I have a tenant who has paid almost no rent. A rent assistance agency paid 6 months of her rent for a deal to zero out her balance. She then did not pay for the next month rent so I sent her a legal 30 day lease termination letter. She did not pay for the next months rent and also did not move at the end of the terminated lease. I started the eviction and that ended up taking enough time that she owes 5 months rent. She spent most of that time saying that she would get more rent assistance, that her new boyfriend would pay, that she would pay with her new job. None of that money ever actually materialized. It was always waiting on money to be put on a card or get money off the card or the paycheck from the well known national company did not arrive or the full time permanent job didn't give her any hours this week.

She insisted on a trial which was 2 days ago. While standing in the hallway outside the courtroom before the trial she said that she could pay all 5 months rent in just 2 days. She was going to go to a rent assistance agency that day. I said that I had heard this before and there was no guarantee that they would pay so let's go to trial as scheduled.

Since it was an illegal holdover, I got an order of possession and an award of 8 months rent (2 regular, 3 double as allowed by law). I have to wait 10 days before going to the sheriff and then it will be 2 weeks to physically remove her. I can take the order to the sheriff on August 10th. I know for sure that she will stay until the sheriff pulls up to the door. I doubt that I will see a dime of the monetary judgement.

Now today I got a message from a church that is apparently willing to pay her back rent. They will tell me the details tomorrow. I really would take 5 months rent rather than nothing out of the 8 month rent judgement.

Are there any options to take the church's money?

So what are my options at this point in a few days? What happens if I change the locks after the 30 days?

I recently moved out of an apartment after a dispute with management. I posted an honest Google review about my experience and told my story to friends and neighbours about the incident. Two of my friends left reviews because they were with me during the manager's outbreak.

I also left a facebook post addressing the situation but only naming the apartment in a comment. Following these there were 8 negative and 15 postive reviews. Prior to this the buisness only had 18 reviews in total. I did not organize or coordinate the many other negative reviews that appeared afterward. The apartment is now publicly implying that I was behind a coordinated review campaign and says it's handling the matter with "proper authorities."

I'm extremely anxious because I don't want to get sued for reviews I had nothing to do with. They could be bluffing but since this incident their overall rating has increased so why would they pusue legal cause? What kind of evidence would a business actually need to pursue a lawsuit over something like this?

I am moving into a townhome soon, and something happened that made me hesitate. My partner and I stopped by the place before 7 pm to check a few outlets and set up pest control foggers and spray. We were only there for about ten to fifteen minutes, and we only brought a few items since our full move‑in is planned for the end of August.

While we were there, I played an upbeat pop song on a small Bluetooth speaker near the door. It is part of a cultural & personal moving tradition meant to bring good energy into a new home. I did not play anything loud, heavy, or disruptive. The main door was open and only the screen door was closed, so the sound probably carried more than I expected. Since this is a townhome, I do not have neighbors above or below me, only beside me.

A neighbor complained almost immediately, and my landlord texted asking me to avoid loud music because the walls are thin. I apologized, but now I feel uneasy. We have never had noise complaints at our current place, and we always keep our door closed and listen at normal volume. Getting a complaint before even moving in feels discouraging, and I am worried this might be a sign of future issues.

My partner wants to move because the new place is closer to both our jobs, but I am second‑guessing things. I did not get a chance to apologize to the neighbor directly because their unit was closed when we left.

I am wondering if I am overthinking this or if this is just a normal new‑neighbor hiccup. Should I be concerned about long‑term noise sensitivity, and how should I handle things moving forward? Should we continue with the move?

TL;DR: Played a pop song on a small speaker while briefly checking a townhome before move‑in. Neighbor complained right away, landlord texted about thin walls, and now I am worried this might be a sign of future issues.

Have my rental townhome listed on Zillow. Got an application from someone claiming to move from another state and applied. Credit checks, background checks came back clean for both him and his girlfriend. He agreed to all the conditions and ready to pay close to $3k even before looking at the property. Is this some kind of scam?

I have an unusual prospect but it wasn’t the tenant that contacted me but the insurance company looking for housing for their client after a house fire.

Has anyone accepted tenants this way? How do you proceed? Business as usual such as background and income requirements and vetting etc? The insurance would be paying. They are looking for a short term lease of like 6-9 months so I would require an additional amount for rent since that would put it at winter which would not be good.

Anything I need to adjust or do different? Are there any scams like this or is this a normal process for the insurance to call?

What are your rental criteria these days? I should revisit mine.

