All Forum Posts by: Renee R.

I'm rehabbing one of my units and trying to decide whether to go with hardwood or carpeting for living room floor. Weighing cost of hardwood vs less expensive carpeting. I'm thinking people prefer hardwood, but carpeting is so much cheaper to replace if damaged. I need help on what I should be considering when making the choice. Unit rents for $1,500/mo and I prefer to attract higher-end tenants. Advice? Thoughts? Experience?

@Jimmy S. I'm in the same boat and am looking into www.rentrecoveryservice.com. They do either a flat fee or contingency, your choice. And, you can change over from flat fee to contingency if you want. They will also submit to the credit bureaus (but you have to have the tenant's SSN to do that). I think I read on their website that they use NCOA so you can continue to have the notices sent to their new addresses when they move. 

I doubt I'll ever get my back rent and damages back either, but I figure if they ever get their lives back on track or they win the lottery :-) I'll be in line to collect. It also puts them on notice that they can't do this to other landlords and get away with it without being dogged. With the problems they have, any landlord doing a criminal or credit background check on these low-lifes won't touch them. Sadly, the landlord I inherited these tenants from didn't do those checks and I got burned because of it.

Based on my recent 'lessons learned', I would suggest that you make sure to get the application from the seller and, if it does not have the tenant's SSN and DOB, try to have your tenant complete a registration form immediately after you close to get that information. Reason: If you ever have to evict them and want to recover unpaid rent in small claims court, you may have to have their DOB in order for the sheriff to serve them. (Not so with L/T Writs). This recommendation is based on my experience with NH law and process, so your state may be different. And, if you want to report them to the credit bureaus, you must have their SSN.

@Justen Ashcraft. I'm interested to hear how this turns out. This week, the sheriff's dept will be sending two deputies to serve the writ of possession on one of my properties—my first time. NH state law says I have to take care of their property for 7 days, so I don't plan to have anyone to move their junk out while the sheriff's are there. I'll be moving the stuff into a short-term storage facility. Because of their violent history and arrests, I don't want to have to go back to the unit to let these low-lifes back in to pack and move.

Here's what I have. 

Pests. The Tenant acknowledges that the Landlord has inspected the Premises and is aware of no rodents, bedbugs, or other infestations. The Tenant shall ensure that all personal property brought onto the Premises are pest free. The Tenant shall maintain reasonably proper housekeeping and cleanliness to avoid pest infestation. The Tenant shall notify the Landlord immediately of any pest infestation and cooperate with all necessary pest control efforts. If pest remediation is needed, the Tenant shall comply with proper preparation for treatment and prevention. The Landlord will not be held liable for any damages or loss of personal property as a result of a pest infestation or remediation.

Make sure you check your state laws regarding bed bugs. In NH, you can make them pay for remediation only if you can prove there has not been a bed bug issue in all adjacent units for the past 6 months and that their unit was bug free when they moved in.

Has anyone used a rent collection agency that you would recommend for or against?

I'm looking for a new handyman for my duplex in Concord, NH. Does anyone know of anyone reliable?

Thanks, Ann. I've heard of him. If my clients don't vacate and I have to take this to the next step, I'll give him a call--and will tell him you sent me! Thanks again!

@Ann Bellamy and @Greg S Thanks for confirming I'm doing the right thing. Makes sense since they're asking the landlord to attest the delivery with such detail, that is all they require. I've also been taking a pic of the notice taped to the door as well, but I haven't done the newspaper thing yet.

@Christina H. Yes, I've got all that and have served the three previous Demand for Rent and Eviction Notices. Tenant has always cured. We're on the fourth one now, so it's at a different level and I want a lawyer to assist should this go to court. It's my first and I don't want to flub it.