Renting.....vent

[Mynyel]

:rant:

 

We are looking for a new rental. Let me also say we have been looking at 3 bedroom places. Some have 1 bath some have 2.

 

So we have been looking high and low for a suitable place. Oh and at a decent price. Where did they all go? Seems like they are all in the ghetto and exorbitant prices. If you do find a nice place they fall into a vent below or the rent is so high we can't possibly afford it.

 

1.

If any landlords are out there explain to me this whole pet fee/pet rent thing. I mean, really? A pet fee up front then an additional amount added to rent for the pet?? Since when did dogs and cats rack up that much damage? I have always had animals (talking from back when I was a kid as well) and they have never caused over $500 in damage. That amount is factoring a typical $250 :001_huh: pet "deposit" that is non-refundable and the standard $25 per month for the pet. Oh and some people want that amount per pet!

 

2.

Then there are the ones that don't allow pets but have acreage and a barn:001_huh: What you keep in the barn if not animals?

 

3.

Oh and there is the wonderful people that charge you full months rent but specify that they are going to use one room in the house for storage or use half the garage for boat storage.

 

4.

And will someone tell me the definition of "large" as it pertains to houses? I daresay that 1100 sq ft isn't large (well unless you come from 900sq ft I guess) so why is it called "large" or "roomy". I don't think so.

 

 

5.

Then there is the credit check. Why? I mean does credit (nowadays) really tell someone if they are going to pay the rent? We have had to go past ones that want "good" credit because our credit is shot. I mean real shot. Because we chose to pay our rent. We have been late 3 times in 15 years. Does that not account for something??

 

6.

Then there are the ones that want 3 times the rent in income. :001_huh: I think we may have made that much once or twice. Certainly we don't now. And again, going back to the decent places, I would have to live in the ghetto or projects in order to make 3 times the amount in rent.

 

7.

Finally, why of why if you are advertising online will you not accept emails?? If you are afraid of spam or phishing emails then don't even advertise online. Whats the difference between putting your email out on the web and putting your phone number? Personally I think a phone number is worse, it can be traces easier to a person. Email cannot.

 

OK vent over....for now....until I have to start looking again....after the break I am taking.

 

[littlebug42]

I used to manage apartments so I can speak to a few of your questions:

 

Pet rent/deposit. Many pets do not do damage. However, many more do significant damage. Cat urine is one of the most destructive forces known to man. Residual smell from cats was by far the biggest problem. If an owner had cats, we could pretty much count on having to replace the carpet after people left. Of course, there is, I am sure, a component of profit making at work there as well.

 

Credit checks: When I managed for a large company, we always did credit checks specifically looking for things like evictions, non-payment of utilities, etc. If these were present, we would not rent to them until these items were paid. If you are looking at renting from a company, they should have a rental policy somewhere that lets them know what they are looking at on credit checks. For us, medical stuff was not counted at all.

 

With the income requirements, they want to be reasonably certain that you can pay all of your bills before they rent to you. You may make rent a priority but this is not always the case. They are looking out for their bottom line.

 

Good luck. I know it can all be so infuriating. I hated managing apartments which is precisely why I won't ever do it again. For Fair Housing reasons, we could not make exceptions from our rental policy although many times I wanted to.

[EJCMom]

I'm so sorry you're having trouble finding a place. That is just so frustrating. :grouphug:

 

We have a couple of rental properties and we simply don't allow pets anymore. The first pet that caused damage was a male cat that hadn't been "fixed." He sprayed in a corner in the living room so much that we had to replace the carpet, the floorboard underneath, and the sheetrock on the wall in that corner. Then, he did so much scratching and biting of the carpet in the master bedroom that we had to replace the carpet in that room too. So, we basically ended up having to replace the carpet in the whole house so that it would all match. The pet deposit barely put a dent in the amount we spent fixing the damage.

 

The next renters after that had a dog who tore up the back yard and damaged the fence. The pet deposit almost covered all of the damage in that instance, but by that time we were done with allowing pets.

[Margo out of lurking]

Where did they all go? Seems like they are all in the ghetto and exorbitant prices. If you do find a nice place they fall into a vent below or the rent is so high we can't possibly afford it.

 

We just rented out our house in southern VA. We figured it would go pretty quickly; most of the rentals are lake properties or complete dumps, and it's tough to find something in the middle (which we had). It didn't go as quickly as we would have liked though. We chose to rent, frankly because we knew it's a hard time to sell, and the realtor fees would eat up much of our profit.

 

Since when did dogs and cats rack up that much damage? I have always had animals (talking from back when I was a kid as well) and they have never caused over $500 in damage. That amount is factoring a typical $250 :001_huh: pet "deposit" that is non-refundable and the standard $25 per month for the pet. Oh and some people want that amount per pet!

