All Forum Posts by: Nicole Obregon

Update! Ohhh, this was a messy one!

I filed to evict them. On the same day I filed to evict, one of the roommates DIES in the house from an overdose. Roommate 1 is still moved out, and isn't coming back. Roommate 2 is distraught over his friend's death, turns to family, and moves in with his dad in another state. 

I got the living roommates to surrender keys, surrender security deposit, and sign a document. I cleaned up the house a bit, relisted it for rent, and got another family living in there within 30 days. They have absolutely no drug or criminal history.

Whew! Gotta say... lesson learned!!!! My screening process is much different now!

Thank you all for your comments and insights. They are incredibly valuable. I've read them all and considered what to do given an update this morning from my tenants.

UPDATE: I called the 2nd roommate on the phone. She told me that things are not good. Money is tight, hours were cut back, they're back into dabbling into drugs or thinking about it, and the 3rd roommate is now in rehab. !!!  So, they're out his income. She thanked me for calling and offering an exit because they just didn't know how to tell me what was going on. 

So, I've offered them an exit offer to avoid eviction and court costs. (Although I'm willing to do that if they don't follow through on the offer).

Option 1: Pay $1,350 for August's rent. Move out completely by July 31, 2019.
Option 2: Pay $1,350 for August's rent by August 5 and $1,350 for September's rent by September 5. Move out completely by August 31, 2019.

This is beyond what I've ever experienced! My tenants so far have been so easy and simple. I've never had to evict anyone or do anything like this. My heart is beating fast, and I'm really nervous about what's going to happen. Oh dear me. !!!

Yes, James, exactly. I rented to them because of the appeal of having 3 working adults paying rent. 

What is your early termination fee? 

Three tenants moved into one of my rental properties June 1, 2019. They are all adults, and friends. All three adults signed the lease, and went over all the paperwork together. It's only July 21, and one of them wants to move out. 

One tenant emailed me personally with the following message:

Hey Nicole ! I wanted to know if there was anyway to take my name off the lease? Things are not working out and I need to leave but I don’t want to have anything bad on my recorded if they don’t stay. I would really appreciate if this is possible I’m looking to leave in August
Thank you. :)

My business-gut says to just tell her no, and that the rental agreement is a legally binding agreement. She can move out, but if anything happens with the rental payments, she'll still be held legally responsible. 

However, the other two tenants could technically just barely qualify on their own, without her. They need to make at least $4,050 per month to qualify, and together they make $4,056. And, I fear that if I make her carry out her lease, things could get ugly between her and her roommates. 

Just not sure how to handle this, or what to tell her. Am I thinking too much about this? Please advise. Thank you!

 Yes to all of this!

On our flips, we have our realtor meet the appraiser at the house. We also provide a list of ALL of the upgrades and improvements made to the house. It helps the appraiser, but also helps our own case.

Whether you own 1 unit, or 5 units, landlord/tenant laws still apply.  She shouldn't be charging the tenant for a normal wear-and-tear cleaning, unless her lease specified it. 

My lease specifies charges cleaning fees, but I have a separate addendum for that, which the tenant must sign off on.

Oh yes. Drew is fast, efficient, and responsive. He'll let you know ASAP if he can do it or not.

We also really like using East Coast Title. Paula Favaro is the owner, and is very on top of things. She works with a lot of investors. She's closed many properties for us, and is very quick and is on top of everything.

Update!

I showed my property this morning to several people. Two of them turned in an application. One of them, a couple, turned in ALL of the required documents, and I offered them the property. They accepted!  

I'm glad I passed on the first guy, and waited. The couple who applied will be all star renters! They have great rental history, their references all checked out and had glowing reviews of them, they make 8x the monthly rent in combined verifiable income, the woman's credit is impeccable, she has a steady bank account balance of at least $10,000, and the guy is a public school teacher! Jackpot! 

Thank you for the guidance and advice, everyone! 

 That's good to know. Thanks for reporting back!

There are 2 different types of tests/certificates for lead paint. If you get a full-risk reduction test done, you'd have to get it redone between every tenant. If you sprang for a lead-free inspection, it's good forever.

Let us know what you find out.