Ahhh! Scary landlord doing a walk-thru? Tips?

[Alicia64]

Hello. My name is Alley and I am a people-pleaser. Yes, I'm trying to break this very strong tendency, but not today and not re: my landlord.

 

Boring backstory: we almost bought this house. We couldn't agree on price. We went away. Months later I saw that her house was still on the market and asked her if she'd rent to us. (We decided not to buy.) She was not thrilled w/ the idea of being a landlord. Not. at. all. But I talked her into it.

 

Today: For two years we've been stellar tenants. Rent is paid on time. We fix anything in the house under $100 -- that was the deal. We alert her immediately if there's any problem. (One time they visited w/ no notice and only saw the outside. The yard wasn't bad, but needed to be mown/blown/trimmed. She was miffed and thought the inside might look bad. It didn't. She's been in one other time and the place looked awesome.)

 

Our lease is up in Sept. and they've agreed to do a one year lease, but first -- understandably -- they want to do a walk-thru.

 

I want to "landlord-please." Any tips for making her happy? She's coming in mid-July and even now hasn't given me a firm date. But I've started cleaning and tidying. (It's a tough house in that there's no garage or basement so storage is limited.)

 

TIA!

 

Alley

[happi duck]

No pet raccoons? :)

 

Seriously, imo, you're already doing great...little things are fixed and you're tidy. If the lack of storage makes you nervous can you stash a few things somewhere else for a month? Self-storage, a friend's house, the trunk of your car etc.

[ThisIsTheDay]

Yep, I'd just do the cleaning that you've already begun. Clean as you would for company. And if you have time, bake cookies or something right before she comes--just like you would do if you were selling your own house. 

 

It sounds like she has an emotional attachment to the house (understandable), so I would just do what I could to make her see that you are taking care of something that is important to her.

 

We have a rental that we bought as an investment property. The lease includes periodic walk throughs by the property manager (6 mos.? 12 mos.?).  We also leased out a home we'd bought new and lived in for three years.  THAT was the one that I worried about, because like your landlord, that house had been "ours."

[Kari C in SC]

I can't speak for this landlord because she may be extra picky. I'm a landlord and I don't care much about typical clutter. I care about filth. If you have books stacked in the corner or a bunch of toys in your kids' rooms, I am not really all that concerned. If there is food stains on the ceiling and a layer of dirt on the tile so think it takes having a professional cleaner go over and over it, I am concerned. For some reason, it is always my Florida house that gets filthy tenants. My houses here in, SC, have great people. Again, she may feel different about clutter though.

[Alicia64]

I can't speak for this landlord because she may be extra picky. I'm a landlord and I don't care much about typical clutter. I care about filth. If you have books stacked in the corner or a bunch of toys in your kids' rooms, I am not really all that concerned. If there is food stains on the ceiling and a layer of dirt on the tile so think it takes having a professional cleaner go over and over it, I am concerned. For some reason, it is always my Florida house that gets filthy tenants. My houses here in, SC, have great people. Again, she may feel different about clutter though.

 

No, I can honestly say: no filth. In fact, I had the upstairs carpet cleaned, don't like the results, and am having another company come out. I worry that I'm spending money on a carpet that could be twenty years old and nothing will make it sparkle, but I'll try.

 

Will you weigh in on Max? My landlord -- a dog lover -- said in our lease that we can have ONE dog. Not two. So we have ONE dog. We even asked her before adopting to make sure she was truly okay.

 

However, we'd promised my boys forever that we'd get a kitty. And (I'm a bad tenant), we did. We brought home baby-Max who, I promise, is the cleanest member of our house. He's nuetered, has never sprayed, is entirely indoors and bothers nobody.

 

Most importantly I keep his litter box -- which is cleaned daily -- in the tub because there's so much hardwood flooring here that I didn't want to take the chance.

 

We've had baby-Max for two years in Aug. and I've never told our LL. Should I come clean? The other option is to hide him for the day.

 

Alley

[flyingiguana]

If I were the landlord, I'd feel much much better if you came clean about the cat. Seriously, I'd KNOW if I came into the house, no matter how clean you made things. And then it would upset me that you'd lied to me. And I'd wonder what else you were lying about. But she's not me and maybe you have a better sense as to whether just sending the cat out for a visit somewhere that day would be a better option. (And I tend to be a fairly laid back landlord)

 

What's she plan to do with the house otherwise? If you've been model tenants and she doesn't want to sell or move back in herself, why would she hassle you about things?