 

Yes, yes, yes. Pets often do huge amounts of damage. I would consider $500 in pet damage to be outrageous. I've had pets my entire life, and in total, they have never caused that much damage. We only chose to accept pets because renters want it--and will pay for it.

 

Then there are the ones that don't allow pets but have acreage and a barn:001_huh: What you keep in the barn if not animals?

 

We had five acres, and I can't tell you number of people who wanted to know how large the fenced yard was. There is no fencing!

Then there is the credit check. Why? I mean does credit (nowadays) really tell someone if they are going to pay the rent? We have had to go past ones that want "good" credit because our credit is shot. I mean real shot. Because we chose to pay our rent. We have been late 3 times in 15 years. Does that not account for something??

 

Our renters paid an $85 non-refundable fee for a credit check. And yes, it's an indicator of whether you may or may not have a crappy renter. The last thing I'd do is trust the current landlord as a reference. They would have an ulterior motive to lie and say good things about a tenant just to be rid of them.

 

Yes, it's hard out there, on both sides. The economy is a mess, and it affects everyone. If a renter can jump through all of the hoops, the owners can only sit back and hope it works out. Our current renters had a recent foreclosure but now are employed again making $90K. But who knows what will happen...

[sassenach]

Renting is no fun. Of course, owning was a pain when big things went wrong. Still, I miss owning. Our current landlords are ok. LL is a cheap man who insists on half@ssing repairs instead of paying for a profesional. We went nearly all winter with no heat because he kept trying to fix it himself. It finally got fixed the week before our weather shot up into the 70s. Last night I could smell gas coming from around the heater closet, so I shut the valve off. When I opened the closet, I found that he had taped some sort of wire (I'm assuming a ground) to the metal valve turn off.:confused: I'm going to have the gas company come out and look at it.

 

We also had 2 chihuahuas when we moved in. We paid $300 each for the pet deposit. One of them died after less than a year of living here. When we got a new dog, he had us pay another $300. But whatever, that's fine. The deposits and credit checks don't bother me so much. The dragging out necessary repairs bothers me a whole lot.

[LND1218]

1. Pets - oh yeah they can cause that much damage. Our former landlords currently have over $10,000 worth of damage to their home because of pets. (not ours! the people who moved in after us.) I have seen some dogs do some serious damage to doors, carpets, windows and all.

 

Cat pee - oh that's awful stuff!

 

2. An animal in the barn is often far less destructive than one in the house.

 

3 and 4 - that's annoying!

 

5. Yeah that tough - maybe letters of recommendation/referral from a previous land lord will help with that.

 

6. Well that's a common rule of the thumb for housing. We have always tried to live by that ourselves. It just makes life easier in other areas. It's tough though when you can't find a place in your budget.

 

7. The reason for not listing the email is it can be picked up automatically whereas a computer won't call the number. While the phone number can be easier and trace to a person, it's not as easily done by a computer just looking for emails online.

 

Hope you find something soon!!

 

One time we were looking at a house (before kids) and land lord said I do have someone else interested but they have kids. I would rather rent to you than have them living there with their kids. :tongue_smilie: So sure come look at it. And if you want it, I will rent to you instead of them. We didn't wind up living there, but you never know what a landlord will do/say or want.

[littlebug42]

 

One time we were looking at a house (before kids) and land lord said I do have someone else interested but they have kids. I would rather rent to you than have them living there with their kids. :tongue_smilie: So sure come look at it. And if you want it, I will rent to you instead of them. We didn't wind up living there, but you never know what a landlord will do/say or want.

 

Just as an FYI - if the landlord has 4 or more properties (apartment units etc) that they rent out, this is way illegal. It is a major violation of federal fair housing laws.

[....]

Howdy. I own a rental house. I also rent a house. I understand both sides... :glare:

 

The rental market right now feels like where the housing market was about 5 years ago...everybody's renting and people who normally aren't landlords are renting out their property and they don't know what they're doing.

 

For example, like you said about wanting to store cr&p in the rental house - using up a room or putting their boat in the garage. That is WRONG. I view our tenant as a customer - not some serf or peasant who needs me for a place to live. Come on, seriously. We made sure our rental house was entirely cleaned out before he moved in. You don't dump your cr*p in other people's houses. :glare:

 

Also, repairs done in a timely manner? If you didn't have heat all winter, I'm pretty sure that landlord was breaking a law.

 

One thing I was sure to tell our tenant when he moved in - was that this is YOUR house. I told him that I'm not going to bother him or come in here and "inspect" or harrass him. This guy pays his rent about a month early - and I actually lowered his rent a few months ago because we want him to stay longer.

 

Rental-house owners can make a lot of money off their property. Not only do we have someone paying our mortgage every month and get a big tax deduction (it's considered depreciating property), but there is a leftover monthly profit also. I can't for one second feel sorry for landlords/owners as long as they have a paying tenant.

