All Forum Posts by: Jonn Vidal

Whilst all credit cards and even most residential & commercial landlord companies (Blackstone, Spectrum, LeFrak, GE, ING, etc) report rent payments (or lack/lateness) each month to major credit bureaus, virtually no landlords do this in my experience, despite likewise laxing laws enforcing default; for example in NY it is now illegal to refuse to rent to an applicant just because everywhere they've ever lived, they've always ended up exiting via Eviction!

So for those who do still rent despite the phasing out of private ownership already in some states like NY, how do you encourage timeliness with recent legislature making late fees and even collections and evictions obsolete?

Do Landlord Credit Bureaus exist in US yet? If so does anyone here even report tenant payments and/or sometimes send tenants to Collections? or just rely on eventual eviction and write off the entire unpaid rent total even if its a year or 2 as now is the case with courts backed up so bad post-Covid?

Thanks guys!

HOA told me to ask landlord for rent credit for purchasing prepared meals duration of repairs, and that though they demo'd our kitchen, they are currently only in the 'bidding' process to rebuild.

So upon going back to landlord (an RE management co) saying HOA won't compensate either, landlord now says they received a complaint that someone is smoking on balcony, yelled 'shup up' to a neighbor, and that are required to have renter's insurance as part of lease, which would supposedly cover the loss of use of kitchen due to HOA repairing leaky plumbing in walls between unit above and below.

Asked them for a reference to the lease requirement for insurance and a copy of the warning since didn't get any nor notice the visitor who does vape actually do it on the balcony. But the timing of this alleged warning is quite suspect! Alas, time.. to start documenting every little interaction indeed!

*I should have mentioned it's a 2bed 2bath (and currently 0 kitchen) condo with tenancy & occupancy of 2. 

thanks John, Greg, et al!

Don't have renters insurance policy =( 

How can we find out the unit above's coverage? Since it's been listed for sale since at least last year, am worried its owners don't have a policy!

Sites like houzz (is that part of homeadvisors/angies? have remodel calcs

ie:

Remodel Calculator | Estimate Your House Remodeling Costs (remodelingcalculator.org)

What state? 

Seems some states (ie CA) still have evic moratorium extensions that protect lease expiration and even non-payment thru much of this year!

Don't NY tenants in default usually get a couple years rent-free due to the unofficial yet obvious phasing out of private ownership in that state?

Moved into condo rental fall 2021. Jan 2022 neighbors below left typewritten, signed letter that they have water damage from a leak above. HOA investigated, found leak is from the unit above us, not our unit. (Unit above us has always been for sale since we moved in, but there's people walking around up there daily.)

Anyways, last Friday HOA came and demolitioned kitchen saying they are replacing pipes and rotted wood between upstairs and downstairs units. They plugged in a huge noisy heater-fan thing into OUR electric which has been running continuously all weekend day and nite so far.

They also SEALED off  kitchen completely with opaque tarps, duct tape and zippers like a hazmat/quarantine scene! Whatever they are doing is heating up entire condo like an oven. Cannot see into the kitchen from condo, but saw all the cabinets, sink, everything outside near dumpster, and wall excavated so u can see into the (barren) kitchen from outside, and waters from our fridge lying around empty.They are not offering ANY compensation; referring to get renter's insurance, and say will be done in just a 'few' days more.

Spend over 120/day on bfast, lunch, dinner, beverages, snacks. Plus the electric bill may be a huge surprise next. Rent is $2100/mo. Lease is just a year, but don't have the funds to pay for moving, deposit, etc all over again so soon. Were planning to renew but at this rate may have to move due to artificial heat and no kitchen! Asked for any credit at least for food, but landlord, which is a corporation, refused.

What legal options exist in California? Lease does not address loss of use; how long does one have to be without any access to a kitchen for some sort of report to be filed? It does not appear they have any permit to have demo'd & hopefully replace the kitchen, yet that seems what they are doing!

Submit a written cash offer and the selling agent (who would also be my buying agent unless insufficient) replied saying that the offer is too low, it will sell above asking, and I need to fill out the Probate Addendum.

Listing doesn't even mention any probate/trust sale.

In CA isn't it required to disclose that type of sale up front?

Plus agent did not send me the Probate Addendum to fill out. Like I can just get a Probate Addendum somewhere??

Submit a cash offer and the selling agent (who would also be my buying agent unless unsufficient) replied saying that I need to fill out the Probate Addendum.

Listing doesn't even mention any probate/trust sale.

In CA isn't it required to disclose that type of sale up front? 

Plus agent did not send me the Probate Addendum to fill out.  Like I can just get a Probate Addendum somewhere??

Thx Eric & Bruce, u guys seem in on the latest; yea the offer was from late last year gosh does time fly.

So seems Zillow was just copying what other agents have been doing for decades: providing a full market value and lowballing a cash offer round half that in case seller just wants to liquidate immediately for whatever pressing reason!

What weren't prepared for is the mixed reaction as their income is mostly from outside agents - not sellers, as is latter the case with Redfin.

Wonder if Redfin is buying any?