All Forum Posts by: Robin Evans

If it's not a direct threat to safety/health and follows the code then it's the tenant's responsibility. I'm not cleaning the air vents unless there is mold created by the property like a water leak of some sort (if it's created by the tenant then that is their fault). We don't know the maintenance he has been performing (if any). 

The tenant marked "good" so they approved of the "as-is" property condition. Tenants are responsible to maintain cleanliness of the property. 

Also do not give a vacate reason if you decide to go that route. The less information, the better. We have decided not to renew once your lease is up, is all the information he needs. 

Hi @Jeremy Nothing direct threat to safety/health is mentioned by the tenant.I do agree that tenants are responsbile to mainteain cleanliness of the property which is actaully mentioned in the lease (although it is common sense). Thank you also for the tip on vacate reason!

To me this seems like common sense, vs having to write everything into a lease.

Vents, look at them yourself and asses if they need cleaning. If so pay for it and think him for pointing it out. If not, tell him you think they are acceptable, but thank you for pointing it out (no one wants their baby to be a dust bucket).

Leaves in the garage, tell him it's an act of nature, he will need to remove them himself with a broom or otherwise.

Neighbor complained to you about his noise, too bad so sad for the neighbor, the world does not work that way. If the renter is breaking the noise ordnance the neighbor needs to call local Law Enforcement. Buzz saw ripping wood at 3 am, or etc...

If you dislike the renter interpersonally, well that's another issue.

Good Luck!

Off the cuff I would respond that he should definately pay for someone to come out and clean it if h’es worried about his health but obviously he’s responsible, has he changed the furnace filter vents every 30-90 days as recommended? I would then end this with if he’s really worried about it and can’t afford to clean them you agree to let him vacate at the end of the month. (6 days) as obviously he wouldn’t want to stay any longer if it’s dangerous.  

Depending on the notice requirements of your state and city I would make sure to get my renewal notice ou the next day Reminding the tenant that starting February first they would be on a MTM lease at this new higher rent (Market plus hassle factor $’s) and that starting that date tenants would be responsible for all hvac upkeep (filters and duct cleaning) and all landscaping (snow removal, weed whacking, mowing, etc) or they will be charged a $100/mo maintenance fee. 

Hey Everyone,

This is my first post on a BiggerPockets forum! I am 19 years old and currently in college studying a 5 year major, I discovered the world of real estate investing about a year ago on YouTube. I then bought Rich Dad Poor Dad. It motivated me even more to invest and become financially free. I bought two books written by Brandon Turner: Rental Property Investing and Investing in Real Estate With Low and No Money Down. I have read Rental Property Investing and the information was incredible. There was almost too much information in there for me to comprehend. I'm writing here today asking you all what a great starting point for me would be. I would love to get involved as soon as possible but I have so much to learn and not a lot of time right now with my school work among other commitments in college. I am hoping to be more involved with this community now and hopefully for years to come. Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!!

I've had a lot of inquiries on a property from Section 8 renters recently and I found this thread helpful. Thanks @Jose Jacob and @Robin Evans for the info! 

Cash for keys is probably a controversial approach, but I've used it successfully.

If it looks like eviction is in the future, you might consider a "cash for keys" offer in which you say something like, "Look, I know this is tough news, but we're headed towards eviction. I can offer you a better option. If you can be completely out by (date and time), we'll give you (some amount of money), and we'll go through our normal move out process and maybe add some or all of the security deposit too, depending on the condition of the place. But if you aren't out in time, we can't honor this offer and we're going to have to proceed with the eviction. Do you want to talk about this option?"

Of course, the date would be sooner than what you would get with an eviction and it ought to be smoother, and less damaging to your property, because the tenant is choosing to leave instead of being forced to leave by you and the court. 

Benefits are less stress and probably less unpaid tenancy or vacancy, and the tenant can get out without an eviction and with head held a bit higher. Plus extra money to help get into next place.

You'll be giving up money, but by speeding up the end of a bad situation it might be worth it. You'd have to judge that.

No doubt a search on "cash for keys" would bring up more on this approach.

We did this successfully with a tenant recently. We already had a (relatively) high trust relationship though.

Quote from @Robin Evans:

Thanks for the steps of eviction! Is this "deemed late on certain day"  totally up to Landlord or does each state has their own rule? 

The "grace period" is our choice, at least here in Hawaii. And, it does vary from one PM / LL to another, with some not allowing a grace period. I consider myself to be pretty fair, but tough on tenants, however the reality is SOME things are beyond a tenant's control. You need to build in some flexibility to your processes, or you will be spending dollars to collect pennies.

Quote from @Robin Evans:

He's been good in the past and he's working on solutions, so I recommend letting it continue. However, I would be very clear with him that if he's not caught up next month, then he will be evicted. I make exceptions for people that make the effort to get back on track, but even then it is a short leash.

I'm a retired, disabled vet myself. That doesn't mean I get a pass on life. He needs to pay rent like everyone else. Even if he catches up, I would seriously consider terminating his lease when it expires.

Quote from @Robin Evans:

Lesson learned! Their income met our criteria at the time but they didn't have long enough employment history. He then keeps changing jobs and she left hers to stay at home. We were under some pressure at the time to rent it out due to the coming mortgage payment. The question regarding Fair Housing, we did implement the same late fee rule to all our tenants without any exceptions. But our lease doesn't have grace period or say how long Landlord will let Tenant late on rent before evicting them. How long do you usually give them? And to start eviction, how many days of notice do you need to give tenants before the process? Thank you!

All rents are due on the first, and deemed "late" at 5 PM on the fifth calendar day, except if this falls on Sat, Sun, or Holiday, they get until the next regular Business Day, when late charge is applied. The "notice" time will vary by locale, google your landlord/tenant laws. We send the initial late notice around the 10th, but cannot initiate an eviction until they are full 30 days in arrears. By that time we would normally already provide the attorney with the necessary information and copy of our initial notice, so the Attorney will send the their notice as close as practical to the 30 day time frame. (Here, PM's must use an attorney, but private owner/landlords do not need to.)