All Forum Posts by: Marina Shlomov

One of the issues with Section 8 is that they are not flexible. They have their rules and if noted items are not fixed within a certain amount of time, they either stop paying rent all together or deduct unreasonable amounts from the rent. Can you appeal?  I don't think so, but I could be wrong. We have stopped renting out to Section 8 due to property damage, strict and unfair rules, and mostly, unreasonable requests by the county where Section 8 is paid through. We had to deviate from our standard lease to have the tenant NOT be responsible for changing light bulbs, smoke alarm batteries and HVAC filters (that normally are a responsibility of the tenant). 

Hope that helped.

For small landlords (or individuals) I have found Cozy to be a good option. Here is the link to Cozy Tenant Screening.

They offer many more services such as rent collection online and much more. I think it's free to sign up and then just pay for services you use. Tenant screening is changed to the prospective tenant.

Good Luck.

Let me preface my comments by saying that we are licensed builders and desginers and do around 30 remodels a year of rental properties in all price points as well as build high end homes (in addition to our property management business) and we are from the South, which might make a difference to the comments and design suggestions.

With that being said, we have used granite for over 15 years in new construction as well as our remodels and it has never stained, chipped or cracked. Concrete counters are very popular in many young affluent households and I think are just as sturdy if you don't get too fancy with the inlays. 

I'd use natural wood cabinets (solid with long handles or shaker style/ painted or natural) just because they never go out of style and in case of abuse, are less expensive to replace/repair. As a landlord, we have to be practical first and foremost. There are quite a few cabinets that can be installed to make the kitchen look upscale without spending an exorbitant amount of money. Back splashed make a big difference and I'd go with the nicer tiles/stones and go for a more classic look. Again, you wouldn't want your design to go out of style in a few years, so trendy options should be used sparingly.

Hope that helps.

Just an FYI:

Affinity group specializes in Landlord policies, they offer a wide range of options that you can choose from. Actually, there are quite a few companies out there that offer the same type of coverage. We have moved on from Affinity (with whom we were for over 8 years) to Berkshire Hathaway. Berkshire Hathaway offers a more thorough policy, that covers a lot more, with lower deductibles and better coverage. The Loss of Income provision is also available.

Affinity Group does a lot of these insurance policies. The option for loss of income is quite expensive, we have found that it wasn't worth the cost.

Here is the website for the company: www.affinitygm.com

Good luck.

I have been managing properties for over 7 years and have always taken the position of if the tenant can't pay, evict them. This time, I have completely deviated from my rules and through discussions initiated by the tenant were able to have me agree (all our tenants think I am just the property manager and not the owner, btw) to a payment plan.

She worked really hard for the past few months, paying most of the rent and sometimes falling behind. Yet, she called me and emailed me every two weeks letting me know what her situation was and how it was changing,

At the beginning of this month, she was $4500 behind and I started to get nervous. Well, she called again. told me that she got the money and paid off the full amount!

I feel great that I gave my tenant the chance. Like I said, I don't usually allow tenant to get behind, don't know what happened to me, I am not a soften at all, but I guess for the right person, you can make an exception.

Also, the "Low Flow" ordinance applies to shower heads and faucets throughout the property.

Depending in which county its occurring. I think the person is a bit confused. For example, all the properties being sold in DeKalb County in GA are required to have the low flow fixtures (not the seats, the actual toilet). If your property is in DeKalb County, check out the link for the "Low-Flow" fixture ruling: http://www.dekalbwatershed.com/PDF/plumbingFixture.... You can also check out the ordinance at: http://commongroundrealestate.com/dekalb-county-ga.... Also, see attached certificate of compliance that will need to be filed in DeKalb county prior to your water being turned on: http://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/revenue/CertificateO.... There is also an exemption certificate that can be filed that offers a couple of options. See the list of exemptions here: http://www.tipsandforms.com/dekalb-low-flow.html.

I hope that helps and good luck.

Marina Shlomov

I agree with @Kyle J.. I'd just turn it over to collections. 

I was originally thinking to let it go. Once I read all the comments, I changed my mind, yet, I believe that throwing good money after bad, doesn't help. It takes time, effort and money to pursue a judgement, and if you can't collect on it, what's the point. However, now I am thinking that maybe we should go after the tenants, yet I still have doubts to the practically of these actions. We are a small operation and our resources are valuable. In theory, everyone's comments are correct, the question in my mind, are they practical?  I will spend 2 hours preparing all the paperwork, go to the court house, file, pay about $250 in fees, go to court...yes, I will get a judgement, but if the tenant has no money to pay, I've just wasted 30 hours of my time, a little bit of money and now what? I guess if the tenant has a possibility of making those payments, then it'll be worth the trouble, but if you know for sure they won't be able to pay, then why?

Maybe I am wrong, you guys tell me.