Landlord Tactics

[nogen2007]

7 slimy landlord tactics

From the article above:

• Repair rip-offs: Your landlord may try to charge for fixing that leaky sink, busted refrigerator or recalcitrant space heater. That's a crock. Under most state laws, renters are entitled to reside in a safe, habitable dwelling on the landlord's dime. That means landlords must fork over for repairs and broken locks -- and do it in a reasonable time frame.
  
  
• Dented security deposits: Your apartment may not have taken a beating, but your security deposit might. Call them "creative deductions"--$100 for chipped paint, $200 for ripped carpeting and so on. The big problem: By the time you get your dented deposit back, you've already moved out.
  
  
• Roommate charges: In expensive cities like New York and San Francisco, taking on a roommate is a quick (if crowded) way to slash living expenses. Your landlord knows this and may try to charge you for the extra bodies, which can be illegal depending on the number of roommates you take in.
  
  
• Usurious late fees: Landlords can make a pretty penny on late payments. State laws are squishy on what constitutes a "reasonable" fee, and there are plenty of property owners who will charge stiff penalties. Reasonable fees start at $5 a day and head up to 6% of a month's rent. Worst-case scenario: an eviction notice.
  
  
• Illegal spaces: Converting garages, basements or recreation rooms into apartments is a no-no without proper zoning approval. So is living there. If the authorities find out, you'll soon be looking for new digs.
  
  
• Key money: When rents aren't set by the laws of supply and demand, as is the case with rent-controlled or rent-stabilized apartments, black markets spring up. To skirt the rent cap, slimy landlords will accept extra fees --called "key money" -- from prospective tenants looking for an edge.
  
  
• Threat of eviction: Landlords can find plenty of excuses to evict you, from lease technicalities to the occasional late payment. This one has a nasty ring to it, but in many cases, no teeth.

Obviously these are from the USA, so they might be different here, but I was wondering if anyone has experienced these, or similar, in Australia. I would think that "rent auctions" would be one I would add, and false "notice to vacate" letters.

I'd ask landlords if they had ever done any of these, but I very much doubt anyone would admit to it.

 

[yo yo ma]

I'd ask landlords if they had ever done any of these, but I very much doubt anyone would admit to it.

I haven't done any of these things, nor have I had them done to me when I was renting.
Of course it does happen. There are bad apples in every group... but not everyone.
Have any of these things happened to you?
What are you implying?
Steve

 

[DavidMc]

My Dad had a false notice to vacate letter. He is currently going through the VCAT process now and will be recieving compensation. The system at work.

Other than that, never experienced any as a renter or as a landlord.

 

[Peter_Tersteeg]

I've never done any of these, but you've got me thinking...

Seriously though, you do understand that most of the people here are landlords or aspire to be a landlord?

 

[skater]

Seriously though, you do understand that most of the people here are landlords or aspire to be a landlord?

Exactly! Are you suggesting that we may do these things to our tenants?

 

[wylie]

I treat my tenants with respect, and expect the same back from them.

If I fail to uphold my end of the bargain they can take me to the tribunal.

If they fail to uphold their end, I can take them to the tribunal.

Some of the things on that list don't happen in Australia to my knowledge. I have never asked a tenant to fix a plumbing leak for example. That is a cost of running the investment.

As yo yo ma said, there are good and bad applies in every basket. I think you would find most apples on Somersoft are good apples.

Wylie

 

[Dis]

I treat my tenants with respect, and expect the same back from them.

If I fail to uphold my end of the bargain they can take me to the tribunal.

If they fail to uphold their end, I can take them to the tribunal.

Ditto

I think I'm a reasonably ethical landlord. I recently let my tenants off 1 weeks rent because they were without hotwater and heating when them moved into a recntly aquired property (I didnt know the appliances were faulty and repairs took a few days even though I acted quickly). They didnt ask for this - I just felt it was the right thing to do.

That said, I see nothing wrong with rent auctions ... or at least advertising in a rental range and picking the best candidate based on how much they will pay and other non financial characteristics (number of tenants, income, pets, children, references).

 

[Ausprop]

7 slimy landlord tactics

From the article above:

• Illegal spaces: Converting garages, basements or recreation rooms into apartments is a no-no without proper zoning approval. So is living there. If the authorities find out, you'll soon be looking for new digs.
  

• 
  
  why is this under a list of slimy landlord tactics? I think delete it and change it 6 slimy tactics.

 

[Ausprop]

most of the 6 items are illegal in Oz so don't really apply. Slimy item 8:

* Refusing to pay for plasmas: it is standard fare now that all homes come with a plasma... why should you have to pay for it? Landlords can refuse (by law no less) to supply them - don't let them get away with it. Withhold rent until you get the make and model you want in a reasonable time frame. Worst case scenario, an eviction notice.

 

[Dis]

Worst case scenario, an eviction notice.

Pfft... eviction!

I'm more worried about missing Kath and Kim, and ACA!

 

[simonjulie]

The bottom line whether you are a tenant or a landlord. Expect the worst and sure as eggs that's what you will attract.
Simon

 

[kathryn d]

Monday we issued an eviction notice to a tenant because her 17 year old caused fear for our other tenants in the building. Initially it was just for the son, but she refused to not allow him back home.(police dragged him away in handcuffs over the weekend)Upon inspection of the premises, Rob found 17 holes in the walls/doors where the son had put his fist through.

Today, another tenant tried to sneak out.The super noticed the moving truck in the yard.

