All Forum Posts by: Jana Hristova

Bring the lease up. He is trying to intimidate you. 

I usually talk to the owners to suggest a one time credit. If they say yes, I will do it.

I never agree on rent abatement.

I recently had a tenant, who is also an attorney who tried to bully me into lowering the rent. First, he reported mold. I send my inspector and he didn't find anything. There was nothing wrong with the house, he just decided that he deserved lower rent. 

The tenant asked another attorney from his office to contact me because he wasn't getting anywhere. After that, the tenant stopped paying rent. I served him a notice and told him that I will evict him if he doesn't pay.

His lawyer called me and said that he is so rich that he doesn't care if he is evicted. I told her that if he is rich he needs to pay the rent. He did.

Airbnb told you not to call the police. I wonder why? I would consult an attorney about Airbnb responsibility in this case. How are they screening the guests? I think you should find out how these guys got into your house. 

I have nothing against Airnbn but the liability that the host takes on should be compensated. In most cases, it's not. 

@David Weintraub I don't have a problem with that as long as I get paid.

@Bobby H. I learn something new every day.:)

We use Rently lockboxes which makes the property available 24/7.  We have never had an issue and if we ever do we will cover any damages for the owner. Rently makes it very easy for tenants to view, apply for a property and also allows us to screen tenants in advance because they can't get in without credit card and ID.  Rently is not cheap but if you have more properties it's very efficient way to show and rent. 

For the properties that are still occupied, we do open house every week until we rent it. Also, we started doing video tours of the property so interested people can view the property virtually. 

This works for us, it probably wouldn't work for all properties in all areas.

@Brad E. Brad, call them right after they see the property. That's the only way you will know for sure. 

Why don't you ask the people who submitted the questionnaires the same question? Ask them what they think of the condition or the price and how does it compare to similar listings. Most people will tell you.

@KimBecker 

http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/Real-...

I also found this article which seems to agree with your way of thinking. 

http://www.floridaleagueofcities.com/docs/default-source/Advocacy/Issue-Briefs-Talking-Points/2017-ib---short-term-rentals.pdf?sfvrsn=10

@Chris Seveney I think about that moment a lot and it's very scary.

The other issue is how legal is Airbnb in your city? In our area, less than 30 days rentals are not allowed. Recently an Airbnb operator was fined $25,000.  If you are taking a risk you should be compensated.  

My experience is that a tenant like that wouldn't change but it will be your PM's job to decide what to do. Usually, when a tenant can barely afford the rent they start making requests and complaints. When I see this happening I  have a talk with them and I ask what the real issue is, 90 percent of the time is money, the rent is too high for them. If that's the case, I feel it benefits everyone to arrange for them to leave on good terms if they cooperate with showing the property and keeping it in good condition. Again that will be your PM's call. As Michell Fischer said, let them do their job, if they are good, they will take care of it.

Initial screening and correct pricing is the key to good tenants and easy management. As simple as this sounds, it took me 12 years to learn this lesson. :)