All Forum Posts by: Henry T.

Yes. Lying on an application is a breach of your contract. Your app should at the very least say so.  It can be grounds to evict or nullify the lease. Talk to an attorney. You did not do your due diligence. You need to check court records yourself. Don't believe a screening service.

Buy low sell high.

I always put a couple nail holes and anchor bolts in their car fender before they drive away. Nahhh, just kidding! It's to be expected within reason. Fill with joint compound and use your old paint for touch up.   I used to put in a couple picture nails before the move in, and or provide a box of picture hanging nails. Even more important if its old lath/plaster.  If you dont their lazy assk will use the first railroad spike they see. Be pro active. With renters its about idiot proofing.

The easiest. Remove the toilet and vanity. Put down a nice piece of sheet vinyl. Make sure your floor is solid and even first. If not, cut it all out and put down some strong sturdy plywood. Easy. 

I'm sorry in advance if I sound blunt or stern its how I work. But if I were you I would be making a immediate bee line back to the property (xmas or not) to figure what the heck happened and quickly make an assessment to get the property back in condition.

  We here don't know the details of the damage. Ceiling fell in? You mean the water was so heavy that it cracked the floor joists and the entire floor and basement ceiling fell in?, or the same with the 2nd floor? or did a sheetrock panel get soaked and fall? One is a big deal, the other is nothing.

If you have a property manager he should be handling all this while you enjoy your xmas. If you don't, you should get to it and be there now, that's your job as  landlord. If you have zero experience in construction, pay an experienced handyman a few hundred to make a quick assessment. Then get another opinion. Rent/buy a sump and get that water out.  Hopefully it aint all that bad. But you have to figure it out.

 I can't count how many times my friends have called to ask what to do about their leaky ice dispenser. My answer is always the same. Throw it away and get a normal fridge.   They're bad enough if you're a vigilant homeowner, but I would never leave one in the care of a renter. That's insane. Happy holidays!

Quote from @Matthew Drouin:

@Henry T. its like despite what these policy makers do, housing costs and homelessness sky rockets.

In NYS the HSTPA got passed.  Eviction costs surged and so landlords needed to increase rents to deal with vacancy and collection loss and increase their screening standards.

Then the eviction moratorium.  Landlords eventually evicted and then this units were trashed so they ungraded them and increased them up to market rents.

THEY are causing the problem

Government IS the problem.

Quote from @Giacomo Matthew Degl'Innocenti:

I very understand your speech but it's hard to believe the tenant has nowadays became invested of a far bigger responsibility than the landlord in making it possible to be having depicted an accurate profile also because is the landlord indeed who's on the business and receiving the money.

Thanks your intervening here though 

You're saying the tenant has the bigger responsibility??? You cannot be serious! The landlord is taking ALL OF THE RISK!!  He has millions of dollars invested in his property and must be extremely careful that he doesnt't rent it to a person who is a crazy failure. I have nothing but respect for landlords. They provide homes for people with much risk to themselves,  at a price that competes with thousands of other landlords, with no help from anybody.  Any person who can achieve property ownership, and then help others have a roof over their heads is a person worth high praise. 

Its been a long time since Ive done a room mate thing. But I know the best way to keep discipline is with clearly spelled out rules, on paper and signed.  

If you have rules in the lease such as furniture in shared spaces is fixed. No cameras allowed in common areas except that provided by landlord, garage agreement, and so forth, then I see no problem warning this guy to fix or quit.  Since you lived there as well, of course you have the right to come and go. You can just as well get married but say you'll be back someday keeping your right to come and go, no one should care, unless you've done a lease change about your space and that you are officially exiting.

If None of these supposedly agreed upon things are in a lease, then you may have a problem, and lack the grounds to enforce lease violations. Unless you have all the other roomies willing to back you up in a courtroom.

Regulations regarding eviction rules in regards to month-month or on fixed lease, you have to investigate for your state.

If you have the grounds to evict from official lease violations I'd have a sit down with the guy. Go quietly or be forced out and have an eviction on your record.