 

I don't think I'd read too much into them wanting to do a walk through. That's just something a good landlord ought to do on occasion. For one thing, they need to know if there are code violations they could be liable for.

[Alicia64]

If I were the landlord, I'd feel much much better if you came clean about the cat. Seriously, I'd KNOW if I came into the house, no matter how clean you made things. And then it would upset me that you'd lied to me. And I'd wonder what else you were lying about. But she's not me and maybe you have a better sense as to whether just sending the cat out for a visit somewhere that day would be a better option. (And I tend to be a fairly laid back landlord)

 

What's she plan to do with the house otherwise? If you've been model tenants and she doesn't want to sell or move back in herself, why would she hassle you about things?

 

I don't think I'd read too much into them wanting to do a walk through. That's just something a good landlord ought to do on occasion. For one thing, they need to know if there are code violations they could be liable for.

 

I'm not at all trying to be argumentative, but since we have a German shepherd -- that she approved -- I doubt you'd assume an animal smell was a small cat. I think she'd assume it was our dog. But, I agree, I'd much rather be upfront about it. However, there's been nothing "laid back" about her. She visited once w/ her adult daughter who I'm pretty sure said, "Lay off them, Mom, they're fine."

 

Her goal was to sell the house. Period. She never imagined being a LL. She raised her kids here and wants to sell, but the market just wasn't buying two yrs. ago. She's agreed to another one year lease.

 

I'm not too worried about the walk-thru, I just would like her to be happy and not feel like she made a bad decision.

 

Plus she's friends w/ all the neighbors and if she's not happy she'll talk and "poison the well." Which I think she did in the beginning too. :( (These are people who think: you buy if you can. Only losers rent. At least that's the vibe I get. We can buy, we just want the freedom of not owning right now.)

 

Alley

[Mandylubug]

As a former landlord that rented out our personal home while military ( so emotionally attached) I would be looking for clean walls, doors, carpets, kitchen. I would want to see kitchen floors and cabinets were clean and didn't have chocolate pudding smeared everywhere.... (yes had a tenant leave that on my cabinets grrrrr) I'd also look at things such as cleaned bathroom toilets, sinks, check air unit filter, front porch and patio swept, lawn mowed. I'd want to see good pet habits and see the dog outside. I'd be very upset if I smelled dog at all when i walked in. I wouldn't care about cat unless I was allergic.

[Lavandula]

I'm not advising that you hide the cat, but I also doubt the landlord would know (unless it leaves fur or something all over the house). We used to have 2 more cats than were allowed when we were renting. We easily hid them when the landlord checked by. His reasoning for not allowing us to have cats was "they pee everywhere." Well, ours didn't. 

 

I sympathize with ya on the renting thing. This same house, people in the neighborhood were so rude about it. When DD was younger & going to public school for 3rd I walked her to the bus stop. The other moms knew we were renting and always asked questions about it. Why are you renting? Are you poor? When I told them we just didn't want to buy the house yet they refused to believe me. People are crazy  :glare:

[Alicia64]

As a former landlord that rented out our personal home while military ( so emotionally attached) I would be looking for clean walls, doors, carpets, kitchen. I would want to see kitchen floors and cabinets were clean and didn't have chocolate pudding smeared everywhere.... (yes had a tenant leave that on my cabinets grrrrr) I'd also look at things such as cleaned bathroom toilets, sinks, check air unit filter, front porch and patio swept, lawn mowed. I'd want to see good pet habits and see the dog outside. I'd be very upset if I smelled dog at all when i walked in. I wouldn't care about cat unless I was allergic.

 

I'm cool w/ all of this, but I would never leave my dog in the back. Ever. And neither did my LL. She understood we have an indoor dog -- as all dogs should be. They're pack animals. To leave them in the backyard is to separate them from their pack and very cruel.

 

But everything else you listed is a "yes."

[Alicia64]

I'm not advising that you hide the cat, but I also doubt the landlord would know (unless it leaves fur or something all over the house). We used to have 2 more cats than were allowed when we were renting. We easily hid them when the landlord checked by. His reasoning for not allowing us to have cats was "they pee everywhere." Well, ours didn't. 

 

Stupid question: how do you hide your cats? Our is so friendly that when someone comes in the door he appears out of the blue and wants to say, "hello." It's very frustrating. The a/c guy, the home repair guy. . . everyone.

