All Forum Posts by: Vincent Carroll

thanks Jd Martin. Not sure how old the paint was, though we do have the original condition statement from when they moved in which stated there were no issues with the apartment.

Greetings,

My wife and I just got rid of our first (inherited) tenants, thankfully (we did a non-renewal of their month-to-month lease). However, they were on a nonsmoking lease (with the prior owner as well as the new lease with us), and we discussed the smoking issue with them when we purchased the property last year, and also sent a subsequent written warning which we received back with a very hostile and crude reply. Now that they are gone (strange folks), there is severe cigarette smoke odor concentrated in one of the 2nd floor bedrooms, also affecting the hallway. Also discoloration of the paint. We've had estimated from a cleaning company for odor removal, as well as a painting estimate. Certain things may fall under wear-and-tear, but I think (in my limited experience) that this warrants a deduction from their deposit. We were thinking of just deducting the cleaning costs and not charging for the repainting. Is this reasonable? This is MA (very tenant-friendly).

Second question is more of a "what would you do? type of thing. My wife wants to just give them their entire deposit back and be done with these folks (who have been fairly unpleasant) -- and she also worries they could try to "retaliate" in some fashion. I'm more stubborn and feel determined to make them pay for significant damage that will require time and money on our part to rectify.

Any thoughts/advice greatly welcomed. We are new investors, and got an introduction to how bad inherited tenants can be!

Thanks very much,

Vin Carroll

we will definitely initiate evection on April 1 if they're still there. In the meantime, I was wondering if we should reach out to them to try and get a sense if they are planning on leaving, but I'm not sure I want to get into any sort of discussion regarding the matter. 

Thanks again!

thanks for the advice guys.  We're reading up on MA specific laws, and will certainly involve an attorney if we have to initiate an eviction. Up to this point, we have documented everything. And we have documented the smoking infractions, though that's not something we are bringing up with them presently. 

We actually told them that we're not continuing their lease because we want the unit for family. Which is a lie, but we thought in might increase the chances that they'd go quietly if they don't think it's a personal issue with them. 

We'll  be very relieved when they are gone! 

Thanks again!

Greetings,

My wife and I (and our young son) owner-occupy a duplex,  and we have a tenant (family) next-door who we inherited when we purchased the property last year. They are presently on a month-to-month lease, and although they pay their rent, they are not desirable Tenants by any means, and therefore we gave them notice on Feb. 1  that way we would not be continuing their lease, effective March 31. So essentially we are giving them twice as much notice as required by law. Since giving them notice, we have heard nothing, and are concerned that they do not plan on moving. 

I'm seeking advice on how to handle this somewhat touchy situation, as we have to live next-door and these folks who are fairly strange, and we have had some contentious interaction with them regarding their smoking in the property which is a violation of the lease. Should I check in with them in the near future to confirm that they received our notice (which was sent by certified mail), and inquire if they have set a moving day? I feel that we cannot be flexible in terms of allowing them to stay any longer than the end of the month.  If, when the time comes, they do not move out, I feel that we must begin and evection immediately, which will be our first eviction experience as we are relatively new to landlording.  Wondering how to best navigate this somewhat tricky situation. 

Thanks  in advance for any advice!

Vin Carroll

To those who responded positively, thank you for your advice and insight. To everyone who responded in a negative or accusatory manner, this is not productive and in my mind has no place here. There was never any mention nor intention of not paying the contractor for his work.

My wife and I both work in a business where an estimate can be rough, but an invoice is exact to the penny. We are relatively new to investing, and I think we got lucky with all of our initial contractors who gave us a general idea on what materials would cost, what labor they charged, etc. They all instilled confidence and we trusted our relationship. This particular contractor, while he ultimately did the work satisfactorily, was a little shady in many communications, and made us feel like he might be trying to take advantage of us. We are still learning, and did not realize most contractors did not itemize invoices. While we don't know if we would work with him again, we have learned a valuable lesson in the process. Thank you for your thoughts and help!

Greetings,

My wife and I hired a general contractor to renovate a garage on one of our properties. He provided an estimate up front , and we paid half as an initial deposit. Upon completion of the job (which was done satisfactorily) her requested final payment. We asked for a detailed invoice, which came in the form of "materials and labor = $9500, Permit costs = $300". We pressed him for a proper itemization of materials and labor, to which he replied "it's my busy season and I have many other jobs going at the same time. The receipts are all commingled over many different dates, so don't have a way to break this out any further." Although his final bill is exactly the same as his estimate, this seems completely unacceptable. How can he say the work cost X amount if he doesn't even know what his material and time were? Any advice on how to handle this? Thanks in advance!