All Forum Posts by: Lee Carrell

It seems to be somewhat of a problem to get a qualified roofer to replace copper for less than an arm and three legs! I know that copper lasts longer than asphalt shingle and is more complicated to install. The copper is not openly visible from the street, so I don't care that much about the looks.

The area to replace is about 65sf. Should I just go with shingle to get the job done quicker, save some money and not have to worry about theft (yes, even from a 3 story building)?

After 14 years almost everything is going to be considered wear-and-tear, unless you had to make some other repairs or replacements along the way. If I had a good paying, responsible tenant who stayed 14 years, I would happily return the full deposit and bake the relatives a cake too!

I know exactly where that is. IMO not a good area! Last time I looked at property in that area, I noticed gang signs!

Well, the issue is solved! As some of you advised, I offered her several options to choose from. She was not able to pay for the damages and maintain the full security deposit, she was not going to keep her brother out, she had had talked about moving before - so she chose to move out.

I asked her to clean up the unit per the lease and put all refuse in the dumpster.  I am fine with the decision, because I already have several prospective tenants lined up! Hopefully, the unit will be serviced and rented before the end of the month! Thanks for all the great advice!

Thank you Michele! Those are all very good ideas. Giving the tenant options is always preferable to a single "take it or leave" choice. It lets them make the choice of consequences and tends to cuts down on bad feelings later.

Tenants have to actually be late on rent before you can file to evict due to non-payment of rent! 

When you fill out the Affidavit and Statement form to file for eviction, it asks for the amount of rent NOW due. You cannot put a future amount or date on the form. At least that's how it is in the state of MO.

The nice thing is that since you got such a great deal, cash for keys won't hurt too bad! Get rid of them before they do some real damage.  :-)

Thanks Rob and JD! You both make excellent points!

She is a low income tenant and doesn't have a lot of money, so I already gave her several months to make payments on the damages, but she has not done so. Of course, I will keep the deposit until after she moves out to apply damages to it.

I have a tenant who has been renting for almost three years. She has always paid in full and on time. However, she now owes for property damage in the amount of $420. The deposit is $515. Her lease ends on November 28?

Recently, her brother began coming over to visit or spend the weekend. I believe that he is responsible for $290 of the damaged property, but don't have proof! I already sent her a '3-day or Quit' notice requesting that she pay $100 toward the damages now or move out.

Now my question is this, do I:

1) Go ahead and pay a lawyer to evict her now or

2) Have a 'no trespassing' order placed on her brother and just not renew her lease?

The phrase "Everybody is doing it!" is never correct. There are always some wrongdoers in any industry or occupation though. Your goal is to NOT be one of those people! Be yourself no matter what others are doing. Be honest, ethical, upright, professional, friendly, knowledgeable, prompt, trustworthy, etc. Make sure that you embody all of the attributes that you would appreciate in a top notch realtor. As long as you do that your clients and co-workers will recognize it and you will be more of a success than you truly realize!

Be blessed and be a blessing!

Operation Brightside did a great job on the graffiti! They sandblasted the brick with very fine sand that took it right off and left the color of the brick intact. They even sprayed over some graffiti that was on the streetlight pole. Everything looks great now!

I kind of miss reading 'PeeWee and Booda - the wig slittas' on the pole, but not really!

Thanks Operation Brightside!