 

Just keep looking. You'll find something! I wouldn't answer ads that give you the impression that the owner is half-heartedly renting out their property (i.e., they don't actually want you to "live" in the house, they just want some extra cash while they store their cr&p in your garage - that makes me mad).

[Melinda in VT]

Rental-house owners can make a lot of money off their property. Not only do we have someone paying our mortgage every month and get a big tax deduction (it's considered depreciating property), but there is a leftover monthly profit also. I can't for one second feel sorry for landlords/owners as long as they have a paying tenant.

 

This really depends on how much their mortgage is and how much rent is.

 

We used to be landlords, and whatever monthly profit we made usually went into the next major repair. The main financial benefits were the tax deduction and the property appreciation when we sold.

 

We have pets, but we eventually decided not to rent to people with pets. We were burned too many times.

 

Likewise with credit scores and income/rent ratios. In many states, getting tenants evicted if they stop paying rent is extremely difficult. It only takes one or two tenants who miss months or are habitually late to make you very, very wary of renting to anyone who seems financially on the edge.

 

:grouphug: I hope you find something suitable and affordable soon.

[JFSinIL]

May I add that some folks might be renting only because they can't sell in this market, and they are scared a renter will somehow damage their property.

 

On our block of 16 houses 4 are now being rented/for rent by owners who had to move and could NOT sell (or just want to wait for the market to improve.) One house was just taken off the market and the people decided to stay rather than rent. I am in contact with the owners of the one house rented out since they are not local and needed someone to keep an eye on things. The people moved in with several dogs - but the person renting had had dogs herself so the house was already, well, "doggie".

[chiguirre]

 

6.

Then there are the ones that want 3 times the rent in income. :001_huh: I think we may have made that much once or twice. Certainly we don't now. And again, going back to the decent places, I would have to live in the ghetto or projects in order to make 3 times the amount in rent.

 

 

You might qualify for subsidized housing. Big apartment complexes have to have some apartments for low-income tenants. You'd have to check your state's requirements and procedures for applying, but it might help you out.

[Denisemomof4]

dh was a landlord when I met him and 7 years ago, I was DONE. I was SO TIRED of dealing with renters that I just wanted OUT. We had some real jerks to deal with, and then we had one awesome, AWESOME renter that we are still friends with to this day.

 

:rant:

 

So we have been looking high and low for a suitable place. Oh and at a decent price. Where did they all go? Seems like they are all in the ghetto and exorbitant prices. If you do find a nice place they fall into a vent below or the rent is so high we can't possibly afford it.

 

as landlords, we looked high and low for renters! Everyone wanted to rent mil's house or our duplex, but most didn't have the funds to pay for the rent. With SOME landlords, if the rent ain't paid, the landlord can't cover the mortgage. Thankfully for us that wasn't the case because we would have had problems if it was. We never really raised our rent on our GOOD renter. He was there 10 years before he bought the place. When we sold our duplex to him, he charged $500 more per month for rent. I was shocked but did know that we could have charged more for rent. Because he was so good, we really wanted to keep him. His rent alone covered the mortgage so we didn't increase rent (I think we raised it 50 dollars in 10 years) didn't want to drive him away.

1.

If any landlords are out there explain to me this whole pet fee/pet rent thing. I mean, really? A pet fee up front then an additional amount added to rent for the pet?? Since when did dogs and cats rack up that much damage? I have always had animals (talking from back when I was a kid as well) and they have never caused over $500 in damage. That amount is factoring a typical $250 :001_huh: pet "deposit" that is non-refundable and the standard $25 per month for the pet. Oh and some people want that amount per pet!

 

We charged $500 deposit on an animal, one that had to be approved by us. We did not charge a monthly fee for the animal. The first renter we ever had brought a dog home and it scratched up the wood work, scratched up the door, and ruined the carpets. They took us to court to get their deposit back and they lost. Their dog also tried to play with mine and it ruined it's leg. The leg was wired together and the dog suffered a life of pain because of it. We never got any money from that.

 

2.

Then there are the ones that don't allow pets but have acreage and a barn:001_huh: What you keep in the barn if not animals?

 

Farm animals aren't allowed either? I can understand not allowing house pets. We searched high and low and had to give in on this one. Our last renter did not cause damage so we lucked out there, but she also couldn't pay the rent. We're now trying to sell mil's house because we're tired of chasing down rent.

3.

Oh and there is the wonderful people that charge you full months rent but specify that they are going to use one room in the house for storage or use half the garage for boat storage.

we never did this. It's STUPID!!!!! Seriously??!!! THey're keeping a ROOM??!!! Stupid!!! The garage maybe, but a room in the house??!!!

 

 

4.

And will someone tell me the definition of "large" as it pertains to houses? I daresay that 1100 sq ft isn't large (well unless you come from 900sq ft I guess) so why is it called "large" or "roomy". I don't think so.

