All Forum Posts by: Chris Jakubicek

Melanie Stephens I bought a SFR to BRRR. I was showing another rental to an older man. He told me how he and his wife have been separated for 20 years and they had decided to get back together to raise their three young grandkids. I told him about the house I had just bought. We went to look at it and he told me his son was an excellent carpenter and they could do all the work if I would rent it to him and his wife at a reduced rate. Of course I was to buy all the materials. My first mistake was trusting him and letting him and his wife pick out some of the flooring and paint colors that they wanted. Long story short, after several thousand dollars and several months they finally finished and moved in. They did a terrible job on everything they replaced. From Sheetrock to flooring, it all looked like crap. I decided I would just let them live there and fix it correctly after they moved out. I had all the utilities in my name during the renovation and they were supposed to switch them over once they moved in. After two months they still weren't switched over. I called and set them for disconnection in three days and then I called and told him. He pleaded with me to give them more time but I stood firm. After all, it was summer in Texas and the electric bill was high. They lived there about two years. One day he told his wife he was going to get a tire for their van and never came back. The wife had no income and 3 young grandkids under 6 years old that she was raising. I finally had to evict them and the poor woman came to court on December 20th, 5 days before Christmas. She was so upset and was crying but I couldn't let her and her grandkids live there for free. I agreed to give them 6 weeks to move and they were out the end of January. Things I learned from this? Don't let a tenant work on your property and don't get too caught up in their personal lives.

@Khristopher Kyle Garay

@Khristopher Kyle Garay

To “navigate the issue with as little stress as possible” I would give the landlord a 30 day notice and find another place to live. The longer you stay the more likely you are to develop health issues from it. If the stench is that bad I don’t know how you’ve stayed this long.

@Zach Quick

I replied with a link but it got removed by an admin. You can probably google it for more information.

Has anyone ever heard of or invested in Automated Storage? Evidently they buy mismanaged and underperforming self storage facilities and restructure them. The minimum investment is $10k and when it’s sold you get your investment back and a share of the profit. I got an email from them and checked out their website but can’t find anymore information on it.

I use cash app and Rentpayment. With Rentpayment a receipt is emailed to me the moment the tenant makes a payment. It also allows you to take payments over the phone. It takes about 3 business days for the money to hit my bank account. I've used it about 4 years and it works great!

I have a tenant that complained for months that there must be oil in her water lines because she cleans her bathtub and it keeps getting dirty again.

Same tenant complained that her air conditioner wasn’t working because she had the thermostat set on 70 and it wouldn’t get below 72. It was summer in Texas and about 106 degrees outside.

Some people live for conflict and have to have drama constantly going on in their lives. This guy sounds like a freeloader so I doubt he can afford an attorney. You're taking the right approach by getting a survey and then building the fence. If he vandalizes the fence then you can file charges and maybe he will mind his own business. Good luck!

I don't allow aggressive breeds in any of my units whether it's an apartment or SFR. I only allow small dogs and I'm reluctant to allow them. When they do have pets I collect a non-refundable deposit that will cover cleaning the carpets when they move out.

Check out Rentpayment.com. I've used it a few years now and haven't had any issues. I get an emailed receipt the moment the payment is made and it deposits in my bank in 3 days. 90% of my tenants love it. The other 10% don't trust the internet and still insist on writing checks.

If I'm reading correctly, a formal eviction was never filed so there's no record of an eviction. It sounds like he only wants you to hear his side of the story since he hasn't responded with his previous landlord's contact info. I wouldn't rent to him. I'm currently in an eviction with an inherited tenant. On his application he disclosed that he was evicted at his last apartment. He was two months behind when I took over and I gave him a chance to continue living there. The bad thing is he seems like a nice guy with good intentions. He just lacks on the follow through.