 

Alley

[Lavandula]

Stupid question: how do you hide your cats? Our is so friendly that when someone comes in the door he appears out of the blue and wants to say, "hello." It's very frustrating. The a/c guy, the home repair guy. . . everyone.

 

Alley

Yeah, that wasn't what our situation was like. The cats we hid were old and quiet, so they didn't mind staying in the back of a closet behind some things for a while. Plus I just remembered your situation is a bit different - the landlord knew we had some cats, so we didn't have to hide toys/litter boxes or anything.

[Alicia64]

Yeah, that wasn't what our situation was like. The cats we hid were old and quiet, so they didn't mind staying in the back of a closet behind some things for a while. Plus I just remembered your situation is a bit different - the landlord knew we had some cats, so we didn't have to hide toys/litter boxes or anything.

 

Our biggest "hide" item besides a too-friendly-cat is his cat tree. We bought him a big one that we keep next to a window. It's so large that I couldn't drag it upstairs if I wanted to. It can be taken apart. Again, I hate to be dishonest.

 

Re: dogs vs. cats. I think cats are way scarier on a property than dogs. That's just my experience. If they spray or claw it's a mess to deal with. But the most destructive of all? Kids! Kids are the most destructive. And you can't keep them in the backyard. It's against the law.

 

Alley

[Lavandula]

I'd probably tell them. Just make sure it's clear that the cat isn't causing any problems. Even if you can't smell the litter box yourself, use some air freshener anyway. Make sure the water dishes/food bowls are clean. Our cats tend to get food everywhere and put things in the water. It's not destroying the house but it's not really pleasing to look at.

[Mandylubug]

I'm cool w/ all of this, but I would never leave my dog in the back. Ever. And neither did my LL. She understood we have an indoor dog -- as all dogs should be. They're pack animals. To leave them in the backyard is to separate them from their pack and very cruel.

 

But everything else you listed is a "yes."

I was meaning during inspection, have dog in backyard only. Not all the time. That would just be my personal preference, though.

 

Eta: I guess more than seeing the dog in the backyard, I'd more be looking for your pet being trained and not a nuisance to people or my building structure. Some people get larger dogs, put them in the house and never train them to not chew on door frames, visitors and the like. My brother's dog would be destroying indoor or outdoors and they'd just laugh and say it was because visitors had arrived. I'd never want to rent my home to them even though I am an animal lover because they are irresponsible when it comes to training pets. I'd be looking for a well trained dog not an outdoor dog if that makes sense... sorry to be confusing.

[ThisIsTheDay]

 

Most importantly I keep his litter box -- which is cleaned daily -- in the tub because there's so much hardwood flooring here that I didn't want to take the chance.

 

We've had baby-Max for two years in Aug. and I've never told our LL. Should I come clean? The other option is to hide him for the day.

 

As a landlord, I'd be really annoyed that you didn't tell me.  But it may be worse if you hide the cat and she finds out somehow.

 

What if you did nothing to hide the cat?  If she said anything, could you feign complete ignorance?  "This cat? This is the one we've had for two years?  I can't imagine that you didn't know."  (Look puzzled.)

 

I don't know if that's an option, and it's certainly not an honest option, but it might be something to consider.  If it came down to it, you could even say something like, "Well, if I didn't think you'd known about it, I could have taken him somewhere else for the day. I don't have anything to hide," and continue to look puzzled.

 

(Is this really bad of me?)

 

[Alicia64]

I was meaning during inspection, have dog in backyard only. Not all the time. That would just be my personal preference, though.

 

Eta: I guess more than seeing the dog in the backyard, I'd more be looking for your pet being trained and not a nuisance to people or my building structure. Some people get larger dogs, put them in the house and never train them to not chew on door frames, visitors and the like. My brother's dog would be destroying indoor or outdoors and they'd just laugh and say it was because visitors had arrived. I'd never want to rent my home to them even though I am an animal lover because they are irresponsible when it comes to training pets. I'd be looking for a well trained dog not an outdoor dog if that makes sense... sorry to be confusing.

 

Ohhh, I'm so sorry Mandylubug, I didn't mean to be rude. That's a good thought. We have a special breed and her daughter has two of what we have so I think the family is somewhat into the breed, but you make an excellent point.

 

Again, I apologize for being uppity -- that wasn't my intent. Backyard dogs that are always in the back really break my heart.

