All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

This is a small house that only rents for 600 a month, just advice is going to eat up a months profit. The pest control came last night and verified it is a SMALL mouse problem and not rats.

He told me they took all kinds of pictures and some of them appeared to be staged. He also said that they had all ready moved most of their things to their new house.

I think I may have a new tenant lined up so I may let them go at the end of the month but they are not getting the deposit back until all the utilites are paid up and I make sure there is no damage to the home I missed on the first inspection since this was a newly remodeled home with everything new inside when they moved in.

I knew as soon as I found out she had aquired a better paying job that was the reason for the sudden "huge rat infestation" so they could move to a nicer area.

I dont blame them for wanting to do better but they should be honest and do it the right way.

It looks like I have 35 days to remedy the pest problem to the tenants satisfaction and then they can move out without giving 30 days? Is anyone in California that can help me with this? I would think that since I called a professional company in a reasonable time frame they would be obligated to give the 30 days notice.

Also there is no way I can return the deposit until I make sure there is no hidden damage or to see if they paid all of the utilities bills up to date first. I will not tell them this until they have handed me the keys and vacated the property.

I have a young couple that has been in my home since last December, every quarter I do an inspection on the home to make sure everything is working etc. The first two inspections went well and the home was very clean. The home is one of the nicest homes on the street and is rented under market value for the area but the area is not great.

On Friday I get a call from them saying they are moving out due to rats in the house. I asked them when they noticed them and why no one told me before I get a notice they are moving. They stated about two weeks ago and they are running all over the house.

I was out of town so I went over on Sunday armed with about 120 dollars in rodent bait and supplies. I entered the home and looked everywhere and only found mice droppings in the laundry room. I put out bait everywhere including under the house and attic. I thought this would be good enough since I found little evidence of any mice or rats.

Now while I was in there I noted the brand new carpet had nasty stains everywhere and the hardwood floors looked like they had not been cleaned in a long time with stains on them. Today I get a notice to vacate the home on September 30th and they want all of their deposit back on that date. They hired a consumer advocate to help them and this is the letter I received from her below.

NOTICE IS HERBY GIVEN that because of the above dwelling’s condition and chosen remedy, substantially endangers the health and safety of the tenants and your failure to comply with your implied warranty of habitability by refusing to repair defects on the premises, in a proper and professional manger, as previously demanded of you, the undersigned tenant has elected to vacate the premises without penalty in accordance with California law.

A formal and final walk through is to take place on Sept 30, 2012 @ 3:30pm. The tenants will vacate the premises no later than September 30, 2012 by end of final walk through.

v The tenants waive their right to pro-rated rent reimbursement

v The tenants waive their right to reimbursement of property damage to personal belongings caused by rodent infestation and to relocation expenses.

It is expected that the tenants deposit will be refunded in full, due to zero damage beyond normal wear and tear to the property. Documentation is available for your review upon request.

It is requested, since the tenants are acting in good faith and waiving their legal rights, that the deposit be personally handed to tenants by end of final walk through on September 30, 2012 without prejudice.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this notice, feel free to contact me. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.

On behalf of the tenants, M & J, we extend our sincere thank you and success in your future endeavors.

Today I called a name brand pest control company to inspect the property and take care of the problem. My question is since I am properly taking care of the problem do they have to honor the 30 days notice in my rental agreement and the up to 21 days to return the deposit?

I have a suspicion that since the wife got a better paying job they just want to move out now to a nicer area and want the money back now to move and there is no huge infestation.

Please help me with this as I have never had this problem yet.

I have had two dog pee houses, I take 5 gallons of bleach and mix it with 5 gallons of water and flood the floors. If they are wood floors it gets vacuumed up in 30 minutes and aired out two days. We then seal the floors with two coats of OIL based sealer like Kills original.

In each case the smell is gone, I now look for stinky pee houses because they are cheap.

I check my houses every three months and its on my list to replace yearly, it's a small price to pay to know its done. You still have to replace batteries in hard wired detectors I have them in my personal residence. Don't forget carbon monoxide detectors are mandatory now too.

Do some research out here farmers use them to hold tarps down on their feed and nut piles. They also have electric plants that burn them and several companies that make rubber bark, tiles bricks and more from them. They will take them for free or may pay you for them if you find the right place.

You should have a clause I in your lease stating they are to notify you first for written approval for any repairs of modifications to the home. Also pest and weed control are the tenants responsibility for SFH in my contracts.

Simply sniff the bottom of the damaged cabinets and if they smell of urine kick them out and bill them for damages. Take pictures of the pet pads and carpets up against the cabinets, pictures or the dog and hire an outside flood damage company to check it out and verify its urine. Old water damage does not smell!

Our insurance would cancel us if we allowed Pit Bulls or several other breeds in our rentals. I have had bad experience with dogs in rentals so I don't allow them at all.

Any dog can very easy destroy your floors and sub floors by urinating on them and a deposit wont even come close to the damage. Once its in the wood or concrete there is no getting the smell out all you can do is tear a wood floor out or cover the floor with oil based sealer a couple times. I have purchased these type of homes cheap and know how to repair them and what it costs.

I had one home that needed new blinds, doors, trim, carpet and more from chewing.

There is my rant........

NO DOGS!

I have no problem waiting two weeks occasionally to bid on a home if it's at market value. The realtor told me the couple was not even interested in the extra garage and just wanted a home to live in.

Right now there are two new homes the same size for under 100K in a gated golf course community near my home. I am bidding on those right now, one has never been lived in and the other was occupied one year. In this area I can get a newer 3,000 square foot home for 160K or less. Now can you see why I am shocked by what they paid for a worn out 1940 house?