OT – SFR Rental Advice

[Cube]

[quote=JBurkett19]Sounds like many of your concerns are a bit paranoid.

As far as watering the grass, wouldn’t you want to be in a place with green grass? Keep in mind that when a tenant enters a house with green grass and leaves with brown or no grass, that costs the property owner time and money. Most importantly time. Besides, the water portion of the bill is not the expensive part. The sewer and other charges make up at least 80- 90% percent of the bill.

[/quote]

This is not hypothetical. At a previous SFR, someone from the city water survey program came out and confirmed that the yard was being over-watered by a factor of 2-3 given the plant types, soil condition, climate zone, etc. The landlord ignored this information and insisted on the over-watering schedule. The yard was at greater risk of damage from over-watering than of drying out and dying from under-watering by a fair margin.

You should note that both water and sewer rates have a proportional component to metered water usage (for sewer, this is up to the first 20 HCF/mo in SD). Also, both the base rate and the per usage rates for water and sewer are quite comparable. Your claim does not seem accurate.

[quote=JBurkett19]
As far as a landlord passing by for visits, or entering without notice- I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Believe that the landlord doesn’t want to go to the house for nothing more than collecting rent. They don’t want to hear from tenants at all, unless there’s a problem.
[/quote]

Again, not hypothetical, and your claim has no supporting evidence. While as a landlord I would not visit the property unannounced and in violation of tenant’s rights, it does not mean other landlords will behave the same (even if it is the expected rational behavior).

And, despite the fact that it is a violation of tenant’s rights, it is in practice very difficult to assert one’s rights as a tenant (without considerable hassle and possible legal action). Just like one may have the right-of-way at an intersection, that offers little protection if another car takes that right-of-way illegitimately. A collision would still be dangerous and severely inconvenient even to the party that had the legal right-of-way.

I think the fundamental question remains unanswered: How does one determine a good landlord from a bad/crazy one before renting the property?

[Cube]

[quote=desmond]Why not find a scantily clad landlord that waters your lawn for you and gets herself soaking wet in the process.[/quote]

I see where you’re going with this, but I think I’ll have to pass. Sort of for the same reason I avoid watching cooking shows.

[Cube]

[quote=desmond]Why not find a scantily clad landlord that waters your lawn for you and gets herself soaking wet in the process.[/quote]

I see where you’re going with this, but I think I’ll have to pass. Sort of for the same reason I avoid watching cooking shows.

[Cube]

[quote=desmond]Why not find a scantily clad landlord that waters your lawn for you and gets herself soaking wet in the process.[/quote]

I see where you’re going with this, but I think I’ll have to pass. Sort of for the same reason I avoid watching cooking shows.

[Cube]

[quote=desmond]Why not find a scantily clad landlord that waters your lawn for you and gets herself soaking wet in the process.[/quote]

I see where you’re going with this, but I think I’ll have to pass. Sort of for the same reason I avoid watching cooking shows.

[Cube]

[quote=desmond]Why not find a scantily clad landlord that waters your lawn for you and gets herself soaking wet in the process.[/quote]

I see where you’re going with this, but I think I’ll have to pass. Sort of for the same reason I avoid watching cooking shows.

[bearishgurl]

Cube, if I were you, I would shy away from first time/accidental landlords. These are “landlords” who really don’t want to be landlords but have to move and can’t sell and get out clean. They think they’ll “manage” their house themselves because they can’t afford to hire a mgmt co. Many haven’t a clue what they’re doing and are at a high risk of hypothecating your damage deposit and last months rent, if applicable, for their own use, as well as defaulting on their mortgage(s) during your tenancy. It is always better to deal with a mgmt co when renting a SFR. Or a “landlord” who owns several investment properties and has for many years. These types of landlords are unemotional and treat their tenants professionally. Your tenancy will be strictly business to them. They typically know all the landlord/tenant laws and make sure everything works in their rentals and that their units are clean, habitable and meet all safety criteria before placing tenants in them.

I wouldn’t hand over a large damage deposit/last months rent directly to a first-time involuntary “landlord,” especially a young one with minor children at home, IMO. These types of owners are most at risk of not delivering to you a clean and vacant unit after collecting your deposit, absconding with your deposit(s) and/or defaulting on on or more trust deeds during your tenancy.

Checking on whether a property is in default (or ever has been in default under the present ownership) before turning in your rental application is a good idea under the economic climate existing today.