 

Alley

[Alicia64]

As a landlord, I'd be really annoyed that you didn't tell me.  But it may be worse if you hide the cat and she finds out somehow.

 

What if you did nothing to hide the cat?  If she said anything, could you feign complete ignorance?  "This cat? This is the one we've had for two years?  I can't imagine that you didn't know."  (Look puzzled.)

 

I don't know if that's an option, and it's certainly not an honest option, but it might be something to consider.  If it came down to it, you could even say something like, "Well, if I didn't think you'd known about it, I could have taken him somewhere else for the day. I don't have anything to hide," and continue to look puzzled.

 

(Is this really bad of me?)

 

 

:lol:  This is GENIUS!!! (Although I'm lousy at this sort of tomfoolery, but I could try.)

 

[Mandylubug]

As far as telling landlord about cat. I'd maybe casually make the comment to please give you a wee bit notice so you can put your cat away in her kennel or bathroom or wherever you want to say, so that she doesn't "dart out the door during inspection"

 

That way you are admitting hey I have a cat and hey I know you will want to inspect. Makes it not a surprise and then she'll be thinking she maybe forgot you telling her about the cat. I wouldn't make some nervous big confession. Cool and casual, haha.

[Alicia64]

As far as telling landlord about cat. I'd maybe casually make the comment to please give you a wee bit notice so you can put your cat away in her kennel or bathroom or wherever you want to say, so that she doesn't "dart out the door during inspection"

 

That way you are admitting hey I have a cat and hey I know you will want to inspect. Makes it not a surprise and then she'll be thinking she maybe forgot you telling her about the cat. I wouldn't make some nervous big confession. Cool and casual, haha.

 

Not a bad idea, but just to give you an idea of how scary she is we call her:

 

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.screenrant.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fmaleficent-angelina-jolie2.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fscreenrant.com%2Ftag%2Fmaleficent%2F&h=320&w=620&tbnid=NQJuX6oFgrZy7M%3A&zoom=1&docid=8qTksPtMTNuggM&ei=WU6wU9qqNceTyATC24DIDA&tbm=isch&client=palemoon&ved=0CCQQMygGMAY&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=1029&page=1&start=0&ndsp=11

[Mandylubug]

Not a bad idea, but just to give you an idea of how scary she is we call her:

 

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.screenrant.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fmaleficent-angelina-jolie2.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fscreenrant.com%2Ftag%2Fmaleficent%2F&h=320&w=620&tbnid=NQJuX6oFgrZy7M%3A&zoom=1&docid=8qTksPtMTNuggM&ei=WU6wU9qqNceTyATC24DIDA&tbm=isch&client=palemoon&ved=0CCQQMygGMAY&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=1029&page=1&start=0&ndsp=11

Hilarious! I am sure she is intentionally wanting to come across that way, too. She will be pleased to know she was successful.

[Chris in VA]

Is there a pet clause in your lease, saying you have to get permission or that you can't have a cat? Because if so, you could be in for it with the cat.

 

If not, no sweat.

 

"Oh, I'm so sorry--I did not see a pet clause in the lease and just assumed we could have the cat. We've had her two years, and I'm sure you can see she has not caused any damage."

 

But be prepared to be told to get rid of it, or even to not have your lease renewed.

 

She may counter with the idea that older cats are notorious for bad bathroom habits...not that yours has done anything, but she "might" as she ages...

 

 

[Alicia64]

Is there a pet clause in your lease, saying you have to get permission or that you can't have a cat? Because if so, you could be in for it with the cat.

 

If not, no sweat.

 

"Oh, I'm so sorry--I did not see a pet clause in the lease and just assumed we could have the cat. We've had her two years, and I'm sure you can see she has not caused any damage."

 

But be prepared to be told to get rid of it, or even to not have your lease renewed.

 

She may counter with the idea that older cats are notorious for bad bathroom habits...not that yours has done anything, but she "might" as she ages...

 

There isn't a pet clause except we're only allowed one dog. That's it. No mention of any other kind of animal.

[Alicia64]

Hilarious! I am sure she is intentionally wanting to come across that way, too. She will be pleased to know she was successful.

 

Okay. . . but after two years? I've been really nice. When the washer died dh said, "Let's don't bother them and just buy a new one." He was all about "bother them as little as possible." I let her know we bought one.

 

We've been really good. So I don't get acting like Maleficent at this point in time.

