All Forum Posts by: Russ B.

I doubt there would be legal trouble, for not coming to the rescue when they lock themselves out. It's not like you changed the locks. 

However, I'd still do it. People who are getting evicted don't usually have money for a locksmith, and have already racked up a decent sized debt that they're unlikely to ever pay. Also, the less they hate you, the more inclined they'll be to leave the place undamaged. 

If they break your door to get in, what's it gonna cost em? Another debt on the pile of other debts they'll never pay? 

Why do people think a landlord is some kind of authority figure to bring disputes to? 

... That said, you'll have your average neighbor a lot longer than you'll have a typical tenant. So, it might be worth asking any other neighbors that you know personally, what they've seen? She could be the crazy one, or it could be the tenant. Who knows. 

There probably isn't much you can do (leases don't usually have anything about antagonizing the neighbors), but it'd be a consideration at renewal time.

Hmm.. I wonder what kinda weird flavor of liquid they're using?

I've been vaping in my house for years, and never had any residue or smells build up. It would be easy to notice, as there are a lot of shiny surfaces (and because we usually only get good about dusting when we expect visitors! 😅). 

Could it be that it's an older house that someone smoked in years ago? Sometimes the smell fades after a couple decades, but the tar is still there. 

I've personally never hired out a job like that. They are super easy to swap out if you know how to do basic plumbing / electric (assuming there isn't and other issue, like they're located somewhere hard to reach). 

Probably the most difficult part of the job is dragging the old one out of the building and disposing of it. 

This really really sounds like the person smoked cigarettes in there, and tried to pass it off as a vape...

I wonder if there's a way to go after the doctors that these places employ, as well as the companies themselves, for malpractice? 

They claim to be practicing medicine, making diagnoses, and prescribing treatment based on an internet questionnaire that they apparently don't even read. I'd think that should be enough to make some kind of ethics complaint, and potentially get their license pulled. I can't think of any other doctor (or any professional at all) that'll sell a rubber stamp signature like that. 

I'd bet that these companies are actually banking on none of these ever getting to court.. Their business model may strongly depend on nobody looking too closely. 

 Also, don't forget that there exist things like exit scams. They're rarer because the scammer has to take time to become respected in the community, but the amount taken at the end can be much larger. There are also legit people that fall on hard times for whatever reason and resort to fraud. 

That's why it's important to do your due diligence in every transaction - especially the ones that differ from the norm. 

I'm not sure there is a way to do an automated / vote based ranking system that can't be gamed. Sometimes, the shadiest people end up being the ones with the highest ratings. 

Personally, I think it's more of an education thing than a scammer problem, because scammers will always turn up wherever they see opportunity. They're almost a universal constant, like gravity and problem tenants. Real estate investing involves some harsh realities (especially around the amount of cash you need to get started), and a beginner is likely to start with a string of disappointments and "no"s... Scammers love to take advantage of this - just promise the impossible to someone who doesn't know (or accept) that it's impossible, and they can sell fantasies for cash. 

Maybe there should be (or if it exists, it could be more prominent) a short "read this first" article or sticky that clearly details the type of financing and deals a beginner is likely to actually have access to, as well as what they typically cost and what kinds of upfront fees are normal vs not normal. There could also be a section that lists some of the deals and strategies we sometimes talk about here, that a typical beginner does not have access to (and why). 

Also, how are the heating bills in winter / electric bills in summer? Those would both be high if the house needed insulation. 

Personally, I'd probably throw some kind of data logging device on it to see what it's really doing (ie, is it running constantly, icing up, outside part running too hot, etc.). But, I'm an electrical engineer, so my go-to solutions tend to involve sensors and software... probably not practical. 

Maybe one of those fancy thermostats could at least tell you how much it's running? 

Set on 70 but at 78 - this can also mean it was just turned on a few minutes ago. Central air in general can be pretty slow to get the temperature down. Maybe the tenant is trying to use it just part of the time?