A property manager with a CA “CPM” designation must abide by the current landlord/tenant laws and ethical standards when deciding whether or not to handle mgmt of a property. Many will refuse to handle mgmt of SFR’s which have previously been in default by a current owner seeking to turn the property into a rental.

[bearishgurl]

Cube, if I were you, I would shy away from first time/accidental landlords. These are “landlords” who really don’t want to be landlords but have to move and can’t sell and get out clean. They think they’ll “manage” their house themselves because they can’t afford to hire a mgmt co. Many haven’t a clue what they’re doing and are at a high risk of hypothecating your damage deposit and last months rent, if applicable, for their own use, as well as defaulting on their mortgage(s) during your tenancy. It is always better to deal with a mgmt co when renting a SFR. Or a “landlord” who owns several investment properties and has for many years. These types of landlords are unemotional and treat their tenants professionally. Your tenancy will be strictly business to them. They typically know all the landlord/tenant laws and make sure everything works in their rentals and that their units are clean, habitable and meet all safety criteria before placing tenants in them.

I wouldn’t hand over a large damage deposit/last months rent directly to a first-time involuntary “landlord,” especially a young one with minor children at home, IMO. These types of owners are most at risk of not delivering to you a clean and vacant unit after collecting your deposit, absconding with your deposit(s) and/or defaulting on on or more trust deeds during your tenancy.

Checking on whether a property is in default (or ever has been in default under the present ownership) before turning in your rental application is a good idea under the economic climate existing today.

A property manager with a CA “CPM” designation must abide by the current landlord/tenant laws and ethical standards when deciding whether or not to handle mgmt of a property. Many will refuse to handle mgmt of SFR’s which have previously been in default by a current owner seeking to turn the property into a rental.

[bearishgurl]

Cube, if I were you, I would shy away from first time/accidental landlords. These are “landlords” who really don’t want to be landlords but have to move and can’t sell and get out clean. They think they’ll “manage” their house themselves because they can’t afford to hire a mgmt co. Many haven’t a clue what they’re doing and are at a high risk of hypothecating your damage deposit and last months rent, if applicable, for their own use, as well as defaulting on their mortgage(s) during your tenancy. It is always better to deal with a mgmt co when renting a SFR. Or a “landlord” who owns several investment properties and has for many years. These types of landlords are unemotional and treat their tenants professionally. Your tenancy will be strictly business to them. They typically know all the landlord/tenant laws and make sure everything works in their rentals and that their units are clean, habitable and meet all safety criteria before placing tenants in them.

I wouldn’t hand over a large damage deposit/last months rent directly to a first-time involuntary “landlord,” especially a young one with minor children at home, IMO. These types of owners are most at risk of not delivering to you a clean and vacant unit after collecting your deposit, absconding with your deposit(s) and/or defaulting on on or more trust deeds during your tenancy.

Checking on whether a property is in default (or ever has been in default under the present ownership) before turning in your rental application is a good idea under the economic climate existing today.

A property manager with a CA “CPM” designation must abide by the current landlord/tenant laws and ethical standards when deciding whether or not to handle mgmt of a property. Many will refuse to handle mgmt of SFR’s which have previously been in default by a current owner seeking to turn the property into a rental.

[bearishgurl]

Cube, if I were you, I would shy away from first time/accidental landlords. These are “landlords” who really don’t want to be landlords but have to move and can’t sell and get out clean. They think they’ll “manage” their house themselves because they can’t afford to hire a mgmt co. Many haven’t a clue what they’re doing and are at a high risk of hypothecating your damage deposit and last months rent, if applicable, for their own use, as well as defaulting on their mortgage(s) during your tenancy. It is always better to deal with a mgmt co when renting a SFR. Or a “landlord” who owns several investment properties and has for many years. These types of landlords are unemotional and treat their tenants professionally. Your tenancy will be strictly business to them. They typically know all the landlord/tenant laws and make sure everything works in their rentals and that their units are clean, habitable and meet all safety criteria before placing tenants in them.

I wouldn’t hand over a large damage deposit/last months rent directly to a first-time involuntary “landlord,” especially a young one with minor children at home, IMO. These types of owners are most at risk of not delivering to you a clean and vacant unit after collecting your deposit, absconding with your deposit(s) and/or defaulting on on or more trust deeds during your tenancy.

Checking on whether a property is in default (or ever has been in default under the present ownership) before turning in your rental application is a good idea under the economic climate existing today.

A property manager with a CA “CPM” designation must abide by the current landlord/tenant laws and ethical standards when deciding whether or not to handle mgmt of a property. Many will refuse to handle mgmt of SFR’s which have previously been in default by a current owner seeking to turn the property into a rental.