 

Alley

[Lavandula]

nm 

 

[Alte Veste Academy]

I think you should prepare to have her not renew your lease based on the cat. Playing dumb and pretending that you didn't know you needed permission is the worst possible idea, in my opinion. For starters, it shows a lack of integrity. It doesn't make any sense for you to act like you didn't know you should ask her, based on her limit on dogs. I would not hide him for the day. I would come clean but be prepared to do some house hunting.

 

I love cats, have rented with them, and allow them in our rental, but if a tenant got one without permission and then tried to hide that? I would not be happy at all. I have read your threads before and always wondered why you were so nervous for her to come to the house. The cat sure explains it.

[Lavandula]

Playing dumb and pretending that you didn't know you needed permission is the worst possible idea, in my opinion. For starters, it shows a lack of integrity. It doesn't make any sense for you to act like you didn't know you should ask her, based on her limit on dogs.

But she didn't know.. From what I've gotten the LL said nothing about cats? If the LL said nothing about cats I wouldn't assume she's against them entirely. I don't expect every pet she's okay with to be listed in the lease. It'd get pretty long. There's a big difference between multiple dogs and a cat too. 

[Alte Veste Academy]

But she didn't know.. From what I've gotten the LL said nothing about cats? If the LL said nothing about cats I wouldn't assume she's against them entirely. I don't expect every pet she's okay with to be listed in the lease. It'd get pretty long. There's a big difference between multiple dogs and a cat too.

I have never rented anywhere without having to clear each and every pet with the landlord or agent. And I have rented many, many places. And really, Alicia knew/knows better ("I'm a bad tenant") or it would be a non-issue in this thread. If you have to ask if you would hide the animal or come clean, well let's be honest...

[Alicia64]

 

I love cats, have rented with them, and allow them in our rental, but if a tenant got one without permission and then tried to hide that? I would not be happy at all. I have read your threads before and always wondered why you were so nervous for her to come to the house. The cat sure explains it.

 

Wrong. The cat doesn't "sure explain it." In fact, dh is a clutter-bug --  so if I don't clean his clutter up like a crazy person, the place doesn't look as tidy as I would like. No, other than the cat being very friendly, he's easy to hide.

 

And a person wanting to be a LL is a very different from a person stuck w/ being a LL because she couldn't sell. I talked her into renting and, believe me, she didn't want to. She wanted to sell. So I think my anxiety is somewhat based on her anxiety.

[Alte Veste Academy]

Wrong. The cat doesn't "sure explain it." In fact, dh is a clutter-bug -- so if I don't clean his clutter up like a crazy person, the place doesn't look as tidy as I would like. No, other than the cat being very friendly, he's easy to hide.

 

And a person wanting to be a LL is a very different from a person stuck w/ being a LL because she couldn't sell. I talked her into renting and, believe me, she didn't want to. She wanted to sell. So I think my anxiety is somewhat based on her anxiety.

Interesting. I thought the focus of this thread had become whether or not to hide the cat and how to do so (because he is so friendly and the huge tree). I cannot imagine that, you being so worried about this now, it didn't factor into your worries before. It would be like The Tell-Tale Heart for me if I tried to hide a pet. Your DH must be quite the clutter-bug that a contraband kitty pales in comparison. LOL

[Alicia64]

Interesting. I thought the focus of this thread had become whether or not to hide the cat and how to do so (because he is so friendly and the huge tree). I cannot imagine that, you being so worried about this now, it didn't factor into your worries before. It would be like The Tell-Tale Heart for me if I tried to hide a pet. Your DH must be quite the clutter-bug that a contraband kitty pales in comparison. LOL

 

I started this thread asking for tips on making the house look nice. At one point it turned to the cat. I thought it was just a conversation. And yes, DH is quite the clutter bug. LOL.

[MistiDelaney]

I just learned a trick for making the house "feel clean".  (I'm hoping to sell my house in the next week or two.) An hour or so before you expect her, put some pine cleaner in a bucket of hot water, and put it in the bathroom, laundry room, or kitchen. It fills th room with a "newly cleaned" fragrance to a degree that simply cleaning doesn't!  Then pour the soap down the drain just before she arrives.

[Spryte]

I would declutter and clean as I would for any company beyond the usual playdate.

