All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

As far as accessing your info via your phone, you could buy a home wireless router that has a USB drive on it.  I just bought one myself.  Mine is a Netgear cable modem/router (wireless).

What you do is put the USB drive in the router, then you go to the website that is the router's IP address.  The USB drive will be listed, and you can access the files.  I haven't used this feature yet, except to see the USB drive listed - I haven't tried accessing files on my USB flash drive yet.

The online utility is called Netgear Genie.  I also downloaded their utility to my computer called Netgear USB Control Center.

Anyway, I literally just hooked it up day before yesterday and haven't tried to access it with my phone, but I bought it with that in mind - to be able to transfer photos and videos from my iPhone to the router USB drive, then I could transfer from there to my PC.

Anyway, check it out.  That might work.  The system is called ReadyShare.  Here's a link to it.  I'd assume other routers have the same feature.  

http://netgear.com/home/discover/apps/genie.aspx

http://www.netgear.com/home/discover/apps/readysha...

In fact, this is one of the modems that Charter Cable uses.  You might try renting one to see if it would work first, from your cable company?  Or just buy one from somewhere you can return it, like Staples, if it doesn't work.

I'm just curious - have you tried texting her again?  What if the landlord texted her and asked her if she wants her stuff back?  If she's coming back?  What's her new address to send any deposit to?  It seems like you might be able to get further communication via text that might suffice.  

I'd start with a text that might get her to respond, like "What is your new address, so I can send any security deposit I owe to you?"

Then follow up with, "Are you sure you are completely moved out?  Do you want any of your stuff back?"

Just wondering if that might be good enough?  To get her to admit in "writing" that she's abandoned the unit?

Perhaps you could rent a place with several bedrooms and sublet them?  You could learn to be a landlord and get your rent paid, and maybe even take in enough to pay for school.

Would your folks be willing to buy a place and let you manage it?  Renting rooms to students?  Or co-sign for you to rent a place with a few bedrooms you could sublet, if you cant qualify to rent it on your own?

I admire your ambition!

I know a couple of people who either used to accept Section 8 (my old boss) and someone who is on his last Section 8 property (has converted all other properties to non-Section 8), both live in the East Bay Area of SF.  And the reason is that they can get the same amount of rent or more, with far less hassle, if they don't accept Section 8.

The one who still has one multi-family, I think it's a 4 plex, in Oakland, said one of his Section 8 tenants just had her granddaughter move in to raise (I think he said she's around 5 years old) and so HUD had to come do an inspection. HUD nitpicked a bunch of stuff, including having to put a lock on a door that all tenants needed to use, and was normally unlocked, which was really inconvenient for the tenants (forget the details, but it created a hardship for them all). The lock was needed for some reason because of the age of the child.

He also said there were new rules and regulations added recently to the mountain of other hoops he already has to jump through.  It's just become too time consuming to deal with everything they want him to do.  Things he doesn't have to do with non-Section 8 properties.

It's a shame, because HUD creates different, additional landlord-tenant rules for Section 8 landlords, than are already in place by city/county/state governments.

So, really, unless you can't find tenants any other way, I can't see any reason to accept Section 8 tenants in most circumstances.

The exception would be if you specialized in tax properties. There's a huge demand there, and if I was to do that, I'd go for 55+, or even better 62+ senior buildings - where 100% of tenants are 62+. In these buildings, like the one I live in, there is a mix of units - some are market rent, some have HUD Section 8 tenants, others have other subsidized funding from city/county/state/federal sources. You can put one of these in the boonies, and have a waiting list. There are a lot of baby boomers out there in need of low-income housing. And some seniors can get a little wacky, but they're not likely to be doing anything really destructive.

I've lived in two tax properties so far, and they've been very well-maintained.  They have to deal with a lot of inspections and audits, etc., but there is always a waiting list and the tenants are pretty mellow for the most part.

Wow.  I hope hubby learned to trust your judgment.  Great story.