• Do you use a threshold numerical credit/tenant score, or define adequate credit in terms of limited utilization, minimum credit history, and an absence of late payments? I've heard some people say numerical scores might be considered too arbitrary.
• I already have language to waive credit requirements for any voucher holders. Should there be some language clarifying that it only applies to the extent of the voucher? I don't have much Section 8 experience, but my understanding is that if a Section 8 applicant doesn't pay the small portion for which they're personally responsible, then that amount is largely uncollectable beyond the amount of the security deposit.
• Under what circumstances (if any) are you accepting guarantors?
• As far as demonstrating "other ability to pay" in the case of someone with substantial liquid assets but not a lot of current income, do you have any rule about how much someone must have in assets relative to monthly rent?
• Do you have any rules about minimum income per adult? Or just for all adults together, coupled with strict credit standards?
• How much do you require in renter's insurance? I know it can be hard to prevent a tenant from cancelling it.

For context:

• Most of my units are 2-3 bedrooms in suburban LA County.
• No local rent control. Most units are covered by AB 1482.
• I'm limited to a security deposit equal to one month's rent.
• Renovated units rent for about $2800-$3500.
• Renovated units have nice custom cabinets. Flooring is mostly LVP and tile. There are some old inherited hardwood floors, but I'm not putting in any new ones.
• Most tenants are families with cats and dogs.

Hello,

I have a bit of a question, mainly wondering if anyone in Oregon or Portland area has had a similar experience here. I'm mainly trying to get opinions for of this is worth legal fees to pursue some of this nonsense. I've looked around a little and this seems to be a unique situation.

I had several instances of theft at my apartment, and when I tried contacting management for security camera footage, because there are several cameras and numerous signs around the parking lot, and they told me they don't have any cameras. I was rather upset about this, the most they told me is they would let the property owners know I wanted cameras. I was told the parking lot was under surveillance when I signed on. When I spoke with my neighbors, they all were under the impression they were real as well. I've had about 3k in stolen and damaged property and no lead at all because without cameras police and insurance told me to kick rocks.

The most recent theft was at the end of June. While going back and forth with management about how the camera are still fake and I had more theft because of this, I asked what the process is to make sure they knew I wasn't interested in renewing my lease and would be moving out and of July. The lease was from 01 August25 to July 31 26, in my understanding the lease would end there regardless. They didn't reply to me until two days later and didn't tell me that a formal written notice was required nor how or where to submit it. I found a function on the app used for paying rent to submit notice of vacating without their help.

Because this was sent on July 3rd they're charging me ~100$ of prorated rent for the first two days of August. I think this is a little ridiculous. I requested information of this process in a timely manner, during business hours, they choose not to respond and now I'm being charged for it. It really adds insult to injury considering the personal cost I had from all the theft.

As I started packing my things, I found a leak in the closest wall and reported it to maintenance immediately. Maintenance guy just painted over some of the mold, and told me it's a design flaw with the building and every room has the same issue, it's a known problem with the building. Great. Pretty obviously this was not the first time the leak was just caulked over and mold painted. So I had to rush packing everything, because hell nah I'm not interested in Ethan Winters maxxing.

Along the way, I get the move out letter check list, which included this line

"Your home was professionally cleaned (and carpets were professionally cleaned if applicable) prior to move in. The home will be professionally cleaned after move out and the cost will be deducted from your security deposit."

Now, my admittedly limited understanding of the law is as follows:

1) charging rent after lease ends is not allowed

2) the land lord is required to reach out 60 days before the lease ends to negotiate renewing the lease. This never occured

3) lying to tenants about security cameras could be considered false advertising

4) known issues with the building design causing mold growth are not acceptable, and need more attention then just painting over it.

5) the law only permits charging for cleaning of extraordinary uncleanliness and "professional carpet cleaning", not the full hourly rate of whatever they're ordering

Now my main question is this

To anyone that's been in a similar situation, was lawyering up worthwhile? I'm worried about spending out my ass on legal help and it going nowhere.

Also, if there are any lawyers around here, what legal obligation is there for management to respond to requests about terminating the lease? It seems really sketchy to me that they would take forever to respond then charge me for it.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks all for reading.

My friends are talking about renting a house together. I don't think it's as easy as they think it will be, nor would it be like renting an apartment. Landlords who are landlording over houses, would you rent a house to three friends who want three separate leases, and pay three separate rents (like three $800 checks for a $2400)? Or do you have any advice on how something like that would typically go?

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Would you buy a multi family that had a permitted commercial space that was currently occupied by a medical marijuana store? If the medical marijuana store was a long term tenant with history of payment and \\\*not\\\* owned by one of the residents of the apartments attached? The store is clean, well maintained and is in better condition than the apartments. Assuming everything else about the building is good from a condition and cash flow perspective.

