All Forum Posts by: Julie Hartman

Technically, with no written lease, you have to give her a 21 day notice. If she's taking care of the property and she's simply stuck in between her dead beat BF and her soon-to-be-new-landlord, why not talk with her about it? See if she wants to stay and if she would qualify for the rent. If she's not receptive, let her know the process ahead of her for eviction and proceed with that.  

Did you get any feedback from the prospects who have already viewed the units? They may be able to clue you in as to why they weren't ultimately interested in submitting an application. Failing that, it may simply be a case of priced too high for the size, etc. Our market here is quite brisk, so we will usually show a unit 2-4 times before signing a lease. Having a property go past 4 weeks without a contract is a rarity. Good luck!

There are many variables involved that we don't know. Is the rental demand strong in your location? What is the inventory of available units in the area? Are you priced well? Did you take good photos? Are your units comparable with regard to features and amenities? If the market is strong and you are priced well, then it shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks to get a signed contract. Run a Rentometer for them and check available inventory in your area. Have someone look at your ads with a critical eye and make necessary changes. 

Wait what? They require the landlord to "allow" subleasing but they require landlord permission? Aren't those two things in direct conflict with one another? I can't imagine owning property where I am not in full control of how it is handled.  

You need to read the habitability laws for Texas in order to figure out how to proceed. Here, we are required to provide hot water - not just water. You may be forced to take other measures for your tenant unless landlords were miraculously granted a break under the current circumstances down there. 

Was there a written lease originally and they are now rolled over to month to month? Or are they month to month without a written lease. If they had a written lease then you will need to follow that for the notification period. If they don't have a written lease, the notice is 21 days. Honestly, I would just give them 30 days notice that you plan to have them all sign your new lease agreement which will include an increase. If they are all good tenants, hopefully they stick around. 

That wouldn't make any sense. A landlord needs to be able to run a full background check on anyone occupying the property. Allowing a tenant to assign a lease would negate that right. However, with all the strange new "rules" being forced upon landlords, it wouldn't shock me if this is being implemented somewhere. 

I would advertise it as "$1200, utilities included"; then specify on the lease which utilities you are including. When you phone screen/verify them, the 3x rent should be the $1200 since that's what they need to be able to pay you every month. If they can't afford the utilities along with rent, there is no point giving them an application. When doing comps in Rentometer, use the $1000 since that is the actual base rent. I am sure others will give you a different answer but that's how I would do it. 

I would send him notice per the lease notification terms that you will be entering the property. Once you go inside, take photos of anything left behind as well as damages. Then you will need to follow the laws of your state for abandoned property. You may be required to store his stuff for a while but will be able to charge him for it. You will most likely be sending this to collections. 

Prior to offering a renewal, we do a property inspection to make sure we still want to continue renting to the tenant. We don't charge for the inspection but we charge the owner a small fee for renewing the tenant. The fee is for the work involved with the process. We don't run credit again or any of that as long as the tenant is still paying on time without difficulty.