I dealt with a lot of these types of complaints when I was a resident manager of a 26 unit building.  What I'd do with your complainer is probably sit her down and tell her something like, "You know, considering they have a baby, you're really lucky the baby isn't crying all night long.  There's nothing I can do about normal, reasonable noise in an apartment building, and if it's just a banging noise, that's not something I can do anything about.  Now, if they were having a raving party, I could do something about that.

I tell you what, if it gets to the point you just can't take it anymore, I'll understand, and I'll let you out of your lease with just 30 days notice.  That's really the best I can do."

I told tenants not to deal with each other, that their complaints were to go through me.  I didn't want tenants duking it out in the hall, or banging on each other's doors.

I could tell you some stories.  I'd get complaints that other tenants were having sex too loudly.  I'd tell them, I'm not going to deal with talking to tenants about their sex lives.  If you feel it's severe enough, call the police and let them talk to them LOL.

But with your complainer, I wouldn't tell her to call the cops.  That's giving her a license to harass the other tenant, in my opinion.  I think you need to explain to her that apartment living includes normal, reasonable noise by people living normal lives, and if that doesn't work for her in your building, you give her permission to break her lease and move.

Most of my complainers shut up when I gave them the "out" option.  

Just a thought, is it possible you have squirrels or rats in the walls or roof?  We'd occasionally get roof rats and would have to bait for them.  They'd bang around at night and the tenants would complain and we'd bait/trap them in the attic area.

I don't know OR law, but make sure you do the move-out by the book, including any notices that are supposed to include the law regarding their rights, any pre-move-out inspection procedures, etc., etc.  

Then, if you do the work yourself, take pictures of you doing the work, and maybe a video.  If you have someone else do any work, or rent machines, etc., take pics and keep receipts.

I agree with documenting every little thing, and if that adds up to more than the security deposit, you can use this to negotiate with the tenant to settle out of court.

She knows the cats stunk up the place.  So, when she gets her itemization that says her security deposit is gone, and she owes you an additional $300, she won't be completely surprised.  

And then she'll be happy to see the extra agreement you included with the itemization that says if she signs it, you will waive the additional $300, if she agrees not to take you to court, and that she should know that if she loses in court, you will also be asking the judge to have her pay the full amount and your court costs, too.  So, since you'd really rather avoid any court action, you're willing to forgo the additional $300 as a means of settling the account. :-)

That's what I'd do, anyway.  You'd have to decide if you're okay with something like that.  At minimum, it should get her to call you rather than just file, and you might be able to work something out that you're okay with and that is worth settling out of court.

Good luck!

I realized I could cut and paste the definition for you, too.  Here's a version from Wikipedia:

There is a considerable body of case law concerning the proper treatment of a scrivener's error.[a] For example, where the parties to a contract make an oral agreement that, when reduced to a writing, is mis-transcribed, the aggrieved party is entitled to reformation so that the writing corresponds to the oral agreement.[1]

Did they know what you intended to write on the contract?  If so, what you'd have is called a scrivener's error or a clerk's error, where both parties know it's just a mistake on the document.  And in that case, the court would agree the document just has an error on it, which is not enforceable.

If you have a copy of the original ad, you could press the point, if you are sure they knew that was what you intended the contract to show.

If you also have any other communication such as an email or text that indicates they knew the real deal, that would be perfect.  But, even with just the ad and the knowledge that they knew the real agreement, then just be firm and explain what a scrivener's error is to them.  Just Google it (I can't post links yet), and print out the legal definition for them, and they'll probably back down.

This is the clause from the Nolo Press contract I used in California.  I love the Nolo contracts, they're so simple and easy for tenants to understand, which I think is important.  Simple and clear.

22.Payment of Attorney Fees in a Lawsuit. In any action or legal proceeding to enforce any part of this Agreement, the prevailing party shall recover reasonable attorney fees and court costs.