 

And I wouldn't hide the cat, or it's litter box, etc, though I would be mentally prepared for the consequences of not having the lease renewed, etc. However, I would not want to explain to my kids about hiding a cat (or anything). If there was reason to think getting a cat would be ok, which there must have been, I would not attempt to hide it now. OP, just run with it and do what you feel is the right thing.

 

FWIW, DH and I have discussed leasing our home, if the market doesn't improve. I would be very disappointed to find that someone brought in a cat without first discussing. My DS is so allergic to cats that he can't even visit my mother, because of dander. It puts him in the hospital every time, and it's frightening. This thread makes me understand that we must specifically put it in the lease if we want no cats.

[MistiDelaney]

We'd go for that!  :p  We have a house full of celiacs, so the baking cookies thing doesn't work for us.  ;)

 

[Alicia64]

I just learned a trick for making the house "feel clean".  (I'm hoping to sell my house in the next week or two.) An hour or so before you expect her, put some pine cleaner in a bucket of hot water, and put it in the bathroom, laundry room, or kitchen. It fills th room with a "newly cleaned" fragrance to a degree that simply cleaning doesn't!  Then pour the soap down the drain just before she arrives.

 

Great idea! I've been saving really good "sell house" ideas for sprucing your home. If you want the list, PM me and I'll send it over.

 

Really cute ideas like: from an inexpensive store --  Walmart -- buy three of four pure white towels and roll them the way spas do and leave them next to your tub spa-like. I thought that was cool.

 

Or buy fresh flowers for the kitchen and table (relatively cheap at Trader Joe's).

 

Turn on all the lights.

 

If you want the list, feel free to PM me.

 

Alley

 

[Alicia64]

I can't help but wonder if that Cinnamon Bun scented product is a good alternative to someone that doesn't have time to bake cookies heh

http://www.airwick.us/Warmers_Cinnabon_Classic_Cinnamon_Roll.php

or

http://laughingsquid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/airwickcinnabonagain.jpg

 

Love this -- thank you!

 

Alley

[Alicia64]

I would declutter and clean as I would for any company beyond the usual playdate.

 

And I wouldn't hide the cat, or it's litter box, etc, though I would be mentally prepared for the consequences of not having the lease renewed, etc. However, I would not want to explain to my kids about hiding a cat (or anything). If there was reason to think getting a cat would be ok, which there must have been, I would not attempt to hide it now. OP, just run with it and do what you feel is the right thing.

 

FWIW, DH and I have discussed leasing our home, if the market doesn't improve. I would be very disappointed to find that someone brought in a cat without first discussing. My DS is so allergic to cats that he can't even visit my mother, because of dander. It puts him in the hospital every time, and it's frightening. This thread makes me understand that we must specifically put it in the lease if we want no cats.

 

Thanks Spryte. I've really given the cat issue a lot of thought since this thread began today. The bottom line in my mind is that if the cat had done damage to the house, dh and I would have fixed it. If the cat had caused $1200 of damage -- we would have fixed it.

 

The main thing was that when we left another state my boys had been begging for a kitten. We held off in the apts. and pretty much forgot about it until we got into the house and they started up again. The boys have had some pretty significant losses in their life so that's why I took this path -- a path that I agree is technically wrong. But it's almost impossible to convey to a LL that I would, in fact, plow hundreds of dollars back into the house to fix it if needed.

 

One example is that when the washing machine died (it was old), we simply bought a new one. A front loader. We didn't have to do that. Because these people didn't want to be LLs we wanted to bother them as little as possible. But how many renters buy a $700 washing machine?

 

Please don't think that most renters are "difficult" or "sneaky." I've tried -- except for the cat admittedly -- to be a good tenant. The house looks fantastic. I'm trying for a Pottery Barn look by using Craig's list and a really great Good Will near us.

 

But, I'd get an air-tight lease and I'd schedule fairly regular walk-thru's. We owned and almost ended up renting it out.

 

Alley

[Spryte]

Alley, I'm sure you are a great tenant, and I think you should just go with what you know is right. I'm positive your house would pass a walk through even without decluttering, from what you've said.

 

The cat's been there for two years. She's family. (He?) Messing with hiding it makes you look bad, and will give your kids a bad feeling, too. Just be yourselves, and it will probably all be fine.

 

Just be confident, and happy. It's pretty cool that you ended up living in the house you wanted! How cool.

