All Forum Posts by: Bob H.

Buy from a used appliance store and make the tenant responsible for any repair costs.

I don't rent single rooms to anybody, but with a room or a house, I don't like the idea of a tenant just submitting some report at the time of move-in. The landlord or landlord's representative need to be there to verify that the new tenant did not cause the damage or make something up. I once had a lazy property manager who, instead of doing a move-in inspection, just gave the tenant a form to return at some unknown time in the future. It was very unprofessional.

As for "work-order requests," a large part of being a landlord or a property manager is to figure out what a tenant's problem really is and what needs to be done about it. Tenants frequently don't understand what the problem is or report it accurately. Technology that encourages filling out yet another online form may sound appealing to people who spend all their time on Facebook, but having a conversation with the landlord is far preferable. A property manager with a large number of properties might like the idea of online requests, but I suspect they'll pile up in an inbox.

@Greg H. is right. If you are a responsible person with a small rental business, and if you have enough money that you are never going to find yourself without sufficient funds to refund a security deposit when it's due, then there's really no need to create a separate account. You might want to do that for accounting convenience, but you also can just put the money in whatever account draws the most interest. Where you put the money is not the tenant's business. See http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/texas-security-deposits-36234.html .

You should deduct not only the cost of paint but also the cost of having someone do the painting. I assume that your lease forbids painting without your permission or at least says that, to get the full security deposit back, the tenant must leave the property in the condition it was when the tenant moved in, except for normal wear and tear.

Consider OdoBan.

I would not want to be selling in December. If you must wait until then, consider offering a short-term lease. Typically you can charge more for those because so few are available. Occasionally you find people who are selling a house to buy another that is not yet ready or have some other short-term need. Then your current tenants are responsible for their rent until your short-term tenant starts paying.

I've noticed that you can use character entities, such as · for bullets.

A few answers:

I use Craigslist, Zillow, Trulia and, mainly for reference, my own website. To post to Zillow, you now must enter the listing through Postlets. Watch for duplicate photos when your new listing is merged with existing information on Zillow or Trulia.

Zillow gets the greatest response. Trulia is second and also takes the Postlets feed. Craigslist is fine and works better than it used to because of the map view. I've never seen a need for MLS on a lease. I also put a sign in the yard with the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, a phone number and the URL of my website.

It's important to be very responsive. If I get email late at night, I reply by email and promise to call the next day. During the day, I call and email. After an initial conversation, if the person is interested, I email copies of the application and acceptance criteria.

To avoid vacancy and attract people who plan ahead, I always advertise well before the current tenants are moving out -- up to 60 days ahead. Because tenants have to give long notices elsewhere, I want to have a new lease signed a month or more before it starts. This doesn't always work, but it often does. This week I will have only a one-day vacancy between great tenants of 18 months and a new tenant who is moving in.

If I do have a vacancy, I try to show it at all reasonable daylight times that a seemingly good prospect wants to see it. If the property is occupied, I try not to interrupt the current tenants too much. I group prospects into consecutive 20-minute time slots in a one- or two-hour period on a weekend, preferably Sunday afternoon to include people who are looking on Saturday. If that doesn't work -- perhaps for someone from out of town who is in the area for just a few days -- I schedule a showing on a weekday.

I don't expect people to fill out an application on the spot. I ask for rental and employment history, and people need time to look up addresses and phone numbers. The application includes a form authorizing landlords and employers to release information to me.

I give a copy of the application and the acceptance criteria to every adult who comes to the property -- to avoid being accused of discriminating by selectively giving out information. I also like to give out a sales-style information sheet with pictures of the house, basically a copy of my website listing. I think it's good for people to leave with something tangible that will help them remember the house.

If I get an application, I first look at it to see if the applicant can afford the rent. If so, I call previous landlords first. If that looks good, I call employers and get a screening report from the service I use, National Tenant Network. I don't promise first-come, first-served processing of applications. I promptly turn down someone who is clearly not qualified, but those applications are rare because people see the acceptance criteria. For a marginal applicant, I go slow while hoping to get someone better. I refund the fee if I never request a screening report. For a good applicant, I process the application as soon as possible. It typically takes two weekdays. If I accept the applicant, I send a lease and get back a signed lease and deposit. I make first month's rent due at the time of move-in.

This might not help with your current situation, but you certainly can limit the number of unrelated adults. See the Fort Collins, Colorado, law at http://www.fcgov.com/neighborhoodservices/occupanc... .

And, as others have noted, you could get two librarians or interior designers who are at the opposite end of the spectrum from your frat house types.

Don't publish the rental criteria on your website. The list might become an invitation for tenant-advocacy groups to find a way to attack your business with some kind of discrimination complaint. You could discourage bad applicants by emailing an application and a list of acceptance criteria to everyone who wants to see a property. The give them hard copies when they do see the house.

In your purchase deal, specify that the seller may not enter into any agreement with the tenants without your approval. You don't want a tenant-friendly seller signing a year lease right before you get the property.