Well, mil's house is not large, but the layout I'd classify as "roomy" because the two main living spaces are HUGE. The bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom are tiny. But the rooms that will get the most space are definitely large or roomy. Is this the case? Again, we never advertised using the words large OR roomy. It's just to get people to come out and look at the place, I'm sure.

 

 

 

5.

Then there is the credit check. Why? I mean does credit (nowadays) really tell someone if they are going to pay the rent? We have had to go past ones that want "good" credit because our credit is shot. I mean real shot. Because we chose to pay our rent. We have been late 3 times in 15 years. Does that not account for something??

We have had to turn down most renters because of this. In NH, too, you can't kick out non paying renters during the winter, if they have children, due to lack of payment, so this is especially important to us. Also, the credit checks sometimes show lies the people have told us, showing they truly can NOT cover the rent. Again, with our last renter, we were sick of chasing them down for rent so we are DONE. This is mil's house. We sold our duplex because of the same reason. We heard pretty much every excuse in the book. A credit check for a renter is absolutely necessary BUT, where you have really bad credit BUT have not paid rent only 3 times in 15 years (that's exceptional!!! You are GREAT renters!!!) I'd suggest getting a letter from all the places you can where you've rented and paid on time and submit that to the potential landlords. This would weigh heavily in OUR decision to rent to someone..

 

 

6.

Then there are the ones that want 3 times the rent in income. :001_huh: I think we may have made that much once or twice. Certainly we don't now. And again, going back to the decent places, I would have to live in the ghetto or projects in order to make 3 times the amount in rent.

This is something we simply didn't gamble with. When we had a great renter, we kept him. He also kept the place looking immaculate. Dh probably would have raised the rent more through the years but I really wanted to keep him. Our rent prices have always been extremely reasonable.

 

 

7.

Finally, why of why if you are advertising online will you not accept emails?? If you are afraid of spam or phishing emails then don't even advertise online. Whats the difference between putting your email out on the web and putting your phone number? Personally I think a phone number is worse, it can be traces easier to a person. Email cannot.

we never listed online so I can't help you here.

 

 

OK vent over....for now....until I have to start looking again....after the break I am taking.

 

 

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. I'm actually very surprised to hear it's hard to find a reasonable rental right now! What area of the country are you in? In New England there are places for rent and for sale ALL OVER THE PLACE. I do hope you'll come upon a place that will make you very happy, soon!!!

[Denisemomof4]

Also, repairs done in a timely manner? If you didn't have heat all winter, I'm pretty sure that landlord was breaking a law.

 

 

:iagree:

[Mynyel]

I have been looking in upstate NY (Finger Lakes, Syracuse and Utica areas) and here where we live now western NC (Asheville area..although trying to get out of Buncombe county).

 

It just has been a tough hall. I know we are good renters and I am not willing to jump through hoops because of other idiots messing it up.

 

The people Isee renting places out want me to take them at their (albeit implied) word that they are going to be decent landlords but I have to jump through hoops to prove I am a decent renter? I don't think so.

 

I know renting places out is a tough thing to do. There are many unscrupulous people out there on both sides but let's face it. The renter takes just a big a chance as the LL. Perhaps not in $$ but in everything else. For instance the poster who complained about the heat. Of course I would have been on his rear end every day until it was fixed and I would have gone to the county and/or state to get him to fix it. Especially if it is his MO. For instance our landlord now wouldn't do that. When I call with something wrong he gets it taken care of or an appointment for within 24 hours. Now I can't attest for his handyman he has contracted. I can't stand him so we go without little repairs, like the whole in the wall int he laundy room that was there when we moved in.

 

Anyway I digress. I am just having a real hard time, I am not asking for the world I mean we are only talking rents between 700-900. These aren't mansions or even big houses. They are old.

 

Oh and for the poster suggesting subsidized housing. Forget it! :D My husband (before he was fired...for crashing into a tree...after hydroplaning in the company truck with bald tires that he had complained about for a couple weeks before...that is another story) worked for the electric company here and had to shut off power in those places...there is no way in hell I would ever subject my kids to that atmosphere. I'd go live with my sister or my husband's family first! There is no offense taken and hope none on your part. :) I just feel strongly about it!

 

Anyhow... back to the drawing board. Hopefully we can find something decent soon. We aren't in a hurry but it is disheartening anyway!

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I would still consider subsidized housing IMHO. Around here the are some subsidized housing that is quite desirable and then there are some not so desirable. Plus there are single homes that are section 8 housing. So you might be surprised and actually find decent housing that is subsidized.

 

I would also consider jumping through some hoops so to speak. I realize having been a renter before that you do take a risk with the LL but the LL truly takes a much greater risk IMHO. I have heard stories where the landlord has lost thousands and thousands of dollars because of renters:(.

