All Forum Posts by: Jennifer T.

@Ihe Onwuka, that is good food for thought and I've definitely been considering using a screening service in the future, just to make my life easier.  But whether a landlord runs a credit check or uses a screening service to do that, potential applicants will still need to have a social security number.

And while the above article does have good points, one does need to keep in mind that it is written by company that runs a screening service, so their advice is certainly going to be biased ;).  Not necessarily wrong, but they are not impartial.

I also agree that, if you've offered a place to stay with hot water that they turned down, you are not obligated to reduce their rent.

As an aside, I was living in a rental during Hurricane Katrina.  There wasn't hot water for almost six months because the gas lines were flooded and the hot water heater was gas powered.  Though I was only living there for three months of it.  I guess I could have made a big commotion with my landlady about changing it to an electric hot water heater, but I didn't.  I didn't ask or expect the rent to be reduced either.

Quite frankly, it was unpleasant, but not that big of a deal.  I can understand why the tenants don't want to bother going elsewhere for a short time.  I used the coffeemaker to get hot water for washing dishes.  As they say, necessity is the mother of invention!

I personally would not rent to someone without a social security number for precisely the reasons @Sue Kelly stated above.  There just isn't any recourse if they cause a lot of damage.  Whether they are an illegal alien or not.

With that said, I suspect illegal aliens would usually make great tenants for all the reasons @Minh Le stated.

You might also consider being up front with the current tenants.  Let them know that, while you will be honoring their current leases (they may not necessarily know you have to) at the end of the lease agreement, the rent will be raised to the current market value of $XX and a pet deposit of $XX will be required for the lease to be renewed.

Then offer them the option of, if at any time they want to vacate the lease, there will be no penalties as long as you are given 30 days notice.

This will give them time to prepare for the higher rent and pet deposit, if they want to stay.  And, if they don't want to stay, they might leave on their own before the lease is up and you can get new tenants in paying higher rent/pet deposit.  Win-win.

If you're okay with the every two weeks, I think that sounds like a reasonable compromise.  Just make sure they realize they need to give you at least 30 days notice.  I'd even check back with them around the beginning of July and remind them, if they are still planning to leave on Aug. 31st, to give you at least 30 days notice.

I collected weekly rent once for some temporary tenants I had, who I knew were only going to be staying a few months.  I don't normally do that, but it benefitted me at the time (long story).  From the get-go they wanted to pay by the week, because the husband was paid by the week.

All in all, it didn't turn out too bad.  But the fact that they were obviously "paycheck to paycheck" kind of folks did cause some problems.  Rent was due on Mondays.  They lived there a total of four months.  The first two months, they were great.  A couple times they paid on Tuesday, but would send me a text or tell me it was coming Tuesday.

The last two months were problematic.  EVERY week they were late, paying on Tuesday or Wednesday, with no notice.  And usually then only after I had texted asking for the rent.  Then the husband was injured and couldn't work for a week.  They completely missed their rent that week and made only a partial payment the next week.  I sat down with them to work out a payback plan, which they still ran short on a few times.  By the time they moved out, they still owed me $100 for back rent.  Luckily, they left the place in great shape so I just took the $100 out of the security and returned the rest to them.

I realize hounding tenants for rent is sometimes our job as landlords, but that doesn't mean we like to do it.  And that was what that situation turned into.  It wasn't just ONE rent due date in a month.  It was FOUR.  So I felt like I was constantly sending "reminder" text messages and it was really annoying. 

I bought my duplex as a house hack.  I was even a first time home buyer, at the time.  Still own it, live in it, and rent out the other side.

I got lucky with the above purchase in that it greatly appreciated in value over a short time. Was worth more than double within 3 years. I obtained a HELOC and am about to purchase another rental investment (fixer upper). My 25% down payment will be part cash and part from my HELOC. The repair money will be coming from the HELOC.

Let me give you simple examples of a credit card dispute.

I let a guy charge $50 to my credit card to mow my lawn on Monday.  He doesn't come on Monday, in fact he never comes at all and never mows my lawn.  I file a dispute with my CC because he did not provide me with the service I paid for.  I win.

Or, I order a 50" Plasma TV online and pay with my credit card.  Instead of the tv, the company delivers a red coffee mug to me.  I file a dispute...because I did not receive what I paid for.  I win.

Obviously your contract will be more complicated than my examples, that is the essence of what will win your dispute.  You paid for something you didn't get.  And you need to be specific about what you were promised in the contract and paid for, but did not get.

I'm just not sure what to make of this whole thread!  Seriously, Debbie, seriously...your best bet is to do what dozens of people have already told you.

File a dispute on all your credit cards for all the charges this company has put on them. 

I am completely baffled, like everyone else, that you have not done this yet.  There is NO reason not to!  No reason.  And you have only a limited time to do it.

Perhaps you have never filed a credit card dispute?  It's really easy.  You can even do it over the phone, though I would suggest both over the phone and then also send an overnighted letter to each credit card company requesting the specific disputes to be placed and why.

The credit card company is actually your friend in this.  You are their customer.  They WANT to help you uphold your disputes, if you can give them any legal reason(s) to do it.

Read your contract.  What did the company legally promise to provide for you for your payment?  What you need to show to the CC companies for the dispute is where Guru BREACHED the agreement.  What did they specifically not provide you with that you paid for.

For example, it sounds like part of what you paid for was to attend a bootcamp, but you could not attend because you were given the wrong address and your urgent messages were unreturned on that day.  Maybe purposefully?  Do you even know that a bootcamp happened at all?  But that is the kind of information you want to include in your dispute letters.  Good luck.

Just wanted to throw out my sympathies!  Although I am not in the FL market, I am in NOLA where we have the same issues with few companies insuring here...or not taking new clients...and insurance is ridiculously expensive no matter how you slice it.

I only have one duplex and, the first two years I owned it, it was covered by FOUR different insurance companies!  One for flood, one for personal property, and then the policy I had with AllState broke out the dwelling/liability part of the insurance with them as the insurer for liability and dwelling...except for named storms damage.  They wouldn't cover that for a new policy.  So just that part was insured by Citizens.  The whole thing was just so crazy.

Then I switched to Lloyd's of London, through an agent.  They covered everything, except the flood insurance, for 25% less.

Awesome!  I read your previous post and am glad things have turned around for you.