 

:)

[idnib]

I just learned a trick for making the house "feel clean".  (I'm hoping to sell my house in the next week or two.) An hour or so before you expect her, put some pine cleaner in a bucket of hot water, and put it in the bathroom, laundry room, or kitchen. It fills th room with a "newly cleaned" fragrance to a degree that simply cleaning doesn't!  Then pour the soap down the drain just before she arrives.

 

.

[idnib]

.

[rmtzc2009]

I would be prepared to come clean about the cat.  I have several friends with allergies specific to cats (not dogs) that upon entering a home that has cats can immediately tell.  A couple of my friends are so sensitive that they can tell a cat was in the house at some point even if the current owner doesn't have a cat.  Allergies are no fun and it's possible the landlord could have an allergy or just may be opposed to cats.

[prairiewindmomma]

I am sure your cat is lovely, but sometimes people make distinctions between cats and dogs for a variety of reasons.

 

Our lovely local ceramics studio had a worker who brought her cat with her to work, Monday, when we were there. I left as soon as I discovered the cat...but one huge asthma attack and now pneumonia later, I am pretty peeved that someone thought that just a cat wouldn't be a problem. (I live in a town where the local used bookstore and used record store also have cats.)

 

Alte Vista raises a point, as a landlord who already didn't want to rent, the cat thing, for me, would be a lease killer.... You need to be upfront before she comes.

[TranquilMind]

I've been a landlord for a long time.

She is really just looking to see that you haven't damaged her investment.  That's all.  If you are messy, that's not really a problem, because your mess goes with you when you move.

Here's what she does not want to see. 

 

Leaking faucets or water leaks anyway that are unattended to, as that causes major damage and you should have repaired it when it was small or notified her. 

 

Holes in the walls (this means you are not careful with the house)

 

Crayon all over the walls (this means there is probably damage everywhere that she will uncover slowly). 

 

 

Broken drawers.

 

Food sitting out or around.  That means pest infestation, sooner or later. 

 

Bent or broken doors or windows
 

Ground in dirt or oil or worse on the carpet, if any.

 

Animals of any kind (I have NO PET rentals for a reason.  Unauthorized Cats have caused an incredible amount of damage and repair costs)

 

 

Mainly DAMAGE.  I don't want to see ANY damage.  I can live in a house for 30 years and it looks exactly the same, with maybe a dust bunny here or there. Some tenants live so carelessly that the entire place needs to be repainted and repaired when they leave, even if it is only a year or less.  Thankfully, I have managed to avoid almost all of them. 

 

 

Hello. My name is Alley and I am a people-pleaser. Yes, I'm trying to break this very strong tendency, but not today and not re: my landlord.

 

Boring backstory: we almost bought this house. We couldn't agree on price. We went away. Months later I saw that her house was still on the market and asked her if she'd rent to us. (We decided not to buy.) She was not thrilled w/ the idea of being a landlord. Not. at. all. But I talked her into it.

 

Today: For two years we've been stellar tenants. Rent is paid on time. We fix anything in the house under $100 -- that was the deal. We alert her immediately if there's any problem. (One time they visited w/ no notice and only saw the outside. The yard wasn't bad, but needed to be mown/blown/trimmed. She was miffed and thought the inside might look bad. It didn't. She's been in one other time and the place looked awesome.)

 

Our lease is up in Sept. and they've agreed to do a one year lease, but first -- understandably -- they want to do a walk-thru.

 

I want to "landlord-please." Any tips for making her happy? She's coming in mid-July and even now hasn't given me a firm date. But I've started cleaning and tidying. (It's a tough house in that there's no garage or basement so storage is limited.)

 

TIA!

 

Alley

 

[TranquilMind]

I would be prepared to come clean about the cat.  I have several friends with allergies specific to cats (not dogs) that upon entering a home that has cats can immediately tell.  A couple of my friends are so sensitive that they can tell a cat was in the house at some point even if the current owner doesn't have a cat.  Allergies are no fun and it's possible the landlord could have an allergy or just may be opposed to cats.

Yeah, a tenant did this to me once, bringing in an unauthorized cat into her NO PET rental because it was Grandma's cat and "we just couldn't not take it".  Oh yes, you could.

Thanks to you, I spent the night gasping for breath after doing a small repair in the rental in which you were living.

[Alicia64]

I am sure your cat is lovely, but sometimes people make distinctions between cats and dogs for a variety of reasons.