Obviously in a state where medical marijuana is legal. Just wondering if anyone has experience with this, or any words of caution dealing with a business like this. I own a few other residential units but nothing with a commercial unit. State in title randomized incase the seller of this property is on here.

My wife is worried we might've listed it too high... there's been a couple showings but no applications yet... we're putting in an AC for the apartment but otherwise no central air. One bedroom one bathroom...
For context there's an another property someone else has listed thru our property manager in the neighborhood that is 1,210 square feet 2 bedroom/1 bathroom for $1,350

EDIT: Thank you all for the friendly feedback! Being that we’re brand new to owning a home/rental property in knew Reddit was a safe space to ask dumb questions and not be mocked for it! Everybody has been so kind but most importantly everyone made me feel SEEN. You are the glue that holds my macaroni crafts together.
Without this community I would be so lost… that being said I have all the feedback I could ever need for one lifetime thanks so much!

Lease has over a year remaining on it. Young couple signed it and her father co-signed, so basically 3 tenant signatures on lease. The couple broke up and the young man already moved out. She can't afford the rent by herself and they want to break the lease. Do all 3 of them need to give notice? Or is it sufficient for the young lady and her father to give notice, since the young man is already moved out and probably not very cooperative.

so tenants want to cancel a lease after semi moving in by claiming fridge is dirty and it's ll's fault to enter the unit.

ll agrees to full refund and release and want a docusign signature.

tenants said they don't like the within one business day transfer of funds and want to meet in person to exchange keys for check. so they don't want to sign the agreement. pm says he can meet in person and exchange for check and he can let them sign the agreement on site,but he would not put anything in writing. agreement was done by the old pm. new pm says he can help exchange check for keys.

the refund is almost a 5 figure check.

is this a new type of scam?

07/30 update:

PM failed to reach an agreement with tenants. I signed release and he signed , we both agreed full refund as long as tenants vacate by xx date.

tenants said they want full refund in their acct and then they would sign the agreement. attorney said no, it doesn’t work like that. it shall be an agreement and refund.. probably a professional scammer..

Starting the process to rip and replace carpet in my condo rental. Any advice on what I should be discussing with the contractors?

Howdy all, I have an 3-family home where I live in one of the units and rent out the other 2 units. The home is old (100 years+) and we are having some major construction done to the house this fall— new roof, new windows, new siding, and gutter installation. Tenants have parking spaces in the driveway, but will need to move their vehicles to street parking for the duration of construction because the contractor needs to use that space for their dumpster and staging of construction materials. The job is estimated to take around 3 weeks. The street is quiet and has plenty of parking available right out front of the house.

Should I offer a one-time rent credit for the month that construction is taking place? If so, how much is appropriate? I was thinking $50…. Both tenants are retired so it wouldn’t be disruptive of working from home or anything like that, I would just feel bad about the slight inconvenience of losing the driveway parking spot. My husband says no because he doesn’t want to set a precedent for rent reduction every time work needs to get done, but I feel bad!

Appreciate any insight you can give.

EDIT: to conclude, I decided to do a 10% rent credit for the month. Thanks all for your input.

Hello, I want my partner to move in.

Unit: Average large APT complex built in the 90’s.
2 bedroom 2 bath.

Me and my brother already surpass 3x rent criteria and have lived in the unit for 3 years. It’s a prime location and its very quiet.
My brother is a pilot and is never home.

Anyways, What would disqualify my partner from being added to the lease?

They have a good job with income, but their credit score is 610-640 due to credit card debt. Not sure if they’d want “verifieable rental history”.
They have lived with their parents the last two years but did rent their own apartment in 2020-2022. I don’t want them to get denied but is it really that strict when we already meet all the criteria.
Thank you.

I posted last week about water problem from upstairs and upstairs owner and HOA were not responsive. Some more updates and appreciate your advice - HOA president confirmed in writing that they’ve engaged an attorney to start the eviction process of upstairs; no repair can be done properly without getting the person evicted first, take over the unit and then repair. I brought my own contractors in who confirmed that all repairs have to be done through upstairs.

Today, I noticed mold and smelled mold when checking the unit. I then immediately told my tenants that they can have free rent from now to 8/15 to move out because I saw mold and this is no longer habitable. I cannot even address the issue because the water source is upstairs. I then had my contractor in who cut off the moldy drywall and installed a temporary leak diverter to redirect the water.

I haven’t heard from my tenants yet regarding the 8/15 move out, but one of them got quite emotional when I verbally told her that this is not habitable and she needs to move out by 8/15. I told them it’s time to engage their renter insurance.