[bearishgurl]

Cube, if I were you, I would shy away from first time/accidental landlords. These are “landlords” who really don’t want to be landlords but have to move and can’t sell and get out clean. They think they’ll “manage” their house themselves because they can’t afford to hire a mgmt co. Many haven’t a clue what they’re doing and are at a high risk of hypothecating your damage deposit and last months rent, if applicable, for their own use, as well as defaulting on their mortgage(s) during your tenancy. It is always better to deal with a mgmt co when renting a SFR. Or a “landlord” who owns several investment properties and has for many years. These types of landlords are unemotional and treat their tenants professionally. Your tenancy will be strictly business to them. They typically know all the landlord/tenant laws and make sure everything works in their rentals and that their units are clean, habitable and meet all safety criteria before placing tenants in them.

I wouldn’t hand over a large damage deposit/last months rent directly to a first-time involuntary “landlord,” especially a young one with minor children at home, IMO. These types of owners are most at risk of not delivering to you a clean and vacant unit after collecting your deposit, absconding with your deposit(s) and/or defaulting on on or more trust deeds during your tenancy.

Checking on whether a property is in default (or ever has been in default under the present ownership) before turning in your rental application is a good idea under the economic climate existing today.

A property manager with a CA “CPM” designation must abide by the current landlord/tenant laws and ethical standards when deciding whether or not to handle mgmt of a property. Many will refuse to handle mgmt of SFR’s which have previously been in default by a current owner seeking to turn the property into a rental.

[edna_mode]

Having experience in looking for a rental in the last few years, my take:

1) You can research the previous sales history (price and date) on any number of websites of any house you are interested in. For example, a house that sold for $200,000 in the 1980’s is probably a better bet than one that was purchased at $600,000 in 2006. You can’t guard against the long-term owner having borrowed against the mystical value of their house during the boom years, but this should give you an idea of whether or not it’s even possible the landlord is cash-flow neutral with the rent they are proposing. If it’s NOT cash-flow neutral, don’t go for it.

2) Meet the landlord: ask yourself, do I want to do business with this person? ask what they do for a living. ask why they are renting the unit. ask how many other units they manage and how long they have been renting property — are they all within their residential area? will they manage the unit themselves? ask how long they have been in the area. ask how they want the property maintained (you do it? them? their property manager?) and listen closely not only to the content of the answer but how they answer it. basically ask enough questions that generate enough data for you establish a fact pattern, but make it a conversation. you’re interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. while they run a credit check on you (if you get this far), you can check them out too.

3) You can check if the property taxes are current to the last 6 months here: https://www.sdctreastax.com/ebpp3/%28aoi1nn45dbk4kdbchlasxk45%29/Start.aspx. You can also verify who is nominally the owner of record, and compare to the name of the person who you meet.

4) Social media — google the person after you meet. it’s time to compare against the fact pattern they gave you. see whether or not you find a picture of the person who met you, and has the same name as whom they met. see if you find the website for their employer, or if self-employed, their website. if they give a professional property manager, google that and look for complaints. if you really want to pay for it, you can use intelius.com or some other background check site to get their previous residential history and compare against whatever story they’ve told you. you could look for bankruptcies too.

5) gut check your head answer from questions 1-4. basically, do you trust this person to deliver or not?

deal with someone professional who can be unemotional about renting out the property.

[edna_mode]

Having experience in looking for a rental in the last few years, my take:

1) You can research the previous sales history (price and date) on any number of websites of any house you are interested in. For example, a house that sold for $200,000 in the 1980’s is probably a better bet than one that was purchased at $600,000 in 2006. You can’t guard against the long-term owner having borrowed against the mystical value of their house during the boom years, but this should give you an idea of whether or not it’s even possible the landlord is cash-flow neutral with the rent they are proposing. If it’s NOT cash-flow neutral, don’t go for it.

2) Meet the landlord: ask yourself, do I want to do business with this person? ask what they do for a living. ask why they are renting the unit. ask how many other units they manage and how long they have been renting property — are they all within their residential area? will they manage the unit themselves? ask how long they have been in the area. ask how they want the property maintained (you do it? them? their property manager?) and listen closely not only to the content of the answer but how they answer it. basically ask enough questions that generate enough data for you establish a fact pattern, but make it a conversation. you’re interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. while they run a credit check on you (if you get this far), you can check them out too.

