All Forum Posts by: James R.

Don,

"Nice neighborhood, just outside the downtown crime area."

What zip code is this?  

James, your original post was as if I had written it myself!  I have a tenant who has   complained recently the exact same way yours has about the dishwasher.  I did the exact same thing you did, in terms of having a repairman inspect it.  The brand is Galaxy which is also manufactured by Frigidaire.  I have never gotten complaints from previous tenants about the dishwasher not cleaning the dishes.  It is now 7 years old and still working perfectly. 

Believe it or not, some people have never seen or used a dishwasher and do not know how to properly load it.  This tenant sent me photos...yada, yada, the detergent tablet (recommended by the repairman) didn't even dissolve etc..  

After examining the photos, I could see that this tenant had a cookie sheet against the door of the dishwasher, which blocked the detergent compartment door from flipping open. 

I sent her an e-mail on how to properly load a dishwasher.  It seems she has never used a clothes washing machine either, as she has numerous questions about that too.  

I am going to raise her rent in two months, when her lease is up. PITA tenants like this need to pay more or move.  In fact, if she moves I can raise the rent even more and will have no problem finding a tenant who meets my criteria and is not a PITA. 

Best wishes!  

Nick,

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Matt,

Nothing wrong with cash flow!  Looks like you have a winner to me!  Thanks for the informative post!

Best wishes!

http://fox6now.com/2015/12/02/developing-firefight...

Azita, this is an unfortunate loss for you.  Thank goodness no one was hurt or killed in the blaze.

This really is an example of a new investor buying rundown properties, hoping to make a fortune. Wish that you had contacted me or some other investor in Milwaukee, before you made this purchase. Oh well, lesson learned.   

Properties at this price point and in this kind of neighborhood are hard to insure and costly, so it was a gamble on your part, to not insure them.  I think that you'll be in for a wild ride owning the other rentals that you purchased in this neighborhood.

In regard to the vacant lot, for which you will have to pay ongoing taxes, the City of Milwaukee will want you to build new on it in a certain time frame (I don't know that time frame, sorry).  The City can't even give away empty lots (where a house once stood and burned) for $1.00, because investors know it won't be worth it for them.

As another poster mentioned, maybe the City will take the lot as a donation (for a micro-park perhaps) and you can just write it off as a newbie investor loss.

Best wishes!

Dan,

I am leaning in Brandon's direction in regard to what people like, rentability and the amount of rent that you will get.  I have looked at places and thought, "Oh, I will have to change this."  Only, because I don't like it.  But, when I show it to tenants, believe it or not, they will say things like, "Oh, look at this, there's a bedroom off of the kitchen. That's cool."  I'm shocked.  They rent it and like Brandon said, the rent is as high as if I had gone to all of the trouble of changing the floor plan.

In a nutshell, different people like different things and renters in particular, can like some rather strange things, that you and I would not.  My 2 cents.  

Best wishes!

Kyle, thanks for sharing this!  In 10+ years of being a landlord, I have yet to evict someone or go to small claims court, BUT I worry that it is just a matter of time, before it's my turn.  I am always gathering information, so that I am prepared, if need be.  

I look forward to reading Part 2 of this story.

By the way, with all of the social media these days, couldn't you post these pictures and publicly shame this person?  You know, expose them for the trash that they are.  

Best wishes!  

For the record: 

http://www.allpropertymanagement.com/propertylaw/p...

Kevin,

I agree with Dawn that the broken window is not normal wear and tear, but rather negligence on the part of the tenant, however, he/she may have already spoken to a lawyer (contacting tenant rights in Madison is free).  Given they mentioned the fact that a door stop is missing, has "lawyer" written all over it.  The long term tenants that I mentioned also spoke with a lawyer (tenant rights in Madison) and said that "a lawyer told them that although there is a door stop, it fell off resulting in the door knob going through the wall." 

That's why I say, it's just not worth the headache.  I did not show up with another person at check-out and this couple tag-teamed me on every bit of damage that was not normal wear and tear.  The good thing about me is, I am a seasoned landlord, so I went all 12 rounds with them and ended up deducting about $200.00 off their security deposit.  Never heard from them again!  You need to pick and choose your battles wisely and again, sometimes tenants turn on you just due to the fact that you are a landlord.   Don't ever take it personally!  Best wishes.  

Kevin,

I had a similar situation with long term tenants (5+years) moving out.

It's not worth it to fight with them.  There are hungry lawyers everywhere who will twist what a tenant says to show that you are liable in every situation.  

As far as the inspection, the tenant should be present, because if he/she is not, they could say that you did things at the check-out and are now charging them.  Take a witness (some one bigger than you and male) as a second set of eyes and ears.  Don't even tell them who the person is.  It is none of their business.  The whole time, they may be thinking that this person is your lawyer, etc.  

Check them out as quickly as possible.  They will try to escalate a verbal confrontation, so be ready to use your diffusing skills.  Self-control will be key.

Mail them the security deposit within the 21 day rule and BE SURE to send it requiring a signature.  

I don't know what happened to make your tenant this hostile towards you, but sometimes it is just do to the fact that you are a landlord.  Best wishes.