 posts · 54 votes
    8y

    @Andrew Cox I liked @Anna Watkins's idea as well to connect with groups that may rent the entire group home. 
    I am also wondering, do you think there would be any possibility of converting to a duplex or triplex? Would the layout be conducive for this? It would mean some capital outlay but it would be much easier to manage as a multifamily, you would be able to refinance, and it would be easier to sell when the time came as well. 

  • Investor · Toronto, ON · Member since 2017 · 35 posts · 14 votes
    8y

    @cassidy logsdon

    Regarding the groups that would rent the whole house I looked into it breifly and didn't come  up with any  plus I need grounds  to remove the existing tenants.  For the duplex idea, I suppose this would qualify as a major Reno which would be grounds for evicting the existing tenants. And yes, then refinancing is an option as opposed to a rooming house. Only problem is I would have to go into more debt to renovate. Although it will cost $10K for commission to sell and I could probably convert for around that cost.  Hmmm wheels are turning. Going to make some calls now. 😀

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.