 

Our lovely local ceramics studio had a worker who brought her cat with her to work, Monday, when we were there. I left as soon as I discovered the cat...but one huge asthma attack and now pneumonia later, I am pretty peeved that someone thought that just a cat wouldn't be a problem. (I live in a town where the local used bookstore and used record store also have cats.)

 

Alte Vista raises a point, as a landlord who already didn't want to rent, the cat thing, for me, would be a lease killer.... You need to be upfront before she comes.

 

Thanks for waking me up -- I had no idea. I have minor allergies to kitties -- itchy eyes -- but it seems to go away the more I've been around cats. I had no idea it could be so bad.

 

Our bookstore has a kitty too.

 

Alley

[TranquilMind]

No, I can honestly say: no filth. In fact, I had the upstairs carpet cleaned, don't like the results, and am having another company come out. I worry that I'm spending money on a carpet that could be twenty years old and nothing will make it sparkle, but I'll try.

 

Will you weigh in on Max? My landlord -- a dog lover -- said in our lease that we can have ONE dog. Not two. So we have ONE dog. We even asked her before adopting to make sure she was truly okay.

 

However, we'd promised my boys forever that we'd get a kitty. And (I'm a bad tenant), we did. We brought home baby-Max who, I promise, is the cleanest member of our house. He's nuetered, has never sprayed, is entirely indoors and bothers nobody.

 

Most importantly I keep his litter box -- which is cleaned daily -- in the tub because there's so much hardwood flooring here that I didn't want to take the chance.

 

We've had baby-Max for two years in Aug. and I've never told our LL. Should I come clean? The other option is to hide him for the day.

 

Alley

If you have the carpet clean, use ONLY a truck-mounted steam cleaning process like Stanley Steemer (or whatever equivalent is in your area).  They can get almost anything out.  If your cat has urinated anywhere, then it will never come out. The carpet and pad will have to be replaced, and in some cases, the subfloor needs to be replaced.  Cockroaches and cat odor will survive the apocalypse. 

 

Honestly, I'd be ticked about the cat because I am allergic and I warn the tenants up front - and they sign off in several places on the Lease -that this rental is available only to those with NO pets.   I would issue you a Cure or Quit Notice to get rid of the cat or move, unless we were near the end of the Lease.  I would suffer immensely from cleaning up after you when you move out - and there is always clean up.  The damage, if any, is done already, so I would definitely shift the cost of that clean up to the tenant.    People that bring cats in - and sometimes any pet - ruin it for future tenants who have allergies.  There is almost no way to rent a house that a cat has been in without extensive flooring changes, HVAC cleaning and painting, because you just can't get cat smell out.  That's really an inconsiderate move in my game as well as a contractual violation.

Pets are for your OWN home where you are bearing the brunt of any damage to the property.    

 

Don't hide it.  The landlord will likely know anyway.  I know I would as soon as I entered your front door. 

[Lavandula]

"If your cat has urinated anywhere, then it will never come out."

 

Um, that's quite extreme and frankly not true. I'm not saying she should hide it (it seems she's already decided not to anyway?) but there are certainly ways of getting it out.

 

Plus there are many many cats that never urinate on the floor. She said nothing about hers doing it so I don't know why you'd assume it does.

[TranquilMind]

:lol:  This is GENIUS!!! (Although I'm lousy at this sort of tomfoolery, but I could try.)

 

No, it is not genius.  It just makes you a lying tenant.  This would cause experienced landlords to wonder what else you are lying about.

I truly cannot believe all of this advice to continue to disregard your contractual responsibility here and hope the landlord doesn't notice. 

[TranquilMind]

"If your cat has urinated anywhere, then it will never come out."

 

Um, that's quite extreme and frankly not true. I'm not saying she should hide it (it seems she's already decided not to anyway?) but there are certainly ways of getting it out.

 

Plus there are many many cats that never urinate on the floor. She said nothing about hers doing it so I don't know why you'd assume it does.

Oh, yes....it is true. 

 

I've had tenants for a decade and a half and a couple have tried this sneaking in animals stuff.  Not cool. 

 

I hope hers does not ever leak or spray or go anywhere and didn't even as a baby,  but most do, at some point. 

[Lavandula]

Oh, yes....it is true. 

 

I've had tenants for a decade and a half and a couple have tried this sneaking in animals stuff.  Not cool. 

 

I hope hers does not ever leak or spray or go anywhere and didn't even as a baby,  but most do, at some point. 

Good to know I am lying about being able to get cat pee out of carpets :-)