Edited July 18, 2010 by priscilla

[Smithie]

I'm a LL right now (beacuse the market tanked in 2008), and IMHO the landlord and the tenant assume different, but equally serious, risks. I could be out major $$ if my tenants trashed the place and left town. They could suffer a drastic and basically unsolvable decrease in their standard of living if I stopped living up to my LL responsibilities and they were stuck with a year's lease on a place with perpetually broken heat, broken plumbing etc. I hire a property manager to take care of this kind of stuff - it's worth the money to have somebody local with experience and contacts to deal with any problems that arise. If I were out trying to rent right now, I would look for a freestanding house that was being handled by a large, reputable property management firm. That would let me know that the LLs were people who weren't in this to make maximum $$ off me, but were people who wanted their place to stay in nice condition for an eventual sale.

 

OP, if you currently qualify for Section 8, then IMO it's really important for you to at least look into getting on the list for Section 8. Not all those places are created equal. And you don't know how you'll feel a month or six months or a year from now when your number finally comes up - things may be at the point where you are ready to take the option, or things may have improved so much that you know longer qualify and can take yourself off the list. In my area (Greenville), there are Section 8 options that are NOT in huge complexes, but totally respectable multi-unit buildings that small-scale LLs have chosen to categorize as Section 8. There really are choices out there, it just takes time and patience (and a place to live in the meantime!) while you search out the good options in your county.

[AHASRADA]

Renting is no fun. Of course, owning was a pain when big things went wrong. Still, I miss owning. Our current landlords are ok. LL is a cheap man who insists on half@ssing repairs instead of paying for a profesional. We went nearly all winter with no heat because he kept trying to fix it himself. It finally got fixed the week before our weather shot up into the 70s.

 

We are in a similar situation. As renters, we enjoy not being tied down to a place we may not be able to sell if we wanted/needed to move, and not having to pay for emergency repairs. At the same time, we don't have the option to repair and/or upgrade as we see fit (of course we could, if we spent our own money on it, but this would be a free gift to the landlord when we moved out).

 

Our LL is also very cheap, and has to be nagged constantly to repair things. He is law-abiding, though, and jumps whenever we threaten to file a complaint with the state renter's bureau, but what a hassle! When the heating system died on New Year's Day, he was legally required to pay for our hotel and meals until it was repaired. Needless to say, that was done fast!

 

Dh wants to move, because he's sick of paying big $$ to live in an older house that needs updating, with a lazy LL. When I look, though, the only thing the same size and in a similar good neighborhood (although newer or completely renovated) is $100-$250 per month more (he is hoping to pay less :lol:) Your story is not encouraging me, but we're hoping something will magically pop up by the time our lease is up next June (either that, or more income ;))

[Renthead Mommy]

I was very worried when we were coming back from overseas. All we were hearing on the news was how landlords were not paying mortgages on their rental properties and the renters, who had proof they'd paid every month on time, were being evicted.

 

That was one of my questions when talking to realators. Does the house have a mortgage? I was also upfront about how long we wanted to be there. The last thing I wanted to do was find some place, move in and then get told in a year "the market's better, we want to sell it now' and have to move. We have set 3 years.

 

Telling all this to the agents ended up working in our favor big time. This had been an on market house. The realator sent me the info and I said no, it was over the $3000 limit I wanted to keep us around. They offered us the house, with a 3 year lease a few hundred below $3000 (I can't remember what the rent is). It worked out great for both of us. They have stable renters who aren't going to be leaving for three years. At that point hopefully the market will be imporved. Either way, they can ride it out further.

 

Do you know how long you want to be in this house? One year? A few years? Have you communicated that to your rental agent? Are they just not showing you things you like? Maybe you need to talk to a different broker.

[Alicia64]

1) this thread really helped me understand the LL's position.

 

We're renting in a complex after 10 yrs. of home ownership and some things are a little startling. For instance, we were never treated rudely by anyone as home owners. As renters, of course, we're "checked out carefully." It took us awhile to get used to it. You know, credit checks, dog deposit etc.

 

But here's what I love: we have a pool and I don't have to maintain it! No yard work!! A maintenance crew that comes the same day. A bug guy that comes every Wed. A huge sandbox for my kids (okay, it's meant to be a volley ball court but they love it). Other kids to play with very close by.

 

Have their been a few infuriating issues? Yes, but guess what?? There are infuriating issues with home ownership too, believe me. (We won't even discuss the cost of fixing our plumbing when the redwood root -- that we didn't plant -- grew into our pipes.)

 

Overall, there really are pluses to renting.

 

2) the LL doesn't know a potential owner. Of course they have to run a credit check on a potential. Any less would be insane.

 

3) I'm a super responsible dog owner, but it's good for me to learn that not everyone is. Now I feel badly for LL.

 

4) Bottom line: If you own the house, you take better care of it. If you're renting, it's just not the same care you're providing. Just human nature.

 

Thanks for this thread.

