All Forum Posts by: Ian S.

Thank you for the replies!

It is a group lease (all under a single lease).    Given the information above (and preferring not to get an expensive lawyer involved) how does this course of action sound:

Tell them that what they do with the former roommates possessions is up to them and I can not advise on this.

Ask them if they want to wait to add a new housemate to the lease, or simply remove the old housemate from the lease. I will try to contact the former housemate and indicate that he will be off the lease at the end of September.

Keep the damage deposit, and let the remaining tenants figure out how they want to settle it. (this is what I've done with previous tenant changes in this property - I just amended the names on the lease with no refund/request for new deposit)

Offer to change the locks if this is a concern for them, or for a new housemate. I would be willing to cover the costs of this as they are good tenants.

I’ve got a single-family rental in California rented to a small group. The “core” tenants have been there since 2022 and have never missed rent. One roommate has basically disappeared. The others are still paying in full and say they’re in touch with the person’s family/social, so not a welfare issue. The missing roommate’s stuff is still in the bedroom and there’s minor bathroom damage tied to them. I hold a normal security deposit.

The remaining tenants are deciding whether to:

Not replace the missing roommate and just keep paying as a smaller group (fine by me), or

Find a replacement for me/my PM (who helps me with tenant turns)  to screen (baseline: 650+ credit, steady job ~2 years, standard app + fee).

I’m looking for simple, practical steps (no legalese) other CA landlords use:

If they don’t replace: Do you just keep the same lease and add a short, plain-English note everyone signs (e.g., “we’re continuing with fewer people; rent and deposit stay the same”), or do you write up a whole new lease?

Belongings: Is it OK to have the remaining tenants box/label and store the missing roommate’s things in the garage (on-site, not thrown away) while I try to get a written move-out date? Anything I should say in writing before touching bedroom items?

Locks: If we get a text/email from the missing roommate saying they’re done and will pick up their stuff on X date, is that enough to change locks after pick-up? Or wait until the lease is updated/ended?

Deposit: If they don’t replace, I’m planning to keep the deposit as-is and sort out damages at the end of the tenancy. If they do replace, do you keep the deposit with me and have the incoming person pay the outgoing person their share directly? Any downsides?

If they do replace: What paperwork do you use that’s short and readable (something like a one-page “swap-in” add-on that says the new person is fully responsible from X date, and the old person isn’t after that)?

Any gotchas I’m missing when a roommate leaves mid-lease while rent is current?

Appreciate any real-world advice. Goal: keep it clean and fair without turning this into a legal marathon.

Thanks!

Hey BP,

AZ resident here, in town for the next week (then still in the U.S. with notary access through end of September). I’m looking for a practical, budget-friendly, one-stop setup:

What I need

• Revocable living trust (AZ law) for a married couple with 2 minor kids

• Deed prep + recording to move rentals into the trust across AZ, CA, NC, and AL

• Portfolio: 19 rentals total — 2 in CA, 1 in AZ, the rest split between NC and AL

• Several mortgaged properties (standard loans)

Nice to have

• Attorney licensed in AZ (bonus if also CA) and comfortable quarterbacking deed recordings in NC/AL via title partners

• Familiar with e-recording/remote notarization and keeping the process simple

If you are that attorney/firm (or have a first-hand referral in Tucson), please DM with:

• Approx flat fee for the trust package + per-deed pricing

• Earliest availability for a short intake call and a signing window in the next few weeks

• A simple intake checklist to get started

Thanks!

Hi all,
I have a long-term rental in California (Sonoma County) that’s rented by a group of roommates. They are up for renewal in July, and have said they want to renew for another year.  However, one of them reached out to give me a  heads-up that they may be getting married partway through the lease. If so, they’d want to move out and find someone to take over their spot in the house.

They’ve been solid tenants for a few years — always pay on time, no issues — so I’m open to being flexible. My thought is to allow it as long as:

• They give me at least 30 days’ written notice

• The replacement goes through my normal application and screening

• They remain fully responsible until the new person is approved by me and officially added to the lease

Anyone handled a similar situation? Is this a reasonable setup?

Appreciate any insights or lessons learned.

Thanks!

Hi, I got a voicemail out of the blue from a guy who says he owns a small storage locker and is doing  a reference check on my tenant to see if he pays his rent on time.  My tenant does indeed pay on time and he's a good tenant, but I thought it strange that the guy who called is just some guy, and not a company. I'm thinking I check with the tenant to see if it's a legit reference check, then provide the info.  Does that make sense? 

Hello, we are considering buying a single-family home in the Vail or Tanque Verde school districts. We don’t see a lot of Airbnb’s  right now, does anyone have any experience? Is this market underserved, or is there no interest as people prefer to be closer to downtown?  In this Market, is the number of rooms the most important thing, or is it amenities and acreage? 
thanks! 

Thanks for the feedback!  Santa Rosa mandates property managers must pass a course, be available 24/7, etc.  Not something we want to be responsible for so we are looking for a company to manage it for us. 

Hello,

Does anyone have a recommendation for a short term vacation rental property manager in the Sonoma County (Santa Rosa) area? I've checked out a few companies but most of them have pretty bad/scary reviews - maybe it's par for the course.  We've done a lot of long term rentals but just dipping our toe in the water for short term rental market.

Thanks!

Somehow missed this reply. Thank you so much, that's a great idea and we will steer our property manager in that direction. Glad your problem got resolved. 

Hi all! Thanks for all your help above.  Here is the update: We have found the problematic neighbor is a section 8 rental - BUT we can't find out the name of the people who are staying there (and the landlord is uncooperative) so we are unsure how to file a complaint, as the first step in the complaint process seems to be to know the name of the tenant.  Any further suggestions on how to proceed? Our tenant wants to move out and break her lease, but we feel we shouldn't allow this without some sort of penalty.