All Forum Posts by: Melanie Thomas

I am going to mirror what most other have already said.

Properly vetting applicants/tenants is PARAMOUNT! Sounds like your current PM needs to go back to basics in applicant screening. I would take a look at the lease and move to get them out on breach of lease for unauthorized occupant and/or smoking. I would recommend working with your current PM to get these folks out and start over fresh with a new PM company. This is a good situational question for the next PM you interview. I am always happy to recommend a good PM company when the time comes. Good luck!

My advice would be to alert the authorities anytime there is a real threat like this. Create a paper trail and build a case that may be needed down the road. Additionally, I would consult legal counsel. They may have advice you have not seen here. As an investor/LL its a great idea to have at least two good attorneys on speed dial. Good luck, this is a tough situation to crack.

Look around to partner with a Property Management company. There are lots of reluctant landlords out there who get tenants in place, hire a PM company and then decide they hate being a LL for many different reasons. They are often willing to sell at a discount and you get a solid deal with a tenant in place. At my firm we have a program where we notify our investors of these types of deals first. Worth a look around! Good luck and Happy Investing! 

Hi Saurabh, we are happy to help! We manage in and around the San Antonio and Austin area. Happy to connect if you have any questions on local PM companies. We are fully transparent with all pricing online, no secrets here! I would recommend you start your search on the NARPM website and then check out the Google reviews. Happy hunting! 

I would pay someone to have the leaves removed on your dime if not covered in the lease. In my case, its in our lease and should be taken care of by the tenant. Good luck!

Place looks great. Assuming you are not overpriced and in line with what other units are renting for I would try offering a free rent period. Or perhaps an escalation clause. Meaning rent is reduced for say the first X months. Then the price "escalates" to a higher amount. This allows you to advertise for the lower rate. Obviously disclosing the date/amount of increase. In my experience its one of three things

1)Price
2)Location
3)Condition

Perhaps adding a nice video tour also! Good luck!

Not all business is good business. I always tell my staff #1 rule "Get the Business" however it is meant within reason. Good luck on this!

Quote from @Nathan Gesner:

Quote from @Sydney Hunter:

There are plenty of ways to get him out earlier, but not legally.

You can try enticing him to leave faster by promising to refund his deposit the minute he hands over the keys, no cleaning necessary. Try to get him out by end of the month. If he rejects that idea, give him a 30-day notice or whatever your state requires and stick to it. Let him know that if he refuses to leave or if he causes damages on the way out, you'll come after him for everything owed.

This right here! ^^^ Stand your ground. Draw a line in the sand and stick to it! Good luck!

Badger and Badger team, not local for you but work with folks all over. Happy investing!

Quote from @Richard Ma:

final question is whats the best why to notify the tenant for their utilities bill amount? and do i have to make a copy of the utilities bill for them too?

I would recommend using a software. There are a lot of free programs you can use. The tenant can log in to view a detailed tenant ledger, you can even create a paid invoice as needed for rent, utilities etc. Always a good idea to scan bills and save them to furnish a copy as needed. Good luck!