All Forum Posts by: Alyssa K.

@Mike McCarthy not a bad idea, and true, thanks! Normally I wouldn’t worry about something so trivial, but I’m still in my first year (3 properties) and establishing my systems, so when an issue comes up I take it as an opportunity to build it into my systems, and want to make sure I’m always doing so ethically and responsibly.

@Eric C. No additional cost other than the waste of my time. However as I’m new to this, 1 year in 3 properties thus far, and am self managing, I was curious if other landlords charge a standard rate for their time; for example if during move out you have to mow the lawn, and do so yourself rather than hire a company, do you keep a fee from the security deposit reflective of what your time is worth, the job itself typically pays, or only charge for materials/parts/gas?

For this situation I sent written notice of the lease violation and warned that in the future a $50 fee would incur.

@Nathan G. This is the route I decided to go, gave a written warning, and stated next time would result in a $50 fine. This will be written into the lease in the future as well.

@Kenneth Garrett That’s a good way of looking at it, and why I’m wondering what I can reasonably charge for the inconvenience. However how I value my time vs how a tenant values my time vs a judge; it’s all relative. I was disappointed to find my lease states a rule without a consequence, I’ll certainly change that moving forward.

Perhaps I need to check how I have mine set up, but Cozy charged me $3 per payment (express pay). The $3 for rent is passed along to the renter (built in), however if they make multiple payments then I’m being charge an additional $3 for each payment they make that isn’t built in to the rent price.

@Chase Gochnauer $3 additional for each payment when you have express pay.

@Jason D. I have the $50 late fee in place as well, and I wouldn’t normally care about the multiple payments, except for the additional processing charge. It’s only $3, but still comes off my bottom line, so I don’t want it to become a habit. They’ve also shown I’ll need to follow the lease to the letter, always seem to be looking for a loophole, so I’m nervous to let the “rent must be made in one payment” stipulation slide, since it’s expressly stated in the lease.

@Greg Scott Definitely glad they paid in full at least. Unfortunately they are “give an inch take a mile” kind of tenants, so I’m having to do everything to the exact letter of the lease with them. I’ve thankfully never had to be so strict with past tenants, but I’m still relatively new to this. Didn’t know if there was a standard rate other landlords charge for their time. For example, during move out, if you were to have to clean/do yard maintenance yourself, would you charge an hourly rate for your time, or only charge for materials/parts?

The lease states tenant is required to pay rent in one payment. Made one small payment ($400), ignored email stating that partial payments are not allowed per lease and to please cancel the payment (Cozy doesn’t give landlord option to do it on my end), and made remainder of payment ($1350) 2 days later. The processing fee is only an additional $3, however as these tenants have been a royal PITA thus far, and it’s increasingly apparent they will need to be continuously trained, I’d like to charge a fee for them breaking this rule in the lease; however the lease doesn’t state a consequence or fee for paying in multiple payments. TAR Lease, page 2, section 5 D. Would it be reasonable, and allowable, to charge a $50 administration fee to ensure the lesson sticks and remediate my wasted time?

Bought a flip with a lot, and I mean A LOT, of Star Trek memorabilia. All new in boxes, many collectibles/limited editions, and autographed items from virtually the entire original cast. Anyone have a contact for an estate seller, collector, business or individual that you think would be interested in buying the collection at a discount? Or an appraiser that would be able to give me an idea of what it’s worth? Central Texas.

@Matthew Paul Texas. I'll certainly look into that. With it being a rural area, there are trailers near the area, so I don't think zoning will help; but it won't hurt the check! The prior restrictions prevent from adding a trailer/metal building etc., but the HOA has been dissolved for over a decade. I'm mainly wondering if neighbors can collectively come together to enforce restrictions and prove fruitful, or if the restrictions and any way of being able to enforce them died with the HOA.