All Forum Posts by: Bradley Bogdan

@Scott C. I'm curious if you'd feel comfortable PMing me how your tenants do it and if there's simple deterrents. My parents are considering coin-op units at their rentals and I would love to spare them some headache. 

@Will Barnard Its November, hopefully good news?

Oh, one more thing, depending on the locale, sometimes property management firms are able to handle an eviction on your behalf (thus avoiding a lawyer) and can do so very professionally at a cheaper rate. Usually the biggest companies in town tend to have a lot of experience and the best rates, if its legal for them to provide those services in your area. 

Hey @Spencer OBrien , everything @Jon Holdman and @K. Marie Poe are saying is spot on. Eviction laws vary quite widely state to state and municipality to municipality, so don't assume what's legal (or reasonable) one place is legal in another. 

As for your tenant, I would speak to them in person. Due to your time crunch, I would consider a "cash for keys" approach, where you offer a payment to receive the keys back on X date and you're done. Its not an approach for those with a strict adherence to the moral high ground, but it can be very effective and quick. The other point I would mention is that they will automatically lose their Section 8 voucher if formally evicted, and let them know you have every intention of letting the local Housing Authority know that they were. Obviously, this won't encourage the less rational folks to move out, but hopefully you've got someone with a bit of sense. Cross your fingers that they just haven't moved out because they'd be homeless and haven't found another place rather than they're just vengeful and clueless. The former tend to be much more rational. 

Finally, SERIOUSLY consider someone to handle the eviction on your behalf if informal negotiations don't work. Its usually substantially cheaper than having to go through the process a second time if a judge thinks you've not done it properly the first time. 

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

Hi @Cordell M.

@Mike Hurney Its one of those things that won't be an issue with the large majority of tenants, but DCMA violations (the notices that copyright holders send your internet provider, who then in turn sends them to you) can be a serious issue if a tenant racks up a bunch under your name. Your internet provider can, in some cases, stop service all together if enough violations occur. Ultimately, your internet provider will hold you responsible since you're the one with the account, even if its a seedy tenant downloading a bunch of music and not you. Since it isn't easy for most people to set up a network to prevent much of that kind of thing, I wouldn't recommend any landlord here offer internet in their name. Too much liability and headache the first time you have a tenant who does such things. 

 He means that should someone do something illegal, your name is the one on the account, leaving you responsible when the legal notice comes in for someone downloading music or something of the sort. 

As I understand it, so long as you have a C/O and the inspection passed, you are good to move someone on a voucher in. HUD is very clear in their regs that a unit does NOT need to be up to code in the sense that that is not part of the inspection. Obviously, a lot of code related violations would also be safety flags for a Section 8 inspection, but the two don't always overlap. Ultimately, double check with your local PHA to be sure, but I'd put some money down on you getting the OK.

Alternately, you could not check with the PHA and move the tenant in, they don't have the ability to cancel paying rent if they OK the initial move in, and deem it still safe down the road when/if they find out it has outstanding permits. Sometimes its better to ask forgiveness than permission? YMMV

@Anja Brey In general, I would recommend against focusing on Section 8 in most Bay Area communities due to the financial issues pointed out here. Due to how rents are calculated (The simple explanation being on a 3 year rolling average, though it get much more complex than that), the rents will need to stop skyrocketing for Section 8 to catch up. The other issues, such as being below market rent due to renting a larger house to someone on a smaller voucher, or having a poor inspector, are either entirely avoidable or a low risk issue, especially if you're there in person for the inspection. 

Also, @Graham Mink , do you know the name of the program? I'm curious whether its a national program (or one funded by one of the normal national funding streams for permanent supportive housing) or just a local creation by your local non-profit/city/county gov't. Always looking to see what other communities do and how effective it is at housing the folks that otherwise tend to be homeless and cost us a ton of tax dollars.