 

Alley

[Hockey Mom]

We are back to renting after 8 years of homeownership. We were lucky; our house sold 2 days after being on the market. We will make no money on it, but just getting out of the mortgage (our mortgage company is under federal investigation for the second time), was "profit" enough. Like someone else said, the big things going wrong in an older home add up, and after replacing a kitchen, a bathroom, a hot water heater, and an air conditioner, we were done. Kitchen and bathroom was flooded as a result of leaking pipes within the concrete wall. Yeah...good times.

 

I hear you about the pet deposits though. Our new place wanted $600 up front for our two large dogs. Since our dogs are over 25lbs, we fully anticipated having to pay through the nose to find a place. Fortunately, our dogs are also older dogs (the lab is 10, the mastiff is 3), the owner didn't give us a hard time. Lawn care was included in our rent, and since Dh has all of the lawn equipment, we made a deal with the property management - we would do our own lawn care if they would waive the pet fee. She agreed, and we ended up not having to pay that deposit. So it might be worth it to barter services.

 

Years ago our LL told us that kids do more damage to a house than pets do. He never even charged us a pet fee. He also had his rental properties completely tiled, so that may be why he felt that way, idk.

 

Unfortunately, we didn't realize until AFTER we signed the lease that this house has several problems that are all related. It's an older home, with a tile roof. Some of the birdstop along the roof was missing. As a result, there were rodents in the attic. As a result of that, the A/C ducts are torn up. The property management immediately dealt with the rodents and roof, but we're still waiting on the A/C to be repaired.

 

Additionally, this property sat empty for over a year. So it has some neglect. The biggest being the flat roof that leaks like a sieve when it rains. The property management is supposed to fix it soon, but they're waiting on more income (rent) from us before they fix it. I just hope the roof doesn't fall in before that happens (we've been here a month).

 

Renting is a pain, but IMO, it beats owning a 'money pit'.

[....]

I hear you. We bought our first house in March. Up until that point I rented (I'm 36). I don't miss renting. There are some pros to it, but I'm tired of dealing with ridiculous landlords. The landlord before last was at our home everyday (in our home). He came in without our permission. We had no privacy. Once he let himself in while I was showering (he said I didn't answer when he knocked). The landlord before that didn't fix things (serious things). We dealt with broken water heaters, bad plumbing, mold out the wazoo, and no heat. Both of these landlords did background checks, credit checks, etc. They had fancy contracts stating they would give us notice to enter our premises, etc etc. They did not honor their contracts. We have never missed paying the rent on time. Never. We also never did any damage. One landlord thought he was doing us a favor by using our deposit to pay the last months rent (his request, not ours). We moved out within 3 weeks. I went back to vaccum and get my vaccum cleaner and someone was living there in our already paid for apartment.

 

I so know the aggravations!

 

That is absolutely horrible. :glare: I've rented off and on my entire life and these kinds of stories really make me mad. I'm sorry you had such an awful experience.

[newbie]

Nbr 2 kills us too. We dont have that crazy stuff here in Ca.

 

Although the rent is outrageous, you can have pets and they give many rental discounts.

 

Back east, if you have cats, you are a leper. Even finding hotels, is impossible. I thought bed and breakfast would be more lenient, even those farm stays. One farm/bed and breakfast told me no cats. Only outside cats.

[In The Great White North]

Rental-house owners can make a lot of money off their property. Not only do we have someone paying our mortgage every month and get a big tax deduction (it's considered depreciating property), but there is a leftover monthly profit also. I can't for one second feel sorry for landlords/owners as long as they have a paying tenant.

 

Not around here. Rental rates are dictated by supply and demand, without taking the owners expenses into account. When the local college built more housing, rental rates fell by hundreds of dollars. The current rent doesn't cover annual expenses, let alone pro-rating for bigger stuff like roofs, plumbing and heaters.

 

A lot of people are renting these days because they are not able to sell their house for what they owe on it. They figure they'll rent it for a few year (?) til the market improves. I doubt if any of them are making a profit.

[Melissa in FL]

 

Rental-house owners can make a lot of money off their property. Not only do we have someone paying our mortgage every month and get a big tax deduction (it's considered depreciating property), but there is a leftover monthly profit also. I can't for one second feel sorry for landlords/owners as long as they have a paying tenant.

 

 

I wish this was true for us. We have two rental properties. One just breaks even for paying the mortgage/insurance/taxes. Anything that needs fixing there comes straight out of our household budget. The second loses about $300 dollars each month to cover the mortgage/insurance/taxes. We have to cover that each month and anything that needs fixing out of our household budget. When we first started renting them out it was a break even with a little for repairs, now it is a huge cut into our income that tax deductions do not even begin to cover. The rental prices here have dropped a lot since we first started renting, it is very hard to break even now. We have tried to sell them but can't because the housing market has gone down so much and we are now upside down on both. We are stuck!

