All Forum Posts by: Tamara R.

What I do is fill out the condition form myself (documented with about 150 pictures) and then have them sign it before I give them the keys (the form also states they have 5 days to add anything that I missed--they can either send me a certified letter or e-mail). I wouldn't leave it to the tenant to fill out this very important piece of information/court evidence.

That last time I had to raise the rent on good long term tenants, what we did was visit them in person and tell them that we need to increase their rent because our HOA dues, taxes and insurance have gone up. I asked them to look at their budget and let us know what they could afford to pay--I was hoping for $50 a month, and they told us they could afford $75. So win win--they got to pick a number that worked for them and felt like they were involved in the process and that we were considering their needs. We got more money than we were hoping for.

Whether or not you take this tack, the takeaway is that you are communicating with them the need for increased rent (your need) and wanting to do something workable to take their needs into consideration. Tell them that you need an extra $100 a month from them, but that you are willing to phase it in incrementally (so they know that the quarterly increases will stop at some point). If you just start raising it without communicating your end goal, they may well think the trend will continue indefinitely.

How can you prove that the tenant did this and you didn't add smoke odor to it later?

@ Jean Bolger maybe you could try those "mutt mitts" dispensers and readily available trash cans that I see in the parks to encourage pick up. I think people don't like being bothered with having to remember to bring bags and then carrying the excrement around with them until they get home. Also heard of a large apartment that took "samples" of the pets DNA, then when poop was left matched it up to the offending animal. A fine was then levied against the owner. . . .Or maybe you could just have owner contribute to having someone pick up the doo doo (of course, then they would definitely just leave it sitting there instead of picking it up.

Also, save a piece of the smelly carpet in a zip loc bag in case you need evidence for court.

What I do is fill out the condition form myself (documented with about 150 pictures) and then have them sign it before I give them the keys (the form also states they have 5 days to add anything that I missed--they can either send me a certified letter or e-mail). I wouldn't leave it to the tenant to fill out this very important piece of information/court evidence.

Also, my lease states the following:

Smoking is not allowed in the house or on the premises at any time. Tenant(s) and or guests that violate this do so with the understanding that smoke damage can costs thousands of dollars (including replacement of flooring, light fixtures, window coverings and repainting of the premises) to remedy and Tenant(s) shall be responsible for associated costs.

To answer your question, I think you should try to charge the tenant for everything you listed--whether she will ever pay it is another matter.

Pay for the repair yourself, then have the tenant sign an agreement to pay you back for the repairs at a certain dollar amount per month until the balance is paid. This should make it more manageable for them.

Interesting article on lenders seek court actions against homeowners years after foreclosure:

Lenders seek court actions against homeowners years after foreclosure

Keep them on until they break (if the house already has one when you buy it). My last purchase the storm door was broken, so I removed it without replacing. I have storm doors on two properties and have not had a problem with them getting broken/damaged.

Good to hear! Thanks.