All Forum Posts by: Nancy P.

I am so glad you blocked the number.  Years ago our PM signed a contract to rent our Park City condo and for some reason used a VERY old lease that gave the tenants a right to a parking space in a garage where WE had NO parking space.  They literally bought the rights to a space at great cost (about five times their commission for the year for managing it.)  The tenants were rich little brats and just wanted out of the condo,  so they sued.  We had ZERO to do with it,  but we were also nervous and scared,  and took calls from both the tenant's and the PM's lawyers without consulting one of our own.  They wanted $10K, (5K for moving expenses, $5K for suffering)  to get out of the lease, and the last month's rent returned.  Plus $3 K for their lawyer.  PM lawyer talked us into "joining with" the PM.  And then wanted to capitulate,  saying Park City is small,  the judge probably played golf with the husband's dad,  bull **** on and on.  I finally grew a spine.  The condo was FURNISHED.  They wanted $5K to PACK THEIR CLOTHES.  I said I would fly out and do that in person.  The $5K for suffering was due to the wife having to change shoes from heels to flats to climb the steps out of the parking garage.  ALL STEPS in outdoor Utah are open mesh,  to allow snow to fall through.  If this Utah born idiot didn't know that,  that was on her.  She did not have any injuries.  But in the end we agreed to the letting them out of the lease,  giving them back their last month's rent,  and paying $5K to the lawyers for both sides.  Split with the PM,  it was about $3K loss.  We should never have taken ANYONE'S phone call,  the PM should have eaten the whole thing.  We let fear override common sense.  I regained enough common sense to argue the $10K away, but we never should have paid a dime.  Good luck.

Sue K nails it.  It's not the brick,  it's the red garage door,  sitting further front than the house,  AND the style mix.  I think her ideas would make a huge difference...even her primitive attempt (and I could do no better, no shade on Sue),  shows you what could be.

Exactly.  I'm thinking how, in the 90's,  insurance companies paid bonuses to doctors to keep costs down.  Suddenly my second child's severe hearing issues didn't warrant ear tubes.  A year later we paid for them out of pocket after another doctor said "why the **** does this child not have tubes yet?"  He suffered 25% hearing loss as a result of the delay,  and it affected his learning ability.  Enough people suffered and DIED due to this brilliant idea that it was quickly abandoned.  

19 weeks!  We had to evict our very first tenant.  (Only one, until this month,  brought to us by a Realtor.)  It was in 2010.  We made ALL the mistakes.  First month rent went to Realtor.  He paid second month (March), and then that was it.  Partial payments and excuses.  Which we bought.  Finally started eviction in May,  he was given 30 days, then  he came back and said we were evicting because we were racist (paperwork said we were racy but the judge and I knew what he meant.)  That got him nothing.  That was the end of June.  But then because of the crash,  the sheriff's office  was running way behind.  7 weeks instead of normal 2.   He was out on the 20th of September.  By the grace of God he didn't steal appliances or destroy the place (although it was quite filthy).  He paid about $2600 in rent ($1100 went to Realtor) for almost 8 months in an updated condo.  Quite a deal. I guess he paid $3700 since I kept his deposit.  Amazingly enough, two young women took it right away,  and although she went through several roommates, one of them was our tenant for the next six years until the place (which had just gone condo when we bought)  decided to go BACK to apartments and we sold it to the developer.  She's probably still there.  I have since done a lot to avoid the headache.  Mostly "be out by next weekend and leave it clean,  I'll give you some of your deposit back".  With the stick being eviction if they aren't out. Gave one Section 8 tenant who moved in a man three days to get out or I'd report her.  Her dog destroyed the carpet but it was cheap FannieMae crap and it had been 4 years,  so I gave her the full deposit back.  I hope to never drive that long drive to the courthouse again.  (On the far side of the county we are in.)  I understand it's normally about 6- 8 weeks.  A week or two to get the first hearing,  then judge almost always gives them at least 2 weeks to find new place, and then at least two weeks to schedule the sheriff.

We own eleven properties in Naperville, IL. One of them is all electric. It's odd because we own a different condo in the same very small complex (32 units) and IT has gas wh, dryer and furnace.  Anyway,  we turned the place over to a new tenant in July.  I did fail to take out  the word "gas"  in the utilities paid for by tenant in the lease. That's on me.  Apparently he called Nicor and they somehow set him up with an account.  I can only imagine a mistake made perhaps because English is not my tenant's first language and his accent is pretty heavy.

Yesterday he calls my manager (H and I live in Germany for his W-2 job) and says "Please have the furnace looked at,  my bill is $150 this month (apartment is under 600 sf),  I can't afford it,  It's been over $100 a month for several months".  Manager calls me,  he knows the furnace is only two years old.  Come to find out,  tenant is paying the gas on an entirely different address but getting bills mailed to him.  (Even with the accent,  they clearly got his MAILING address correct.)  When we informed him he didn't have gas service,  he pulled out his lease and said it was our fault.  I choked back a laugh and said "I'm sorry I forgot to take that off of the lease,  but it clearly says gas is YOUR responsibility.  There is no way that this is on us."  Later Nicor called to verify that I am indeed the owner of that property.  How THAT matters when there is no gas service there,  they could not seem to tell me.  As of today they are promising to "look into it"  and "refund the money if it's the right thing to do".  Tenant is furious,  seems to still think we owe him.  Will probably be losing him when the year is up.  (Turnover is high because the place is so small.)  I'm thinking someone at the address he's been paying for is in for a real shock.....

@Cori Leste

  You must be pretty new here if you think Dennis has a heart.....

I totally understand the animosity.  Thick skin goes a long way in this business,  I've learned the hard way.  Going forward,  if you choose to leave hundreds on the table because you like a tenant, consciously choose to do so,  knowing you might get smoked.  We had elderly neighbors who are now our tenants,  we gave them $200 under market,  thinking they wouldn't be there for long....it's been 3 years and 5 months so far,  now we're about $300 under market.  I start to fume about it sometimes....but it's not their fault their health hasn't forced them into a nursing home yet.  (They are nearly 90!)   Show the damn property anyway.  They are doing what's best for them,  you do the same.

We've been in the business ten years as of next month.  We painted everything this yellowish beige....and it was out of "favor" so fast it made our head spin.  Now everything is gray.  Unless animal or child really wrecked a newish paint job,  we have never charged to touch up.  Our own houses---where we live---we've never repainted once we chose a color.  Even after 12 years--our longest stay.  Too much work while living there.  We live in Germany and were shocked to learn tenants are expected to paint every three years or at least pay for it when they move out.  We talked our landlord here into removing that clause from the lease.  It clearly wasn't enforced anyway.....

Not only do I make a point of telling tenants when they sign that I can show it for the 30 days before they move, when they DO try that crap I just tell them they will be losing their deposit then,  legally if they prevent you from being able to re-rent it that's their money.

Is their lease even over?

@Kimberly Kesterke:

In that case they tried to make it a slum...that doesn't make you a slumlord,  especially since you are rectifying the situation as quickly as you can.  Here's one legal definition:  Slumlord Law and Legal Definition. A slumlord is an unscrupulous landlord who milks a property without concern for tenants, neighborhoods or their own long term interests. Slumlords overcharge for property in poor neighborhoods that is kept in poor repair and allowed to deteriorate.