All Forum Posts by: Pamela W.

My husband's tenant of 3 months stopped paying rent after the first month. She gave him a partial payment of $1500 towards the $2000 rent for the second month and now she is in the process of applying for RAFT assistance, which she apparently had at her last rental. Getting the RAFT funds could take months if she is approved again. 

I use a credit score of 700 or higher for anyone who will be on the lease, plus a credit report that lists no collections and timely payments. I realize 700 might be considered high, but in my experience, it's worth holding out for. My husband has rented to folks with lower scores and often has issues. I get many cases where one person has great credit/income but their partner has very poor credit/income. I call prior landlords as references. You need to have them authorize you in writing typically for employer verification, but getting recent paystubs/bank statements suffices for me. Another person on BP recently cited https://www.theclosingdocs.com for income verification.

Also Zillow has online applications and credit reports, so you need not keep track of paper.

 I agree with Sam; Zillow has worked very well for me for the reasons he states. I have tried Avail, apartments.com but don't care for their user interface.Someone used Facebook Marketplace to use my legitimate rental ad in a scam, copying the picture and offering lower rent. The local police made me aware of what was happening. WIth Zillow I can clearly see who has applied, my emails to them, and and their responses. I only own one rental property, and have gotten my tenants via Zillow. I think if people have to pay to apply, they are really interested, saving you time and aggravation. 

I have had tenants with a dog, and now one with a cat. Neither was an issue. The house has hardwood flooring throughout, so if an accident happens, easy enough to clean. If you vet your tenants carefully, they are likely responsible people who will in turn be responsible for their animals. As you have flooring rather than carpet, even more unlikely you will have an issue. I only own one small house, though, unlike many folks here who own many rentals and maybe more likely to encounter the downsides. Allowing pets will enlarge your applicant pool, and as many rentals disallow pets, your tenants are probably going to be careful not to let their pets be destructive.

You could go with whoever applied first, or whoever follows up again after applying

Hi Daniel:

Masslandlords has information on this, without having to be a member. If you become a member, you can ask experienced landlords for Section 8 advice over email and Facebook message boards.

 https://masslandlords.net/laws/section-8/

You might be able to get some higher end appliances at Habitat for Humanity/Restore, when people remodel they often donate some pretty nice stuff, even stainless steel. They have to be fewer than 5 years old. Another option is a used appliance store, where they refurbish older appliances. I bought a basic Whirlpool washer for my own home there for $250, as we got tired of buying expensive ones from Home Depot that lasted a couple years. Particularly for washers/dryers, the used ones are very basic without the bells and whistles that seem to fail more often, and being a bit older, made more sturdily. In the single family rental home, I put in Speedqueen, mostly because during the pandemic that was all that was available, from a independent appliance store. Expensive, but supposedly a 25 yr lifespan.

 As someone who has Raynauds myself for many years, I could be cold unless the temperature were 80 degrees. I'm often cold even in the summer. Your tenant has a choice to turn up the heat to be comfortable, but if she doesn't want to pay for having a higher temperature, then there is nothing else you can do. She might consider using electric throw blankets, an electric blanket on the bed, and even a heating pad under her feet. (I use all of these.) In my opinion, I don't think  you need be concerned about an issue with the ADA. I worked in an office with several people, and despite me being always cold, the majority ruled on the temperture. 

 Raynaud's disease is a medical condition that can cause people to always feel cold, especially hands and feer, even in warm temperatures.