All Forum Posts by: Kaycee Miller

You should consider the move out day the 21st via her confirmation that she would be out then. However, you should charge her a prorated rent until the 24th, since that is when she technically vacated the property and removed her belongings.  It sounds like she didn't pay any of October rent, so you should collect a prorated amount for 24 days from her deposit. 

You need to look at your state and local laws specifically about how to communicate the deposit refund and amount due. I would text her that you need a forwarding address to return her deposit. She might give you an address if she thinks she is getting a refund. State laws typically say you have mail a security deposit refund or an account of deductions to a forwarding address, if no forwarding address is provided then the last known address may work (even if it means your property). Keep record of all your texts, as they might be useful if she wants to fight you for her refund. 

Just please find out your state's laws about security deposit refunds. If you don't follow the rules exactly, sometimes a landlord ends up paying the rule breaking tenant more than just the security deposit refund!  Good luck!

Hi @Kenneth Hong! Davis is where I grew up and went to college. A ton of my friends' parents owned rental properties and never had a bad experience. 

You provide a great list - here are a couple more points. 

Easy renewals and regular rent increases. As a student in Davis, it was the norm to expect a $50/yr rent increase each time you renewed a lease. Most students would live in their rental apartment for 2-3 years. 

Con - poor maintenance. Not only do college rentals experience more wear and tear, the truth is a lot of college students don't know anything about taking care of house. Everything gets flushed down the toilet, renters don't know how to flip a circuit breaker, the water spots on the ceiling may go unreported for 6 months.  

Unfortunately this sounds like a classic renter excuse for paying rent late. They should be glad your aren't charging them late fees for paying rent on the 9th instead of the 5th! 

@Deanna McCormick is right about this one. Do not pay the fee unless they can produce the bank statement that shows the cancelled check fee. Even then, you don't have to pay it. 

You might want to think about setting up ACH rent payments (ACH is automatic clearing house, or echecks). ACH are electronic payments that your renters will schedule online. If your tenants already pay by check, they can also pay you via ACH. It's the same way power companies and cable companies accept online payments. This would help you avoid the "lost" rent check excuse. Plus the money would automatically show up in your account, saving you a trip to the bank, and you'd get an accounting report of payments for your records!

For a long distance landlord, it is essential that you inquire about regular/routine inspections with in your management agreement. These are standard in most pm services, but you will benefit from making sure they follow through with reports and photos. 

You will be relying on your manager to be your eyes at the property to identify any maintenance issues before they become expenses problems. The best way to do this is with regular/seasonal inspections built into the lease. It also allows the manager to check in with the tenants, and reminds them to at least deep clean the place each quarter (essential for a college aged tenant!) 

Good luck! 

ACH payments are the best options for landlords and renters. Since you attached a checking accounting, which the renter has to give approval for, it avoids the potential of using a stolen card/account. 

ACH rent payments can be established as recurring (so they happen automatically each month), making it much more likely that your renter will not have any more late payments. 

There are several companies that handle online rent payments for landlords and property managers, including full featured property management software, that keep excellent records for accounting, reporting and tax purposes. I would check out reviews on places like Software Advice and look at the features you want and need, plus client support/customer service. The quality of customer service will make or break any online software, no matter the cost! 

Property management certifications may give rental owners more assurance that the property manager they hire to care for their rental property has received focused training beyond the minimum required to get a real estate license. In addition to classroom education, certifications generally include experience in the field and other requirements.

One of the biggest benefits you will find is the networking and resources available to certified property managers from either the NARPM, NAA or IREM. CPM, RMP, and CAM may be meaningless to an owner who doesn't understand the industry acronyms, but it will put you in the elite circle at association events. Plus you might get your name or business listed on websites that recognize new or renewed PM certifications, building your business web-marketing presence and SEO.

You should absolutely charge a pro-rated rent amount, which you should be able to deduct from the security deposit. Remind her that she will be charged every day and if she is not out today, you will begin to start the eviction process on top of the daily charge, which will go on her record. Do not threaten the tenant but provide her legal written notice, per your states guidelines. 

Also, do not accept money directly from her to cover the daily charge, that could be seen as collecting partial rent, which will delay the eviction process. Instead, keep the funds from her security deposit and indicate such when you provide the written deduction statement upon return of any remaining funds.

Before having any tenants sign a new lease with you, make sure to complete your standard tenant screening and run background checks, credit reports, etc. on the tenants. Maybe the original owner didn't mind having a felony drug dealer live at the property but you might. Just make sure to follow federal and state laws about screening current and future tenants. 

Since it is the first tenant after the rehab, and you are admitting that the ant problem might be because of dead termites, why not spray for ants this one time and then tell the tenant that ant maintenance will be his responsibility moving forward. 

If you don't have too many tenants, I would suggest using a person's name and your own, especially for email communication. Using "landlord" and "tenant" on the lease or official notices is one thing. But a reminder to change the air-filter that reads, "Dear Tenant, It's time to change the air filter. From, Landlord." is a little much. I understand it's a business relationship and keeping things professional is part of the job, but personalizing the experience a little bit demonstates excellent interpersonal skills, which definitely have their place in property management. Esp. when it comes to renewals and referrals.