What should I watch out for and when can I evict someone after late payments? What forms could I have the tenant sign to keep me protected. I hear about tenants that went to court and won and the Landlord can pay up to $20000 in court fees. I'm 23 and just starting off fresh and hope I don't have to run into these kind of issues. I just bought a remodeled condo and its ready to be rented out in March.
2007-01-29 07:30:28 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Business & Finance ➔ Renting & Real Estate
Buy a book or three. Landlord for dummies or something as such.
There is no way in a forum like this anyone can impart to you all of the things you need to look out for in dealing with property and tenants.
Be especially careful about fair housing laws. These are the law suits that will clean your clock. Not just 20K but the whole of your property.
Visit www.hud.gov and read up on landlord tenant law.
Best of luck
2007-01-29 07:37:08 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lots of advice? I can offer you some!
Here's a tip from a former tenant. Be involved!
We were our last landlord's first tenants, and I think that he thought it was a good way to make a buck without any work. We went for about 5 months during our lease without seeing or hearing from him at all. I know he was still alive, because my check was faithfully deposited each month the day after he got it.
It would have been nice to chat with him at least once a month. We didn't have any issues, but if we had even small concerns, it would have been nice to be able to mention it instead of having to call his answering machine. At the end of our lease, he still did not remember my name.
Another tip: Be careful what you say - it may come back at you!
Our landlord told us lots of things that he never followed through on. Some things were little, like "I've got an extra lawn mower, I'll drop it off for you so you can take care of the yard" (instead he sent his son over and charged me $50 for the "property maintenance"). Some things are not so little, like when we were discussing the issue of the propane in the tank. Don't say "Don't worry about it, we'll work something out when the lease is up" if you really mean "It's your responsibility to make sure the tank is empty when you leave"! What you say to your tenant can be considered an oral contract, and can be used in a court against you. If it comes to your word against a tenants, the courts have a tendency to make judgments in the favor of the tenants, just because they are the more vulnerable party. My advice to you is to make sure you have everything in writing, and make sure that you have a copy with both your signature and the tenant's, just in case you ever need it!
And a final note: Know your lease contract and the related laws in your state (easily accessible through most state's Department of Justice [DOJ] websites).
Our landlord must have downloaded his lease contract from some cut-rate property management's website without even reviewing it. It was very unprofessional, had misspellings, and a couple of sections could not even pertain to the property that we were leasing. When it came to a legal issue with him, he took several State Statutes out of context and tried to make them work in his favor. By the way, the judge did not buy it!
One thing actually led to another with our last landlord. His lack of involvement with his property led us to not do him the favor of any advance warning that we were building our own house. I knew we would not be renewing at least 5 months before the end of our contract with him, but did not tell him until 2 weeks before the lease was up. If he had been more involved, he could have been in the loop!
And since I did not tell him about my intention not to renew the lease, he did not feel like paying me back for the propane I left in the tank. I had to take him to court to get my propane money back, and then he tried to countersue me for one month's rent (citing a statute that he misinterpreted as saying he was entitled to 30 day's notice). His countersuit was thrown out because I did honor the term of the lease, and neither state law or his lease contract required me to give notice of intent to renew.
Your attitude will make a big difference. If you look at what you're doing as a service to your tenant (and not only as a way to make money), they will notice. Don't go in to this expecting the worst, or you may well get it! Keep your tenants happy with you, and they should not disappoint you! Good luck!
2007-01-29 10:13:28 · answer #2 · answered by Matt Richmond 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are starting off wrong -- you are like the doctor looking to protect himself from a patient who is angry
try reversing it and say how can I keep the tenant happy, keep the hallways clean and pay the rent on time because I at least dont hate the landlord
2007-01-29 07:35:30 · answer #3 · answered by god knows and sees else Yahoo 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Pay the best landlord and tenant attorney in your area to sit down with you for an hour and go over all your rights and responsibilities.
2007-01-31 02:55:05 · answer #4 · answered by WishICouldTellU 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Contact your local health department or free legal aid services. Most states have handbooks called "Landlord/Tenant Rights and Responsibilities". You can also check out this site.
http://www.atg.wa.gov/consumer/lt/lndlrdrespon.shtml.
2007-01-29 07:42:41 · answer #5 · answered by drammy22 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