All Forum Posts by: Nancy P.

Of course it depends on what the lease says,  but not sure how you can evict him for having a **** father.  Especially tenant #2 who hasn't even moved in yet.   If a stranger broke in and did all the exact same damage,  would you evict?  Not legally, you wouldn't.  They passed screening.  No reason to believe this is going to become the standard.  

They aren't the OP's friends, they are friends with each other.  OP said that earlier.   I think if son pays for damages,  let it go...maybe get the trespass warrant against jerk of a father.  As the uber-responsible child of a (now deceased) alcoholic,  it pains me to see people assuming the son will automatically  be bad news.  

What David S. said.  I want to see a local law that supersedes Federal law.

Now pets,  who aren't support animals,  you can limit.  Which might be your out but you should have stated these limits in advance or it can come back to bite you.

Don't make people pay for background checks when you have no intention of renting to them.  That's just wrong.  (But of course your intentions are also likely to get you into trouble.)

Not in Illinois they are NOT.  The town I invest in has occupancy limits,  meant to maintain the health and safety of the infrastructure. I CAN NOT set a lower limit,  that is automatically discriminating based on family size,  a protected class.

I have two tiny condos of only 520 s.f. each.  Naperville says two people can live there over the age of one.  Tenants got pregnant,  they had to leave when lease was up  cause baby makes three.  But I could NOT legally say only one person can live there.  (although I personally could never share such a small space.)

Not sure how any different law in your area (if there is one)  could be allowed since it would violate federal law.

I agree that you must stick with 3 times income,  it's just too hard to afford life otherwise.  (In average priced areas or lower.  If your rent is $3000 a month, yeah,  someone making two times rent could probably survive.).  But I do not give a crap about credit scores.  I look at them and WHY they are low.  If they had medical bankruptcy or lost their job for a while,  and they can prove current income,  they are in.  If they don't pay their Target card,  that's a problem.  I began this gig in 2010, literally no one for two years had a credit score above 650.  But these were kids who lost their jobs,  moved back home,  and took whatever job they could get to get back on their feet.  Most were great tenants.  So for you,  I think it goes back to price or photos.  Crappy photos really do hurt.  I would also consider section 8,  we have had good luck with that.  Those tenants pay their  share of the rent,  because if they don't, they lose the voucher...no one willingly gives up $1000 or more tax free every month.

@Shane H.  I am glad you got good advice about going to his command.  I just wanted to add that I feel ya!  Our first tenant (screened by our Realtor) probably wasn't even who he said he was.  (People who want to apply show me ID now!).  Paid first month's rent in March,  never paid rent again.  This was in 2010 and it took awhile--August--to get him out.  At one point he contested the eviction saying we only wanted him out because of his race.  Luckily the judge just rolled his eyes and upheld the eviction,  but it DID gain him 17 more days because of the time he took to get back to court to contest it.  I actually saw red that day.  But I have high blood pressure and I'm not about to let some ******* be the reason I die young, KWIM?  (Literally seeing red happens because of a blood pressure spike.)   Pursue your financial damages but let the anger/shaming ideas go.  It's got more downside than upside for you,  as you have discovered.  Good luck with the financial recovery.

It's been a long time since I read it but I'm sure "The Millionaire Next Door"  talks about how wealthy people often DO NOT buy the most expensive cars.  

15 years ago my son's 5th grade class won the fundraising prize and got to go in limos to a mini-golf place.  I was a chaperone.  All the kids in the car were saying "I'm going to have a limo take me everywhere when I grow up! I'm going to be rich like Britney Spears!"  My son,  and his friend (whose mom is an investment advisor)  were all disdainful of the other kids...."A limo is a stupid waste of money" and "Very few people get as rich as Britney Spears".  I was so proud.  :)

I agree with Caleb,  Not only is insurance higher on a leased car,  as some point with old cars we drop collision which is about half the cost of the insurance.   I have no self-worth tied up in how new my car is.  We are currently on assignment in Germany,  they gave husband an Audi Q5,  it's such a pain in the *** to park we wish we'd been given a SmartCar!  I walk/take trains/ride my bike wherever I need to go.  We will be sad to have to purchase two cars when we return to the U.S.  Might just make do with one.  We like 2-3 year old cars.  

We check the property every six months while changing the furnace filter.  Have discovered two "new" pets this way in 8 years.   Of course both claimed "ignorance"  of the fact that they couldn't do that,  despite it being in the lease and my verbally saying it.  Both times wrote a five day notice,  both times in 5 days they had proof that the animal was fixed,  had shots, signed a pet addendum, and paid the extra deposit.  The one with a dog said she couldn't afford it,  I admit to going off on her and saying she shouldn't have a dog if she couldn't get its shots,  etc.  She came through within the five days.

Did have one nightmare scenario that goes along with the "you can't tell who is easy to get along with" rule.  Rented tiny (520) sf. place to a woman my age who I really liked.   She promptly moved in her son, his girlfriend,  and a pit bull which they were letting out the door to run free.  (30# weight limit per the association.)   This property is next to a river with a path,  very popular with people and their dogs.  I was clueless, of course,  until the police called me.  Pit bull attacked a cocker spaniel AND its owner on the path.  Cocker spaniel's owner opened pit bull's head with a rock she grabbed,  it ran off.  Police  came and shot the still -running -loose pit bull.  Neighbors told the police who owned the pit bull.  Tenants hid in the condo and pretended they weren't home,  which is how I came to be informed,  as the association had been called and they gave the police my number.  At this point she had just paid her second month's rent.  It was April 7.  Cocker spaniel was treated by my vet because my vet happens to be 1/2 mile away from this property.  My husband and I went over that night,  they were still hiding,  we used our keys to get in.  We basically said "Be out in 24 hours or we are suing you,  the cocker spaniel's owner is suing you,  the association is suing you".  (Which was all BS on our part but we were very angry.)  They were out in less than 24 hours.  The vet bill was $700,  the human's ER bill was only $350 (she got bitten on the ankle but not deeply).  I had it re-rented on April 18,  I kept all of her rent for April and her deposit so came out ahead about $300.  She later tried to trash my reputation online but I posted the police report and she took down her post.   All of that to say I still allow dogs...it's liars I don't like!