All Forum Posts by: Ross Leavitt

Hi Jon,

Thanks for such a thorough post. I'm considering forming a partnership for the first time, and I need to learn about it fast. I'm copying the questions you mentioned, but I think I'll need more information to help me come up with reasonable answers to them, and then to translate those answers into legal language for the partnership documents.

Do you have any books that you recommend on this topic? I'd love to research more on this, and learn from the experience of others before making my own mistakes!

I have a brand-new duplex with five beds each side just a couple blocks from the university, and when I wasn't able to fill one side for the following 12-month period, I decided to rent the rooms individually. It was much easier to fill that way than with a group of five who were willing to sign together. I charged slightly more in rent (probably not enough more). I definitely recommend that you charge a flat rate for utilities, or just advertise it as part of the rent.

In the future, I'm going to rent my 5-bedroom units to groups when possible. Setting up utilities, especially TV and internet, is a pain, and sometimes the tech support won't help your tenants when they call, even if you put their names on the account.

For me, renting by rooms is an acceptable last resort when I can't fill my units with groups.

Hi Miranda,

You definitely want to re-key after every tenant. My understanding is that "do not duplicate" keeps 99% of locksmiths from duplicating, but if your tenant turns out to be shady, he probably knows the shady locksmiths. If he comes back and robs or rapes your new tenant because he had a key to their place, YOU are completely liable. Sure, the chances are small, but I just wouldn't want to take that risk.

That said, on all of my units I use locks with removable cores so rekeying is fast and easy. I know these forums aren't supposed to be for advertisements, but if you connect with me I can tell you more if you're interested. Just be sure you rekey each time!

By the way, what part of Oregon are you in? I have rentals in Springfield and Corvallis.

Ross