All Forum Posts by: Phillip Austin

@Kristina Hinostroza If you sign up for BiggerPockets Pro membership, you get access to all state approved forms including lease agreements, application forms, etc..

For software, I highly recommend Zillow Rental Manager if it's your first property. You can collect rent, screen tenants, market your listing, etc..

@Matt Wells Each housing provider is a little different but, generally speaking, yes you can do this. 

Most housing authorities will assess/approve rent increases based off their determination of market rent for the property. If your property is well under market value, simply send in a rent increase request and they will look at comps to determine if the increase is justified. 

@Lindsey Pinkham This is a great question and covers an issue that often stumps landlords!

You've already determined the tenant needs to go, it's just a matter of when.

In most cases, it's better to act now rather than waiting around and for a few different reasons: 

1. Damaging property (costs you more to repair once vacate)

2. Nuisance to new tenants moving in next door (great way to lose good tenants)

3. HEADACHE

4. Unit is most likely under market value (get the bad tenant out, repair, and get market rent)

With that said, you have to abide by the provisions in their lease agreement. You cannot simply evict. For any lease violations, you must provide them a notice to cure which will allow them x days to cure the lease violations. If ALL of the violations are not cured within the timeline, you proceed with the eviction process while at the same time offering the tenant a move out option. For example, you offer the tenant to relinquish possession and in return, you drop the eviction. Once you get keys and confirmation the property is vacant, you cancel the eviction. DO NOT cancel the eviction without first regaining possession.

I tend to agree with @Scott Mac. While I understand wanting to respect your neighbors, I don't think installing a noise monitoring system will fix your issue. Sounds like the natural layout of your mountain property is not very conducive with the quiet hours you're trying to enforce. Instead of installing a device to monitor your guests, why not try additional communication prior to check-in highlighting the quiet hours? I would communicate communicate communicate. Monitoring your tenants and calling them at odd hours of the night is not only bothersome to the tenants but unreasonable for you to do for each group of guests.

Assuming the property has AC, I would say scrap the ceiling fans. Yes, they provide some level of comfort, however, I've never known a tenant to put up a big fight over a ceiling fan or lack thereof. It's just another thing I'm going to get calls about from my tenants when it either stops working or begins to "wobble" too much. 

I had a tenant move in last week and she sent me a video of her ceiling fan that was "wobbling" a little too much for her liking and asked if I could fix it. It's completely fine and yes, it will tends to wobble when you run it on max speed.

Couldn't agree more @Dominick Johnson. Thanks for sharing!

Dude?! @Jared Dewey I have to say I'm super impressed! About to turn 18 with $17K in savings and want to get into real estate investing. Way to go man! 

 Precisely. You always want to make sure everything is in writing. You don't need a giant explanation; just a simple line letting them know they don't meet the minimum criteria.

@James York Assuming she has an outstanding balance, yes, you can withhold her security deposit to cover the outstanding balance. However, you need to send her a disposition letter outlining her deductions.

@Tom J. Short answer, yes. 

Caveat: many states are starting to pass legislation regarding lease provisions and what you can and cannot include in a lease agreement. So, either do a quick Google search for your local landlord/tenant laws or you can contact the section 8 tenant's caseworker directly.