All Forum Posts by: Kathleen Leary

I bought a crappy house that had been rented to crappy tenants for at least 25 years.  (Assorted horror stories available on request!) I spent a pretty fair amount of time, effort & money fixing it up to something I myself would live in. Overall, the property value has now doubled over what I initially put into it. It is NOT fancy/upscale, just safe, clean & attractive. My current rent is at the top of the scale for that size property & location; if it were a $500 rental, I'd be getting $500 tenants, which I prefer to avoid. But if your goal is to get the most money for the least effort (which a lot of people do!), go with a cheaper property, cheaper rent, minimal upgrades & take that cash to the bank.

Oooops! Sorry for the repeat.

All of the above are good advice. I would add that you should be careful not to overdo the renovation, looking at your overall ROI. It's easy to get carried away in a bathroom, but a C+ property doesn't warrant 15" marble tiles in the tub enclosure. That said, look at the big picture for yourself: as money permits, put in the most easy-care, long-lasting materials you can. Cutting down maintenance & replacement costs are vital going forward.

One wall in a living room has badly installed panelling - it buckles in the summer & pulls apart in the winter, leaving a big crack (O-L-D house - panels put up in the 70s, looks like). The plaster behind it is destroyed, naturally. I will be tearing out this wall & replacing it with drywall. I did texture it to match the rest of the room, but the movement of the panels make it a problem.

Short answer: if it's in good shape, paint it. If it's poorly installed or has other problems, it may be better in the long run to bite the bullet & fix it right.

I am on a well, myself - this summer has been pretty sulfur-y. It tends to show up during the hottest part of the summer & diminishes as the weather cools down. I don't really care; it's not harmful. But I'm not trying to rent the place, either . . . 

One thing to keep an eye on: if/when your well pump or activator switch starts to go out, sometimes it'll run non-stop. That A. destroys your pump even faster, B. stirs up all the water in your well, which can then become dirty/cloudy or "eggy." The actual temperature of the water can even increase because of the overheating pump. Hopefully, that's not the case, but it's something to be aware of. Just FYI!

Here, tenants' access to "services" may not be restricted. I would advise you double-check any local ordinances that may limit your actions in this circumstance.

However, I do stipulate the equipment must not be attached to the building (like a dish) & I am to be notified what & when such installation will take place. If possible, be there & let the installers know you're not allowing crappy work. Otherwise, you'll end up with a leaky roof - I know from experience!

I provide an A-B-C extinguisher in each kitchen. Most people, renters or not, don't have one! The extinguisher is covered in my rental agreement - not to be used for anything other than fire abatement, if used it must be replaced, etc. Resulting damages are tenants' responsibility if misused. Providing one is a tenant perk that most properties don't include (around here). 

I personally had a kitchen fire once & had I not had an extinguisher handy, my entire house would probably have gone up in smoke. I certainly don't want that for anyone else!

And if they're good tenants, why not give them a new faucet? Brownie points for you!

As my property is sorta C, maybe B-, I would NEVER allow tenants to do anything other than replace light bulbs. I don't care if it's a loose switchplate - they are required in their agreement to let me know of ANY potentially needed repairs. If I take care of it, I know it's been done correctly (either by me or a plumber, electrician, etc.), the bill will have been paid on time & it's done before the problem gets worse. And no, I'm not a control freak - just a realist.

Kinda old school . . . I do not accept any form of payment from tenants. I set up an account at a bank close to each property, give the tenants deposit slips & set myself up as the only person who can make withdrawals. Whatever the bank accepts as currency, fine! I check deposit status online for each property & can print, download, etc. as needed. 

So far, it's been very successful.