All Forum Posts by: Irina Belkofer

If you have separated meters for each unit - you definitely Shiite Bill tenants for the utilities.

When people live long time in the house, they understand that dome terms will change with a new owner.

Who told you that?!?
What state are you operating?
Filters get changed every 3-4 month but before winter and summer it’s tye must.

I change the filter once a year because most tenants would rather breathe dirty air than spend $10. Furnaces working without changing filters still keep working just less efficiently - tenant pays more for heating/cooling.

Well, my HVAC guy comes only once a year to service the furnace and A/C and everything working fine 

If you’re visiting your rentals every month - I see how the lint and leaves are not so big deal then. You’re disregarding privacy of your tenants big time. It’s abuse of power.

I treat Tenant just like I'd like to be treated if I were renting. The last thing I’d like to someone would be inspecting my dryer every couple weeks.

I do supervise contractors in the sense nothing of belongings of my tenants would be broken, however, I don’t look around - it’s their home and they pay for living there. Respect the privacy.

Once a year I go there to replace the furnace filter and sometimes if something is not working....still, I go straight where I have to and don’t inspect whole house. 

As for leaves - it won’t hurt grass as much as your relationship with the tenant.

This is relationship business - BUSINESS first of all. Losing money because you can’t get your priorities is not smart.

If you won’t rent the house for a month- it’s a lot of money to lose: heating Bill, electric while holding, taxes, insurance and definitely repairs between tenants. All that because lint is not cleaned or grass potentially might be not so green?

 This is the major consideration.

You can’t evict him because you think he doesn’t do proper yard maintenance but even if you give him 30 days notice and he moves out - what are you going to do? Is it easy to replace a tenant in Chicago in November? Vacancy, repairs etc and you don’t know if the next tenants will be the way you want them to.

In my lease it’s tenant responsibility to do yard work but I don’t go around to check if it’s up to my standards. I have no idea how you inspect the dryer: you’re going to the tenants house every day? Or week? What if he clean the lint before he starts the laundry?!?

If leaves are a problem, the city Indpector will stick the note on their front door. If they don’t comply - they’ll pay these $200. If city doesn’t mind why should you? It’s your property but their home. It annoys me even to read these.....or you might have just one rental and too much time on your hands to enforce every little bit of your contract.

 I don’t but people do
You have to go to a local REIA - so real people would show the whole process.

There is more than one way to do this

You can use only your own credit card, not somebody else’s one.

I never take credit card payment as their application fees - only cash/check/CashApp 

You can tell them to apply through Zillow or other resources but they have to authorize use of them/c themselves - not you using their c/c.

Who asks for their credit card number?!?

You subscribe to a credit/background check company, they use your credit card.

Prospects pay you cash/check/Zelle/CashApp but not with credit card.

Their authorization to conduct credit/background check in their application  for  your rental.

I’d just tear up the lease right away - that’s nonsense.

Every lease have a statement that tenants seen the condition of the house and considered it satisfactory.

Do not let them move in - it’s better be empty rather than with such tenants with the attitude.

Correcting something means if something stopped working which did on the showing. Or some latent defects which couldn’t be seen unless someone lives there (toilet is running, microwave is broken etc)

Stained carpet was there and they’ve seen it - no repairs!
Actually, when people ask me about walk through in such manner - I answer that no improvements will be done - zero. 

If I want to fix something - I do it before I start showing. At the showing the house is in the marketable condition and they agree it fits their criteria by signing the lease.

I see much worse problems in future. Next.

Pet security deposit (refundable) $300-700 per a dog.

No cats. Absolutely.

Pet rent $25/mo per dog not more than 2.

Excellent tenants with great income, credit & background offered to keep one dog totally free.

Problems so far: after moving out, tenant left condo stinky and dog hair all over the walls. Tried to wash it off walls - no luck. Had to paint all house, twice as her security deposit. (Dog - golden retriever)

Another tenants dog has constant complains about barking, it's HOA and it's really a problem there. She's moving out next week and I don't want any dogs there - it's really get very heated conflict with neighbors

My friends dog bit little girl in her house(her parents dog sitter the dog - German Shepard. By the court decision the dog has to be killed, his insurance paid for the plastic surgeries etc. but he has ambrella coverage. If that happened in one of my rentals - I don’t have enough liability insurance.

Most of the cities around have list of prohibited breeds and one complain from the neiborhood- you’ll have to remove the dog if it’s acting aggressive and police was called on. 

So, when I screen the tenants, my preference is no pets. Despite that I love dogs and have one. 

I personally don't but HOA I have my units in, do use.

I know it’s possible and save lots of money to landlords.

For example, one water bill was $550 because Tenants haven’t heard the toilet leaking - Rent is $929 for that unit.

So, if the owner would have to pay water there - that would leave him in red for that month (there is HOA, insurance, taxes etc). Tenant paid for that and now he's watching more carefully all his plumbing devices.