I told Rob that we should allow dogs at a higher rent.Maybe we will attract a higher and more responsible class of tenant.We shall see.

We charge for extra persons in one of our buildings because we are paying all the outgoing costs.That is legal.

Funny thing is that these 2 tenants (women)I am referring to both wanted to come to our building because it was gaining the reputation for being a quiet and safe building.
They have both turned out to be the biggest trouble makers.

 

[BoatBoy]

Dented security deposits: Your apartment may not have taken a beating, but your security deposit might. Call them "creative deductions"--$100 for chipped paint, $200 for ripped carpeting and so on. The big problem: By the time you get your dented deposit back, you've already moved out.

Fair wear and tear is one thing, but ripped carpet, that'd be worthy wouldnt it?

Usurious late fees: Landlords can make a pretty penny on late payments. State laws are squishy on what constitutes a "reasonable" fee, and there are plenty of property owners who will charge stiff penalties. Reasonable fees start at $5 a day and head up to 6% of a month's rent. Worst-case scenario: an eviction notice.

My bank charges late fee's, it would be nice to be able to pass them on when tenants are late in payments.

We had 1 tenant who refused to use a periodic debit facility, travelled with her work and never paid rent in advance before the trip, so it was often 2 weeks behind.

We as landlords had the money to cover the rent but is that our job ?

She is not a tenant anymore

Dave

 

[wish-ga]

Rent auction? Not sure if this counts. Work mate wants to rent in Sydney, wife finishing a PhD & they will go os upon completion so makes sense to rent. He has offered 10 or 20 dollars above the asking. However, other applicants apparently offering $60 above the advertised weekly rent........ or that is what the REA said......... so did they or did they not?

Sheesh! Not a one off sweetener for the agent, tenant goes in with a higher rent then has to sustain it.

My bank charges late fee's, it would be nice to be able to pass them on when tenants are late in payments.

Could you not pass that on. Seems reasonable that tenants reimburse, introduce it as of 1 Jan 2008 (advance notice in writing or write into new leases).
Financial penalty = motivation to pay on time.

 

[coolie21]

Could you not pass that on. Seems reasonable that tenants reimburse, introduce it as of 1 Jan 2008 (advance notice in writing or write into new leases).
Financial penalty = motivation to pay on time.

Or financial incentive to pay on time (sounds better) ie rent 'discount' of $X if paid on time

 

[lizzie]

i evicted a group of tenants about 3 weeks ago - with 60 days notice - only to find my 18mth old carpet was hideously destroyed ... big red and yellow stains all over it, patches where vomit had been attempted to be cleaned up etc and all rather heartbreaking really.

because the house is now on the market i had to have the carpet replaced immediately - after the pm taking 1000 photos - at at cost of $6,400 (similar to orginal carpet price). i've kept large samples of the worst carpet stains for insurance/tribunal. the bond was only $1900, so that has been kept aside and the tenants have been advised they will have to pay the balance, as insurance co has declared it "poor housekeeping" rather than "malicious damage".

well, the ex-tenants have kicked up a stink and lodged with dept of fair trading a demand to have their bond returned. pm immediately has lodged with tribunal ... but i can't believe the callous lack of responsibility for what they have created (actually i can believe it, but still dumbfounds me).

i've always looked after my tenants well, respected them, completed very promptly any reasonable requests for anything to be fixed/replaced so find it galling to be treated with such arrogance ... and when i was renting (long ago) i looked after the properties as if they were my own home - even doing the repairs (like the screen door falling off the hinges) before i realised that they were the landlords responsibility.

ah well - welcome to the world of investment properties. just hope the tribunal throws the book at them and doesn't make them pay it off at $5/wk!

 

[kathryn d]

You're lucky, Lizzie, they are gone.
One of the tenants we evicted,,,won't leave.
The Tenancy Board are allowing her to stay until her appeal process is over.Hopefully she will be out by end of the month. She is prolonging it as long as she can.
There are about 17 holes in the walls etc,,,what will there be by the time she leaves.

 

[BayView]

Repair rip-offs: Your landlord may try to charge for fixing that leaky sink, busted refrigerator or recalcitrant space heater. That's a crock. Under most state laws, renters are entitled to reside in a safe, habitable dwelling on the landlord's dime. That means landlords must fork over for repairs and broken locks -- and do it in a reasonable time frame.

What about the damages done by the tenant that are passed of as "wear and tear" that we have to pay for?

 

[kathryn d]

yeah....some days I really don't like my tenants.
Mostly I do...until they move out.It's as if they are Jekyll and Hyde then.

 

[Dazz]

Happy to bite with this one....


1. Amazing to see the difference between what tenants expect when they first walk in, and what they are prepared to call good when they leave.....chalk and cheese.

2. They key to good behaviour is holding sufficient amounts of their cash as a bond. As Lizzie just demonstrated, the 4 weeks bond hardly ever cuts the mustard when the brown hits the fan.

3. In the end it all comes down to expectations. As "Simon says", you get what you attract or expect.....nowadays I expect the tenants to perform at least 100K worth of renovations to the prop. during their tenure. Works good. The places look fantastic compared with when they move in. Ramp up the rent because of the improvements, attract a better tenant and do it all over again. Job sorted.

4a. Only ever rent to people who are used to fulfilling contractual obligations.
4b. If they've never seen a Contract before...run a million miles from them.
4c. If they sign a Lease without reading the obligations - run a million miles.
4d. If they consistently use words like perhaps / maybe / dunno / I think so / not sure / I have no clue / Mum and Dad said run a million miles from them.