All Forum Posts by: Richard F.

Aloha,

If the Tenant is in financial difficulty after only 8 months, and you "doubt" he can pay the rent, it seems like you may need to tighten up your screening process. In the meantime, provide the Tenant with contact info for filing Unemployment, and possibly any covid rental assistance programs that are still available in some areas.

Since the Holidays are not that far away, depending on your market, you may be better off to let him go early without penalty, just paying for days of occupancy and leaving the place clean.

You did not indicate your location, but in most areas, ANYTHING is cheaper and faster than eviction, BUT, you should still initiate the process at the earliest lawful date.

Aloha,

Typically you would want the SD, and, where allowed by local LL/Tenant laws, the "last month" rent to both match the current (new) rent amount. Normally this would all be done via a simple, single page addendum.

Aloha,

Who determined that the house at the end of the block caused the blockage? Was this based on video evidence?

It could just as easily be a city main issue, or, the entity that is responsible for the horizontal line from one unit to the next...HOA, or ? It could be a restriction in that main line that accumulated debris over time, such as roots or collapsing tile, from all of the units connected to it.

Regardless, I agree that you should have your insurance people dealing with your unit, along with the Renter's insurance to deal with their own personal property. Let them determine responsibility, and handle repairs. That is what they are paid for...

Aloha,

I am not familiar with the specifics of Oregon laws, however, in my opinion, Fair Housing MUST be a two way street. I do not believe the laws can require a LL to agree to the terms of the HAP contract. Have you read the 13 page contract? Fundamental contract law requires parties to have a "meeting of the minds", and duress or coercion would void any contract. Threats of a FH violation or other "source of income" statutes might cause duress to some.

These programs demand equal access, yet they, in my experience, are unable and unwilling to meet the most basic requirements that other prospective Tenants do. For example, it is customary to have a short time period to pay the Security Deposit, if not moving in right away. This may be 2 - 7 days or more depending on each LL's personal criteria. Similarly, it is customary to require move in, or at least, the start of rent charges, within a second time period. This could be 2 - 4 weeks, again depending on the LL, and, to an extent, the local market and seasonal timing. Lastly, it is heavily preached, even on these forums, to always collect SD and first rent, in good funds, before turning over keys/possession.

HAP programs simply do not work that way. There are lengthy delays at each step that extend the number of actual vacant days of lost rent you will never get back...long before you also experience lost rent from Tenants not paying their portion of the regular rent, or losing rent when they are terminated from the program while still occupying your property.

How can they require LL's to accept all applicants, while in the same breath telling you to make exceptions to your standard timing and payment deadlines (along with all of the additional conditions within the HAP contract itself)?

Aloha,

OK, I'm just going to throw this out there...

I remember an episode of the "Fixer Upper" show in Waco, where they were renovating a larger home and found major voids under it, also in an area where plumbing was located. They had a local engineer look at it and he stated it was some unique, but not uncommon in the area, construction technique. Sorry, I don't recall further details, and I've never seen anything like it, but you might check with a local structural engineer familiar with properties of that age, in that region.

Aloha,

See if utilities are still in Tenant name or if they are turned off. If off, take plenty of photos of conditions/property as left. If there is no good food in the refer, no prescriptions in the med cabinet, no toothbrush, no shoes, nothing with obvious value, all signs point to abandoned property. Check local law; check other contacts you may have from the Tenant application or other sources; make a decision if you want to store all of it for the lawful time required, or not.

Aloha,

You should absolutely ignore the Selling Agent's and Owners numbers, unless they are providing very complete financial reports to back them up. Research the area and comps on your own. If you have signed a separate Buyer's Agency agreement with an Agent, then they should be able to provide some solid information and stats to back it up. Be sure you understand who the "agent" is lawfully representing.

Aloha,

Accounting, by its nature, is expected to be accurate and precise. Unfortunately, the Accountants/Bookkeepers are mere humans, and very occasionally a mistake is made when they are handling perhaps many hundreds of payments and invoices monthly across multiple Client accounts. More often, it is the Vendor's that screw up, sending invoices months after work was done, and either forgetting to include, or simply recording, the wrong job address. Depending on the PM's process for approving payment, you may get a "routine" request for funds to pay it. If your PM is a "one man band", mistakes are far more likely. 

Start by simply speaking or emailing either the billing department of the Vendor, or the PM, and state that you believe it to be in error, and have them investigate and respond to you with their findings.

No legit PM will stay in business long trying to actually cheat their Clients, nor would they generally even risk losing their license by doing so. Sometimes however, they simply are in denial when their business is running downhill, and they make things worse. I have taken over management of multiple properties that were in that boat...two, three months behind in posting income and paying vendor invoices; lots of angry Tenants/Owners; usually takes many months to straighten out and often the Clients never get all of the money that had been collected on their behalf.

Aloha,

Adding a submeter is not terrible, around $1k here. The bigger issue is how are the actual electrical distribution circuits mapped out? Typically, one circuit will provide power to all/most of the ceiling lights per floor, while multiple separate circuits will power parts of several room's outlets. Of course kitchen and bath also have additional individual circuits for appliances and GFCI. Changing this distribution so power can be completely separated from one unit to the other can be very costly, and usually involves opening walls. This MUST be done by a licensed Electrician. 

Aloha,

It largely depends on how well, how long ago, and how thoroughly, the prior major AND minor repairs were done. Inaccessible plumbing and electrical, as well as hidden wood rot or termite damage can get very costly, very quickly when things go south... You can find romex tied onto knob and tube, behind a wall with no junction box; or cast iron waste lines corroding from the inside to a point where they have long splits leaking very slowly in your walls; or galvanized, and even lead, pipe sections in difficult locations; and of course the exterior supply and waste lines are often ignored until they can't be. All of these issues can cause a costly service call or worse.