All Forum Posts by: Kaycee Miller

Find out a little bit more about why they can't see a place before signing a lease. I rented an apartment sight unseen once, and I remember the same apprehension from the property manager. I was moving from out of state and wasn't able to make multiple trips just to go apartment hunting.  Check their references, get an honest feel for why they aren't looking at the place before hand and maybe give them a break if it checks out.

I would also recommend getting them to sign some sort of a sight unseen agreement. 

Your existing tenant is liable for rent and utilities until a new tenant is found. If the new tenant takes over the current lease, as a sublet situation, then the rent cannot be raised. However, if the current lease is terminated, you would be able to raise the rent and advertise the unit at a higher price.  You can raise the rent and advertise the unit at a higher price, but the current tenant would be off the hook if it takes you XXX amount of a days to find a new tenant. So you run the risk of a longer vacancy with no rental income coming in. But if you allow the current tenant to move out and terminate the lease early, you have the flexibility of setting a higher rental rate and even issuing a month-to-month lease agreement. 

I would try the super friendly approach of educating and empowering your tenants to do it themselves by showing them how easy it is to clean (just this one time though). 

Maybe something along the lines like, "Yuck, little bugs in the light can be so annoying and unsightly. I'd be happy to come over and show you my tricks for getting the light fixtures sparkling again. Just a reminder, per your lease agreement it will be your responsibility to maintain these fixtures (ie cleaning and changing the lightbulbs) but I can show you how this first time. Its a good idea to make it a habit to clean at least once a month, just like changing the air filter." 

If they are young renters, the honestly might not know or remember what their maintenance responsibilities are. I cringe at the memory of asking my landlord to come change a light-bulb once when I was in college -opps! 

You could also consider a move in special. Like $100 off first months rent. That can get people who are on the fence between your place and another to choose you because of the move-in incentive. And then you wouldn't loose money every month like you would with a reduced rental rate.

ezLandforms has really good rental documents and forms. You can actually create a sample lease to review before having to download it (or pay for it). They also have links to legal resources on the Massachusettes landlord resource page. 

Looks like MA allows you to collect a security deposit equal to a full month's rent. I suggest going for the max amount. It's better to collect upfront now, rather than chase your departing tenants down with a bill if they end up causing extra damage. Another thing to think about, if your future tenant can't afford a security deposit now, do you really want to rent to them? Will they be able to afford the cost of cleaning and repairs when they move? 

Use a software program with a great rental listing syndication network, one where your listings get posted to all the big ones like Zillow Rentals, Trulia, Hotpads, the Rent Path network. 

Also look for word of mouth referrals. If you trust your friends or colleagues they can help spread the word about vacancies to their like minded friends for free. 

You should absolutely get a new lease signed. AND do tenant screening on the new tenant - do you know anything about them? What if they have terrible landlord references or a criminal background that includes legally deniable crimes? Do you really want the new renter living in your property just because they pay rent on time (or now!)?

Send them an official notice by mail and post one on the house. Say they are in violation of the lease agreement and include legal "Three-Day Notice to Cure" language. Sending a typed note will demonstrate your professionalism and should show a responsible tenant to sign a new lease.

Your tenant should be able to pay out of pocket for the rent amount above the voucher value, as long as the out of pocket amount it is less than 40% of your tenant's income. You should not rent to a tenant with an income that doesn't meet these requirements. I would move on to another option. 

Here is a snippet from the HUD website for your reference.

"[Voucher] payment standard does not limit and does not affect the amount of rent a landlord may charge or the family may pay. A family which receives a housing voucher can select a unit with a rent that is below or above the payment standard. The housing voucher family must pay 30% of its monthly adjusted gross income for rent and utilities, and if the unit rent is greater than the payment standard the family is required to pay the additional amount. By law, whenever a family moves to a new unit where the rent exceeds the payment standard, the family may not pay more than 40 percent of its adjusted monthly income for rent." - http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/ho...

Kevin has great advice. Make sure you follow your state's rules about amount of notice required. Oregon just increased this limit to 90-days! 

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