All Forum Posts by: Alecia Loveless

@Jacques Caspi I’d like to see a range of benefits that you could potentially earn points towards.

A credit towards BPConn

A book credit

A credit towards your pro membership.

This way people like me who have already bought most of the books might earn $25 off their pro membership.

@Kyle Schreur My parents owned a 12 unit apartment complex when I was growing up.

The utilities were not separated and upon analysis my Dad felt that especially the water bill was super high.

He ended up taking the bills and dividing them into 15 parts. He billed each tenant 1 part (12) and he paid 3 parts. That way the tenants had skin in the game and they also knew he had skin in the game as he was paying 3 parts.

He saw the bills start to drop dramatically especially the water bill.

@Tina Lee If you’re getting a higher rent I would consider the backsplash. $500 is probably cheap money for the upgrade.

I have very nice units that rent on the high end of market value but a backsplash is not a standard option in our area so we don’t do it.

@Kim Huynh I have several tenants that pay twice a month and one that pays weekly.

It’s not an ideal situation but for the most part my tenants are otherwise good tenants.

If you want to go to court over this feel free to try.

My suggestion would be to ask them what payment schedule works best for them twice a month and then I’d write it into an addendum to the lease with larger late payments as allowable by your local laws.

And if you give them a grace period on starting the late fees I’d make it 2 or 3 days not the 5 day period that is more standard.

Then if they are late beyond any grace period serve them the appropriate paperwork to start the eviction process.

In New Hampshire where I live there is a 3 strike policy that on the 3rd time in 12 months that you have to go through the paperwork it’s pretty much an automatic eviction.

@Heath D Wallace In my area all kitchen appliances are included and depending on the area sometimes the W/D.

@Kelsey Vander Meulen We bought a quality hot tub 30 years ago for our B&B. It was regularly (4 days per week) used at least 5 times a day.

It lasted us 10 years and the subsequent owner another 5.

Buy quality the first time and your stuff will last years.

I would be embarrassed to have an inflatable hot tub at my nice STR.

@Shea Gajewski Find the most nit picky, thorough, excessive home inspector you can. Don’t just settle for any old inspector.

There is a world of difference between a great inspector and an average one.

Learned a $60,000 lesson this way on my first house.

@Maxwell Servais you could also consider adding a conjoined hot water holding tank. This would keep 2X the stored hot water for usage.

Personally I’ve got 1 tenant in my 8 unit building that occasionally complains that the water isn’t hot. The other 7 units don’t complain.

Some people just like to complain.

10 minutes seems like long enough for most people to take a shower. I wouldn’t think your tenant should be washing the dog all that often and if they are I’d have to wonder why.

@Tom Grieshammer it’s likely not worth it to buy in a bad area. Location is the one thing you can’t change about a property and it’s one of the most important factors.

@Logan Beckner if they’re otherwise good tenants I’d probably make the reduction in the rent. It will likely be cheaper than putting them up in a hotel.