All Forum Posts by: Vic French

Make sure that your tenant is not growing inside the house.  Not only is it a fire hazard but you will spend $$$$$ renovating to remove the stench after they leave. Marijuana grow houses affect the property value in residential neighborhoods when you decide to sell; they have to be disclosed to buyer in CA.  I have a neighbor that works for a nursery. He was growing indoors until several years ago after PGE automatically slapped Smart Meters his house. Now he grows outside under a barricade on the far side of his property. The stench in July, August and September is overwhelming. Barrier fences have gone up and he has a couple yappy dogs to protect his grow.  I have called the police upon numerous occasions and they can do nothing because no one monitors growth limits and police have to have a warrant to come on to property.  It makes it hard for honest people; the laws are in favor of the criminally dishonest. 

My solution to this dilemma was base average usage on occupancy and previous water bills, building in an annual increase of 1% by the water/sewer company for an 18-24 month period. I positioned my rent $100 over market rate and wrote in my lease that if water bill went over a certain dollar amount they would be responsible for anything over that amount.  They initial and sign lease to that effect. I was up front with tenants before they signed the lease, showing them previous water bills with average usage. This makes good tenants a little more cautious in their water use to avoid paying extra rent.  I always use past bills as a benchmark to what I will up-charge for rents. I only have two units on one property with one water line however.

Is Kim 2.0, the recent ordinance designed as a moneymaker for long term tenants, a nightmare for landlords in the greater Bay area?  How will it impact the small investor with one property?

I once had tenants that were burned out of their home at Christmas time and wished to rent my house at a premium. You normally get higher rents. My tenants were excellent and they were here for a year. Review the company paperwork carefully. You may want to ask the company if you can actually meet the prospective tenants first. Normally, the company negotiates for the tenant based on insurance information and variables submitted directly to them.  I believe the company guarantees the rents based on the subsidy derived from the insurance claim.

To help avoid future drain clogs have your tenants administer Pinesol down the drains every few weeks. Apply to drainss and leave overnight, flush the next morning. The pine oil loosens debris and helps keep things moving...kind of like a healthy intestinal track when you use probiotics.  FYI~A plumber recommended this to me.