Melissa

[tex-mex]

I used to manage apartments so I can speak to a few of your questions:

 

Pet rent/deposit. Many pets do not do damage. However, many more do significant damage. Cat urine is one of the most destructive forces known to man. Residual smell from cats was by far the biggest problem. If an owner had cats, we could pretty much count on having to replace the carpet after people left. Of course, there is, I am sure, a component of profit making at work there as well.

We used to own a 4-plex. And believe me, cat urine is close to impossible to get out. And yes, we often had to put new padding and carpet along with new paint in rooms where the cat soiled. One time, we leased a unit to a gal who listed her pet breed/age and did the pet deposit. Later, we found out that the cat was 6 years older than listed, blind, and incontinent. We had to recarpet the entire unit, new pad (bleach the cement underneath), ionize the unit for 3 days, paint KILZ on the walls and baseboards before painting and more. It was a total of $1700 in repairs by one cat. :glare: We started charging a monthly pet fee after that scenario to avoid our loss/out-of-pocket costs.

 

 

Credit checks: When I managed for a large company, we always did credit checks specifically looking for things like evictions, non-payment of utilities, etc. If these were present, we would not rent to them until these items were paid. If you are looking at renting from a company, they should have a rental policy somewhere that lets them know what they are looking at on credit checks. For us, medical stuff was not counted at all.

The applicants signed a form acknowledging we would run 2 checks and paid for them as part of the application. We also ran a criminal check. If the record showed anything like past evictions, bankruptcy, non-payment of utilities, no current employment, liens or judgments or such, we'd look at other applicants.

 

 

With the income requirements, they want to be reasonably certain that you can pay all of your bills before they rent to you. You may make rent a priority but this is not always the case. They are looking out for their bottom line.

 

Yes. I'd often call to talk to the employer to verify. I'd also not use the phone number given by the prospective tenant to see if it was a phony number. One time it was fake and no such business listed. Our 4 plex was in a really nice neighborhood and very desirable due to the good schools nearby. Howver, we'd often we'd rent to those with a section 8 HUD voucher as that income was guaranteed. And the tenant had a part-time job to cover the utilities. We've been burnt too many times by many with jobs (but deep in debt) who defaulted on the rent and we ended up evicting them.

 

Good luck. I know it can all be so infuriating. I hated managing apartments which is precisely why I won't ever do it again. For Fair Housing reasons, we could not make exceptions from our rental policy although many times I wanted to.

:iagree: We sold our rental property years ago. I loved our section 8 renters as they were wonderful people and took good care of the units. I honestly hated running the units and it was so much work.

[tex-mex]

I wish this was true for us. We have two rental properties. One just breaks even for paying the mortgage/insurance/taxes. Anything that needs fixing there comes straight out of our household budget. The second loses about $300 dollars each month to cover the mortgage/insurance/taxes. We have to cover that each month and anything that needs fixing out of our household budget. When we first started renting them out it was a break even with a little for repairs, now it is a huge cut into our income that tax deductions do not even begin to cover. The rental prices here have dropped a lot since we first started renting, it is very hard to break even now. We have tried to sell them but can't because the housing market has gone down so much and we are now upside down on both. We are stuck!

Melissa

We sold before the market tanked. Our rental 4-plex did not earn us a profit until we sold it. Monthly we barely covered the mortgage/utilities and had to use our savings to pay the mortgage taxes. Often, it took one month (hubby and I) to clean, paint, and get it ready to lease out the unit. It often sat empty for 2-3 months before renting. Those months, we'd pay out of savings the loss to keep current on the rent mortgage.

 

If we charged more money to cover the taxes, we'd lose tenants to our newer competitors. We used $30,000 of our savings to pay taxes and repairs like roof, new a/c units, etc. Our investment was a true money pit. ;)

Edited July 18, 2010 by tex-mex

[tex-mex]

I would still consider subsidized housing IMHO. Around here the are some subsidized housing that is quite desirable and then there are some not so desirable. Plus there are single homes that are section 8 housing. So you might be surprised and actually find decent housing that is subsidized.

 

 

:iagree: We had a positive experience with tenants having section 8. :D Our property was in a desirable location with great schools. The govt inspects the home with a fine tooth and comb (our units were in excellent shape) before allowing the tenant to lease. It was a win-win for us.

[ciyates]

:rant:

 

We are looking for a new rental. Let me also say we have been looking at 3 bedroom places. Some have 1 bath some have 2.

 

So we have been looking high and low for a suitable place. Oh and at a decent price. Where did they all go? Seems like they are all in the ghetto and exorbitant prices. If you do find a nice place they fall into a vent below or the rent is so high we can't possibly afford it.

 

1.

If any landlords are out there explain to me this whole pet fee/pet rent thing. I mean, really? A pet fee up front then an additional amount added to rent for the pet?? Since when did dogs and cats rack up that much damage? I have always had animals (talking from back when I was a kid as well) and they have never caused over $500 in damage. That amount is factoring a typical $250 :001_huh: pet "deposit" that is non-refundable and the standard $25 per month for the pet. Oh and some people want that amount per pet!

