All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

Is a snake in the yard considered part of pest control? I consider it wildlife. 

My lease says that we are not responsible for wildlife wandering into the yard. It's no different than if a bear walks into the yard. (It happens here.) It's not my responsibility to remove a bear, or a snake.

I would tell them to call the county animal control to deal with it.

Your lease may say that 30 day notices are to be given at the beginning of the month only. In that case, they would need to pay a full month.

I take 30 day notices on any day of the month, then just pro-rate.

No, a tenant does not need the owner's SS# for anything. They can claim renter's credit without it. It is none of their business if you are claiming the income or not. I've never heard of a tenant filing a 1099. 

@Susan M. is right. I have had lots of people take a pic with their phone and email it to me.  

You really should set up an online application. RocketLease.com is a good one. I used to use it and it works great. The applicant can even pay them directly, so you don't have to deal with collecting the fees. Then RocketLease runs the background check. 

I use another system now, because it's part of the software I use. But, I really liked them when I used them.

I can maybe understand him not wanting to show you their applications till after closing, because those have a lot of personal info on them: birth dates, ss#, etc.

But, the lease has no personal info on it. There is no reason for him to keep them from you. In fact, it is standard business practice to see a lease when you buy a building with tenants in it. Sounds to me like he is hiding something. He may be reporting more rent than he is actually getting.

@David Gonzalez I am a property manager and will be happy to answer your questions from this side of things:

1. I do an inspection of the inside of the property every 6 months. I do frequent drive-bys to keep an eye on the condition of the outside. I look at the landscaping, trash in yard, extra cars, signs of too many people, unauthorized dogs, etc.

2. When there is something to report, I email the owner. If nothing interesting is going on (a good problem to have), I still check in with them at least monthly. The owner is free to call me anytime he/she wants.

3. I don't charge extra for drive-bys. It is part of my job to keep an eye on things.

I always let the owner know when someone is moving in or out, as well as when there are any repairs at all. I can't imagine not telling them.

Hope this helps.

A lady called to ask when she could see a house I have for rent. I told her it currently has tenants in it, so we will have to schedule a showing around the tenants. Stupid question of the day: "Will the tenants be moving out?" 

I so badly wanted to say: "No, lady, you will be moving in with them".

The way people talk on the this forum, every single property manager in the world is horrible. They can't all be bad. There are people that do a lousy job in every profession.

I do great work for my customers and get complimented on my work all the time.

I could tell you some horror stories about homeowners that I used to work for. I have dumped so many of them over the years because they hire me, then want work done for free, while they are rude and demanding. 

PM do a lot of work behind the scenes that you never even know about. Things such as frequent drive-bys of your property, multiple calls to tenants about different issues, bookkeeping (there's a lot of bookkeeping), and so much more. Plus, like stated above, we have to know all the fair housing laws, security deposit laws, etc, to keep your butt out of trouble. Please try appreciating what your PM does for you. We work a lot harder than you think. Don't let a few bad ones ruin it for all of us.

OMG! I rent out my places on Airbnb all the time. I can't even imagine walking into that nightmare.

I don't give grace periods. If you wait until the 5th to start charging late fees, then rent is technically due on the 5th.

I charge $25 on the 2nd, then $10 per day after that. If rent is not paid by the 5th, with all late fees, a 3 Day Notice To Pay or Quit gets posted.

I rarely have anyone pay late, so it works.