All Forum Posts by: Bailey A.

 Yah, sending the photo was a newbie mistake. She continued to say she didn't have a cat and I let my pride get the best of me. I've learned there are much better ways of handling it now.

 I agree, I will need to step up my inspection game and make some extra provisions to my next lease. Thankfully she only has two more months left on her lease. Can't say how glad I am to have this platform. When she started making her claims (even though I've read the law/lease twofold) my heart dropped. First time for everything I guess!

 Thank you for the advice Nathan, I appreciate it! This is only my second property and at the end of the day I didn't do good on me end with due diligence. I'll be making some changes in the future. Third time is a charm!

I agree, I've contacted one and I'm waiting to hear back. I definitely won't be sharing much info. Gotta love the learning curve.

Hi All,

I currently have a tenant (in TX) who is claiming her privacy was violated along with the Landlord-Tenant Laws. I notified her on 10/11 that pest control would be coming to the property on 10/13. She responded "Outside Only" which I took as she's only seen bugs on the outside perimeter. Upon entry, the guy discovered a cat which is her second violation of the lease (along with smoking). He took pictures and sent them to me at my request. Now she is claiming her rights were violated because she didn't give permission and someone took photos of "her private space". Of course it has nothing to do with the fact that she got caught red handed (insert eye roll here). 

Am I legally obligated to give her the companies info? My gut says absolutely not but I want to make sure I'm in the right.

I can EASILY see now why landlords get made out to be the devil. There is no reasoning with some people. 

@Wesley W.

Thanks Wesley. I’ll keep the test strips in my back pocket, great advice. I do see now why month to month leases can be attractive. It certainly has me thinking differently about being locked in.

@Melanie Thomas

Thanks for the advice! I hadn’t heard of a Notice to Cure before this post (it’s only my second property and my first tenant is a dream). Very helpful.

@Galen Ikonomov

Thanks for the advice! She was actually late for the third month of rent. Not off to a great start! She ended up paying on the 4th which included a late fee which she was very vocal about. It’s surprising how quickly tenants can forget what they agreed to.

Hi Everyone,

I currently have a tenant who is smoking on the property. She accidentally gave herself up on a phone call. The lease states no smoking is permitted in or on the premises. She also stated on her application that she was a non-smoker. Clearly this a breach of contract. She only has 3 months left in her lease (we signed a 6 month lease). For those of you familiar with TX law, am I obligated to tell her she violated the lease or can I let it ride until she moves out and keep quiet about it? Also, do I have to do any repairs (that aren't considered an emergency) if she is in violation? Any advice would help. 

Hi There,

I'm in the process of sifting through applicants and had a quick question. When going by the industry standard of income needing to be 3x the amount of rent, do you look at gross or net amount?