 

2.

Then there are the ones that don't allow pets but have acreage and a barn:001_huh: What you keep in the barn if not animals?

 

3.

Oh and there is the wonderful people that charge you full months rent but specify that they are going to use one room in the house for storage or use half the garage for boat storage.

 

4.

And will someone tell me the definition of "large" as it pertains to houses? I daresay that 1100 sq ft isn't large (well unless you come from 900sq ft I guess) so why is it called "large" or "roomy". I don't think so.

 

 

5.

Then there is the credit check. Why? I mean does credit (nowadays) really tell someone if they are going to pay the rent? We have had to go past ones that want "good" credit because our credit is shot. I mean real shot. Because we chose to pay our rent. We have been late 3 times in 15 years. Does that not account for something??

 

6.

Then there are the ones that want 3 times the rent in income. :001_huh: I think we may have made that much once or twice. Certainly we don't now. And again, going back to the decent places, I would have to live in the ghetto or projects in order to make 3 times the amount in rent.

 

7.

Finally, why of why if you are advertising online will you not accept emails?? If you are afraid of spam or phishing emails then don't even advertise online. Whats the difference between putting your email out on the web and putting your phone number? Personally I think a phone number is worse, it can be traces easier to a person. Email cannot.

 

OK vent over....for now....until I have to start looking again....after the break I am taking.

 

 

I own rental property. From my point of view I am trusting a person I have never met with a 100k investment. Of course I am going to do everything I can do to protect it. Every time someone moves out we have to clean carpets, paint and do repairs such fix holes in the walls from pictures ect. We estimate it cost about a 1000 dollars to get new renters.

 

Animals are destructive and we do not allow them. Dogs dig holes, chew up baseboards, tear up doors and cats are even worse. We actually have a piece of property that is a few acres with a house. The property is fenced in and I still will not allow animals.

 

Your credit is important. I still have to pay for my taxes and insurance regardless of what you do. I want to make sure you are going to pay.

 

If my rent is 50% of your income can you really afford it? Seriously it is not a blessing to you or me if I put you in a place you will soon be evicted out of. We require proof of income and will not rent to someone unless they make 3 times the rent. I hate evicting people. It cost us and them so lets not set ourselves up for a situation where it is going to happen in the first place.

 

I advertise online but give my phone number. It is a cell. It is easier to catch me by phone than online. :)

 

The law is on the side of the renter so I do as much as possible to protect myself and get good renters.

 

Our buildings are in good shape but they are old. I don't update the counter tops and cabinets because there is no need. They are outdated but solid and in good working order. Yes the tile is from the 70s but why should I change it? This is not a permanent home for you and I know that in a few years you will be moving on so I need to make it as cost effective as possible. I am responsible for all the damages you create. Yes I can take you to court but experience has taught me that I am very unlikely to get my money out of you. Have you ever tried to get cigarette smoke out of a house? It is almost as bad as cat urine.

[Mynyel]

Reading the posts has made me realize there is a lot of risk to the landlord. I understand that.

 

What ticks me off is all the morons that ruin it for us. My dog doesn't chew, dig or bark (well unless someone is coming on the property). He has hip dysplacia so he doesn't move around much. He is house trained. The most he does is shed.

 

Our rent right now is more than 50% of our "income" as reported on paper. However we have food stamps, our tax return and I due to start making income mid-August. That said we still haven't paid out rent late (We have always paid just late, and only three times) in years.

 

Can I prove it? No. Some of the places we rent are owned by others now and I know one complex I rented from that I will never get a decent referal from because I put the complex in the news...long story there but trust me when I say I was in the right... so they wouldn't let us stay after our lease was up.

 

I am still frustrated because we get the !@#$ end of things because we are low income and can't afford much but we are honest and keep things as best we can.

[littlebug42]

HSlover,

 

I know and understand your concerns about subsidized housing. I would, as others have mentioned, look into applying for a Section 8 voucher to assist with rent. This assistance is not project-based so it is not tied to any certain location. You can rent anywhere in your county that will accept the vouchers. Landlords that accept them are held to certain maintenance standards and the house has to be in good condition to be approved for the program and it is required to stay that way, on your end and theirs. It still does not eliminate the credit check problem as landlords are still free to screen residents but it would help remove the minimum income requirements. That being said, the wait for these vouchers if often lengthy if the waiting list is open at all. Contact the Housing Authority for your county.

 

I am sorry that you are having such a hard time. While you may be an exception to the rule, Federal Fair Housing guidelines require landlords (of 4 or more units) to adhere to very strict regulations to prevent discrimination. The primary component of this is insisting that all rules of selection be applied across the board without exception. So, even if the landlord wants to make an exception to their policies for you, it can bite them in the behind big time. I would never deviate from it.