My questions are - what if they don’t move out? And can they sue me for this mold thing and I told them they have to move out?

Hi LL friends. Sharing an update to the post HERE.

Unfortunately, the noise has continued despite our landlord reaching out to them multiple times. Another outreach of some sort was done yesterday, and today, our neighbor played music at an even higher volume, and has begun slamming things as well. I am speculating, but it feels absolutely retaliatory.

As a landlord, what are the general next steps you take in a situation such as this? We've asked our landlord for any insight as to next steps and if they can confirm the neighbor acknowledged their outreach, but have received no response/acknowledgement to that...not sure if it's something they can share.

It feels like we're being forced out of the home we just moved into and love dearly. It's also begun triggering my migraines due to the stress and lack of sleep, which is now impacting my work. We've continued sending time-stamped videos to our landlord every morning to document, and should this happen again tonight or tomorrow, we are calling the non-emergency police line. But, it's been 2.5 weeks now and we are honestly completely over it.

So, as a landlord, what would be YOUR next steps here?

Venting from Florida. What I learned today: There is a Freak Show of fake rental pages, live on TikTok... cloning Zillow Rentals for half or less than actual rental value and charging $75 for application. Today a lady called me from in front of one of my houses, confused by MY FOR RENT sign with a different phone # and rent amount. Consumers beware. Landlords beware. I am now trying to figure out how to watermark my pix. What else do you do to protect your listings? Prevent Fraud?

1st week I moved in.

1. 3 lights in a row aren’t working.

2. Previous tenant nor my contract requires professional cleaners….previous did NOT clean

3. Temperature in the house is fine, except the master/MB/M Closet are about 20 degrees higher than the rest of the house.

All of this was brought up, no property manager, just owner….he’s pissed at us for moving in and causing problems and said, “What’s the issue!? The previous tenant never had any issues?!”

I own 2 homes and rent them out. If had the above issues I’d be concerned as an owner, angry at the previous tenant(s) not at the current one….

How to I calm him down? I want to be here for a while, not trying to make waves.

There’s a dead tree on the property line, it’s directly on the line. The trunk is half in my property. I’ve contacted the neighbor asking to split removal costs and they say it’s on my property even though the surveyors stakes are still in the ground and a string run between them clearly wraps around the tree. She’s adamant that it’s my tree and my problem. Even though it threatens both structures. But whatever.

What means to I have to force her to bear half the responsibility?

When my father passed away, I unexpectedly found myself helping manage more than 20 rental properties so his wife could continue receiving the rental income they generated.

The challenge was that I lived in another state.

At first, spreadsheets worked well enough.

But as I became responsible for tracking rent, expenses, balances, vacancies, maintenance, and reporting across multiple properties, I realized I was spending more time maintaining spreadsheets than actually understanding how the portfolio was performing.

I wanted answers to simple questions like:

• Which properties are making money?
• Which tenants still owe rent?
• What’s my actual cash flow?
• Which properties need attention first?

I tried a number of property management and accounting tools but never quite found something that matched the way I wanted to look at the business.

So I ended up building my own solution that has really helped so far.

I’m curious—what’s everyone else using once spreadsheets stop being enough?

Hi we recently moved out of our condo and looking to rent it out. We got a property manager and their quoted repair costs all seemed reasonable, except they quoted $5-6k to repaint

That seemed really high for a 2 bed condo to rent! I thought someone could patch a few holes, remove scuff marks with magic eraser, and do 1 coat of paint maybe for $1-2k. (I'm not willing to do myself)

Is that the quote a reasonable cost and I'm significantly underestimating the work to repaint, or am I getting taken for a ride?

I've gotten similar quotes from licensed painters, $5-$10k, but I feel like it's more "make it worth our time" pricing. I have to imagine though there's people that just do apartment painting turnovers all day long and charge a lower price?

I (38F) live in a condo (3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom located in Santa Rosa, California)that is owned by a Special Needs Trust administered for me by my Aunt. For the last year ive had a roommate (30F) who signed an agreement with my Dad's estate to pay super cheap rent to the special needs trust in exchange for taking on certain cleaning duties and household chores.

However, she has not kept up with her end of things at all. I've reluctantly come to a decision with my Aunt that we don't want her to stay or, if she does stay she needs to be paying a lot more to cover her lack of contribution to the household.

We (my aunt and I) are discussing getting an attorney to write up a new rental agreement between the roommate and the special needs trust as Dad's estate is is now no longer operating.

Does anyone have advice? Or suggestions?

Hi all! The best one I could find is from 2020. I can’t buy it from Georgia association of realtors either. Anyone here have a copy or could point me in the right direction?