All Forum Posts by: Melanie Thomas

I would recommend a PM software and electronic only payments. This way you can easily create tenant ledgers and have a portal type access. It will reduce the amount of potential inquires you receive such as rent amount, late fees, notice fees etc...

Good luck :)

With such a high amount in unpaid rent and unfulfilled promises to pay, the 7k is not coming. I am with you, stop the bleeding! Evict, evict, evict! I would partner with a PM company who has a landlord rescue program or something of the like to help! The goal is to turn the performance of the investment around as quickly as possible. Continuing to let the tenant stay for free is not the way to go. Life changing events are a big deal yes, but not one the landlord should be concerned with. Good luck and hope they pay or quit asap! 

@Michael Pilolla It is on a very rare occasion an exiting tenant is happy with the security deposit itemization unless they are getting 100% back of it. As long as you have receipts, evidence of damage and the itemization was sent on time, I would not worry about it.  At some point as a landlord you will be involved in a small claims suit over a deposit dispute. Always CYA and you can't lose. Now, I always recommend trying to settle out of court as no one likes to pay attorney fees! Sometimes you end up having to pay to be right. Sometimes it is worth it, but most often it is not worth the headache and hassle over smaller amounts of cash. Everyone has a liability threshold. Find yours and use that as your gauge. Good luck with this. Fingers crossed the check is cashed and they sail off to sea! On to the next!

Hello, a great resource for fast quotes is: https://www.steadily.com/

They too are specialized in rental properties and have a variety of products you should certainly look into!

@Lalo Alvidrez Congrats on your first turn! These will get easier and easier with time. Its important to thoroughly document the condition of the home (smell test included) with a move in inspection. Its equally as important to do the same when the tenant vacates with a move out inspection. This way you have concrete evidence of what you intend to charge, is in fact above normal wear and tear. This allows you to prove the need to potentially repaint with Kilz to reduce the smell and/or rent ozone machines to help clear out the smell. Regarding the cleaning, I would never break that down. It only makes for arguing points with the outgoing tenant. Cleaning is cleaning and leave it at that. Regarding the flooring, your best bet is to determine the age of the material and the lifespan. Figure out a proration based on life lost and how long the tenant lived in the dwelling. There are many guides online that detail lifespan of building materials, appliances etc. I run a PM company out of San Antonio, feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Good luck!