All Forum Posts by: Fawn Deitsch

@Sean Ploskina

Jennifer Barrington of Real Property Management Pros

She is EXCELLENT at screening tenants. I refer any rentals that come my way to her. I’m a real estate agent in the Warrenton/Haymarket area.

Looking forward to Wednesday! Can't wait to hear what Mr. Hopewell has to share.

Looking forward to meeting you all next Thursday! I'm the Realtor going over the market update. If you have a minute- let me know 

1. What specific counties/areas are you curious about? 

2. What type of investing are you pursuing?

3. Any specific questions you have, or information you would like?

Thanks! 

@Terrell Garren- every time I get annoyed about it, I remind myself of that... is my serenity really worth $244. No, Not. At. All. However, she did mention that she charges all of her tenants the same fees (and will continue to do, illegally, to the next tenant, and the next, and the next...). She also lied to me about owning only one property, when she wrote that she owns multiple properties in a text message to my son- which leads to the main point & which is probably why I am feeling like a mama-bear about this- I'm idly witnessing my 19 year-old-son getting ripped off on his first experience renting a place of his own. Grrrr. In the end, he will be the one who has to file a suit- and I have to decide whether or not to suck it up since we fronted him the deposit- or have him pay us back anyway- lesson learned (the latter being unlikely since he is working his butt off to put himself through college with minimal debt, a full-time job, and a lot of ramen noodles). 

@Matthew Paul-  she seems like a fiesty one. Not confident that would even work! 

Lease doesn't have any cleaning clause. Thanks for the tip @Ned Carey- I'll look into that. Probably not worth the hassle, but it would be a learning experience if we can find some affordable legal guidance!

@Russell Brazil Actually, we would be entitled to $1950 because she did not return the deposit in a timely manner + reasonable attorneys fees- at least that is what I understand from the attorney general's website. Nonetheless, I think I'll check out @Brandon L. 's recommendation to start, instead of going the traditional lawyer route. 

Thanks for the replies everyone- very helpful! @Brandon L. I will definitely check out legal shield. @Nicole Obregon I will have my son check his lease for something like this- thanks for the info. @Ray Slack She did not do a walk through. Also, she said she mailed the deposit, but the address was wrong and the envelope was returned to her- she is an absentee landlord living in FL. (This is a place my son was renting). It turns out, one of her text messages to him said she owns multiple properties in Maryland- which is not what she communicated to me when I spoke to her on the phone. It is all fishy to me- she also said my son gave her the wrong address- OR she wrote it wrong on the envelope- we have the text message to show the address was given to her correctly. I suppose we just need to check the lease for a cleaning clause. If there is not one- I am going to look into legal action. I really just want the $244 back- but she is not interested in negotiating. Maybe the threat of having to pay 3x's the deposit will be more convincing. 

Can a private, individual landlord (who only has 1 rental unit) deduct cleaning fees for normal wear-and-tear from a security deposit at the end of a lease? Deposit was $650. Interest accrued = $3.90 for a total of 653.90. Landlord is deducting $169 for carpet cleaning and additional $75 for regular cleaning fees. She says because she owns only one unit, certain landlord-tenant laws do not apply to her. She acknowledges that there was no damage to the apartment whatsoever. Also, the remaining deposit- which has been reduced to $409.90 is finally being returned well past the 45 days required. Would it be worth checking in with an attorney about this? If so, any recommendations? This is in the Baltimore area- Granville Rd., basement room & bathroom. Thanks for any help or info!

@Charles Huang

Just wanted to thank the organizers and presenters for the meet-up in Fairfax this morning (Northern Virginia Investor Networking). The topic was Transaction Analysis- specifically one data-driven strategy for narrowing your investment search to a particular area by looking home sale trends in various school districts and cross-checking that data with USPS carrier routes. Very clever! Also, one of the most practical and hands-on techniques I've learned at an investor meet-up. I am sure, even without access to the MLS, an investor could find a way to use this strategy. Looking forward to seeing what other topics are covered in the future!