All Forum Posts by: Charley C.

In Texas, about $125 a foot (if its without too much complication on the land development phase) . Interested in seeing how much in Mass

I honestly have no real issue when there is a clear need for an ESA dog as when the tenant goes to a real health care provider in person. Responsibly treating a condition. That shows a good character

What alarms me about someone who goes to a scammer website,  is its the only way they solely treat a medical condition? horse hockey. Not a good character sign.

That ESA person is possible a scammer too. Its says a lot about their pattern of behavior and the way they are willing to lie and abuse the people they do business with (you and me). 

Funny thing, (I often participate with other realtors to rent my stuff) the lions share of the ESA/cons are brought by them. Go figure

Months back, I did talk to a lawyer and he gave me good advice, that was like $200 and he did not draw up an agreement in that price. 

To no avail, I looked for an effective promulgated legally written ESA policy to publish or attached to the lease for forthcoming tenants. TAR, TAA (that's the Texas apartment association who should be most vested in the issue), HAR none of them put good details on what constitutes the ESA requirement. 

Really want something to tell them to get a letter where they are diagnosed "in person" by a healthcare professional. For me to say it and enforce it, still leaves me exposed to legal cost whether I win or loose. 

I seen lawyers use their practices to draw up and promulgate medical and dental forms for doctors to have their patients sign. So why not for landlords? I see a real good opportunity for a lawyer that wants to build their practice filling the void that our lazy ineffective trade association(s) have left us with 

A builder will need about $130 to $140 a foot to build you something with all tile floors, custom cabinets, granite counters etc

yes tear down that old stuff, the benefit about tearing down, is the out come and more certainty of cost. Tearing down is cheaper than what people think, Pretty sure your cost is are around $5-6,000 (used to cost me about $3500 in the 1990's) 

Small banks work with the kind of small Builders you need, find a local community bank, gets some names from them. Never give a down payment (may be a just small commencement fee if the builder signs a triparty agreement with the bank) the builder will get draws from you and the bank together. 

Your wiser if do not go forward with anything un-selected, paint color everything. No special ordered materials. THEN After so many days, make the builder pay your carrying cost (since he is the one holding things up, at that point, you did your duty on the front end.) Let YOUR engineer inspect the slab and the frame. Get  test on the concrete (let all these things be known up front) 

Good luck

@George Kyrtsis you might want to say what part of the country you live in, it will vary in cost. 

In Texas, when I build for someone,  with my product, your looking at around 125 a foot turn key. 
I usually don't build under 20,000 sf at a time so take that in to account.

That website has a lot of "no such things" quite possibly the lawyers ready to represent fakers, is one of them (them-no such things)

Great link for tenants to read by the way, thanks for that 

Adding adults under a roof, always raises the propensity for drama

You didn't choose her roommates, she did. Personally I would let them figure it out. And I would just be ready to eat some rent loss.

If you really want to do something another than stick to your guns and get involved:

1)  Let them find a new roommate but I would not let her off the lease guaranty even after the new room mate moves in. 

2)  let her buy her name off the lease for a lump sum (Don't accept a payment plan). Then pray the tenants left behind can find a new room mate.. get at least 2 or 3 full month rent

3) Offer a termination fee is a 60 day notice (given at the end of the month) and 2 months rent on top of the rent they pay for the 60 days. That gives you some time to find a new tenant with out taking a hit 

and #3 being is written on all my leases

@Costin I. that sounds like a solid plan forward. I really appreciate it. We will require that the documentation be required to indicate they were examined "in-person" . I highly doubt a HUD regulator would have a problem with that but still not out of the woods.

Interestingly, to the right on my screen while reading the BP post, is an ad for ESA dog certifications:

USServiceAnimals.org

By looking at their website, they indicate that they have attorneys that their customers can use to sick on the landlords for not accepting there non-in-person diagnosis. I really wonder. 

I guess everyone of us in the business are going get schooled in this arena 

I appreciate the very good explanation from both of you guys on how to handle ESA applicants but every now and then, they really do have a legal need for an ESA. My question and quagmire is really not landlord verse anyone. Its a tenant with an allergy verses the tenant with the ESA dog. Sounds like the ESA wins from your links and descriptions. Students with k9 allergies will have to afford a one bedroom apartment.  

I am leasing some bedrooms one at a time in my little apartment complex (college kids). Got one person who can not live under the same roof as a dog and she has a real doctor's letter from a local MD. I also had this jerk that wants to impose a dog on everybody and said its an ESA dog. She went so far as to get one of those internet phony silly certifications. The ESA girl hands me a letter from maybe a "doctor"? the Dr's phone number is to the web site, the acronyms of this foreign off shore doctor behind the name were many. None of the acronyms I recognized. Certainly not MD or PHD for that matter

Now the problem is gone for now, I explained if its found out that she is faking the need of the service dog, we would retroactively bill her for breaking the pet policy $100 a day, so in a year, that's $36,200 plus legal fees as a debt on her parents. I told her (and her parents) that while the deposit at that point was still refundable during the application process. They quickly cancelled and she's long gone. 

I know this will happen again. Who would of won in that dispute? the person with Allergies or the Mental patient with the ESA dog? So really if that was not a faker, what would of happened?