3) You can check if the property taxes are current to the last 6 months here: https://www.sdctreastax.com/ebpp3/%28aoi1nn45dbk4kdbchlasxk45%29/Start.aspx. You can also verify who is nominally the owner of record, and compare to the name of the person who you meet.

4) Social media — google the person after you meet. it’s time to compare against the fact pattern they gave you. see whether or not you find a picture of the person who met you, and has the same name as whom they met. see if you find the website for their employer, or if self-employed, their website. if they give a professional property manager, google that and look for complaints. if you really want to pay for it, you can use intelius.com or some other background check site to get their previous residential history and compare against whatever story they’ve told you. you could look for bankruptcies too.

5) gut check your head answer from questions 1-4. basically, do you trust this person to deliver or not?

deal with someone professional who can be unemotional about renting out the property.

[edna_mode]

Having experience in looking for a rental in the last few years, my take:

1) You can research the previous sales history (price and date) on any number of websites of any house you are interested in. For example, a house that sold for $200,000 in the 1980’s is probably a better bet than one that was purchased at $600,000 in 2006. You can’t guard against the long-term owner having borrowed against the mystical value of their house during the boom years, but this should give you an idea of whether or not it’s even possible the landlord is cash-flow neutral with the rent they are proposing. If it’s NOT cash-flow neutral, don’t go for it.

2) Meet the landlord: ask yourself, do I want to do business with this person? ask what they do for a living. ask why they are renting the unit. ask how many other units they manage and how long they have been renting property — are they all within their residential area? will they manage the unit themselves? ask how long they have been in the area. ask how they want the property maintained (you do it? them? their property manager?) and listen closely not only to the content of the answer but how they answer it. basically ask enough questions that generate enough data for you establish a fact pattern, but make it a conversation. you’re interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. while they run a credit check on you (if you get this far), you can check them out too.

3) You can check if the property taxes are current to the last 6 months here: https://www.sdctreastax.com/ebpp3/%28aoi1nn45dbk4kdbchlasxk45%29/Start.aspx. You can also verify who is nominally the owner of record, and compare to the name of the person who you meet.

4) Social media — google the person after you meet. it’s time to compare against the fact pattern they gave you. see whether or not you find a picture of the person who met you, and has the same name as whom they met. see if you find the website for their employer, or if self-employed, their website. if they give a professional property manager, google that and look for complaints. if you really want to pay for it, you can use intelius.com or some other background check site to get their previous residential history and compare against whatever story they’ve told you. you could look for bankruptcies too.

5) gut check your head answer from questions 1-4. basically, do you trust this person to deliver or not?

deal with someone professional who can be unemotional about renting out the property.

[edna_mode]

Having experience in looking for a rental in the last few years, my take:

1) You can research the previous sales history (price and date) on any number of websites of any house you are interested in. For example, a house that sold for $200,000 in the 1980’s is probably a better bet than one that was purchased at $600,000 in 2006. You can’t guard against the long-term owner having borrowed against the mystical value of their house during the boom years, but this should give you an idea of whether or not it’s even possible the landlord is cash-flow neutral with the rent they are proposing. If it’s NOT cash-flow neutral, don’t go for it.

2) Meet the landlord: ask yourself, do I want to do business with this person? ask what they do for a living. ask why they are renting the unit. ask how many other units they manage and how long they have been renting property — are they all within their residential area? will they manage the unit themselves? ask how long they have been in the area. ask how they want the property maintained (you do it? them? their property manager?) and listen closely not only to the content of the answer but how they answer it. basically ask enough questions that generate enough data for you establish a fact pattern, but make it a conversation. you’re interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. while they run a credit check on you (if you get this far), you can check them out too.

3) You can check if the property taxes are current to the last 6 months here: https://www.sdctreastax.com/ebpp3/%28aoi1nn45dbk4kdbchlasxk45%29/Start.aspx. You can also verify who is nominally the owner of record, and compare to the name of the person who you meet.

4) Social media — google the person after you meet. it’s time to compare against the fact pattern they gave you. see whether or not you find a picture of the person who met you, and has the same name as whom they met. see if you find the website for their employer, or if self-employed, their website. if they give a professional property manager, google that and look for complaints. if you really want to pay for it, you can use intelius.com or some other background check site to get their previous residential history and compare against whatever story they’ve told you. you could look for bankruptcies too.

5) gut check your head answer from questions 1-4. basically, do you trust this person to deliver or not?

deal with someone professional who can be unemotional about renting out the property.

[Author]

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