Landlord blues
I am on a plane going from Grand Rapids to Phoenix. I decided ro write this JUST for MYSELF so that I would have a record of the very very busy month I have had. Please don't read this and think I am wanting sympathy or praise. Better yet don't read it at all.
I have a rental that we refurbished 3 yrs ago. It's a lovely old 2 story home. One drawback is that the stairs between up and down are extremely steep. They would never pass code today but they were grandfathered in.
I was happy to find renters 3 years ago, even though they had 2 dogs and we're in a hurry to move in. They taught me well.
They moved in before we were completely done. I wouldn't recommend that now.
I really liked the couple...very nice dog lovers and gardeners. Who wouldn't love a gardener, right?
During the three years they had few complaints and the ones they had we addressed quickly.
So now they have moved out...4 weeks ago today. They were desperate to get their deposit back, as I would be. So after a good walk through, we kept $300 of their deposit because of 3 walls that needed painting and a floor that needed repair. They did not complain.
I've been working on the house for three weeks and because of the things I have encountered, I have changed the lease.
More about that later.
The major issue was all the dirt. The fridge and stove and the pantry had not been cleaned for three years. Upstairs the ceiling fans had at least 1/2 inch of dust and grime.on the blades. I regret not taking close up pictures.
Each carpeted bedroom filled the vacuum...I wonder if they owned a vacuum. The water extracted from the carpet shampooer was disgusting.
The bathroom showers also had 3 yrs worth of soap scum build up but at least there was no mold.
So besides cleaning, which was a monumental task which isn't quite done, I painted the bathroom , 3 coats, refinished all the wood floors, put in a newer dishwasher, varnished front door and the window in the front entry, fixed both the front door and the storm door so they would close, touched up the paint everywhere (happily I had saved all the paint) , insulated the cubby hole in which the refrigerator fits because the cold winter wind was entering, I cleaned the oven and the refrigerator (3.5 hrs) , replaced 2 mini blinds, put up a new shower curtain rod, fixed two closet doors...phew!
One problem I still might have to address is the strong smell of urine in the downstairs bathroom. It was only noticeable after I started cleaning. I'm thinking that getting it wet reactivated the chemicals. I sprayed the baseboards where I thought it came from with a bleach solution. It helped but it sure didn't go away. I left the bathroom door closed one night just to be sure the odiferousness was indeed a problem in the bathroom and not in the kitchen. The next morning it was evident that it indeed needed more work. This time I put the bleach solution on every linear foot of baseboards. When I get back, I hope I won't smell it anymore.
So back to the lease. The current lease says.that the house should be in the same condition that it was in when the tenants took occupancy minus normal wear and tear. It wasn't too horrible except for the paint and the floor. The dirt was the biggest problem for me and I had heard that in Michigan the landlord could not take money from the deposit for cleaning. Many landlords require a non-refundable cleaning fee up front to take care of some of that. Other landlords say that gives the tenant no motivation at all to clean...ever.
I decided to do some research and found some good tips from other landlords and management companies.
I am now going to include a clause in the lease that indicates if the place is not left in good condition they can expect to be charged. I also have a list of charges for all tasks that I will send to the tenant right after they give their 1 month notice. The fees are high because they need to incentivize the tenant to do the cleaning. If the fee to clean the refrigerator is $50 the tenant might find that worth paying and leave it for the landlord, so leaving the fridge dirty will cost you $100. One landlord also sends a 4 page document that is full of instructions on how to clean.
Pet fees will also now be higher.
I'm hoping these steps will make it easier for me to deal with future tenants.
I have a rental that we refurbished 3 yrs ago. It's a lovely old 2 story home. One drawback is that the stairs between up and down are extremely steep. They would never pass code today but they were grandfathered in.
I was happy to find renters 3 years ago, even though they had 2 dogs and we're in a hurry to move in. They taught me well.
They moved in before we were completely done. I wouldn't recommend that now.
I really liked the couple...very nice dog lovers and gardeners. Who wouldn't love a gardener, right?
During the three years they had few complaints and the ones they had we addressed quickly.
So now they have moved out...4 weeks ago today. They were desperate to get their deposit back, as I would be. So after a good walk through, we kept $300 of their deposit because of 3 walls that needed painting and a floor that needed repair. They did not complain.
I've been working on the house for three weeks and because of the things I have encountered, I have changed the lease.
More about that later.
The major issue was all the dirt. The fridge and stove and the pantry had not been cleaned for three years. Upstairs the ceiling fans had at least 1/2 inch of dust and grime.on the blades. I regret not taking close up pictures.
Each carpeted bedroom filled the vacuum...I wonder if they owned a vacuum. The water extracted from the carpet shampooer was disgusting.
The bathroom showers also had 3 yrs worth of soap scum build up but at least there was no mold.
So besides cleaning, which was a monumental task which isn't quite done, I painted the bathroom , 3 coats, refinished all the wood floors, put in a newer dishwasher, varnished front door and the window in the front entry, fixed both the front door and the storm door so they would close, touched up the paint everywhere (happily I had saved all the paint) , insulated the cubby hole in which the refrigerator fits because the cold winter wind was entering, I cleaned the oven and the refrigerator (3.5 hrs) , replaced 2 mini blinds, put up a new shower curtain rod, fixed two closet doors...phew!
One problem I still might have to address is the strong smell of urine in the downstairs bathroom. It was only noticeable after I started cleaning. I'm thinking that getting it wet reactivated the chemicals. I sprayed the baseboards where I thought it came from with a bleach solution. It helped but it sure didn't go away. I left the bathroom door closed one night just to be sure the odiferousness was indeed a problem in the bathroom and not in the kitchen. The next morning it was evident that it indeed needed more work. This time I put the bleach solution on every linear foot of baseboards. When I get back, I hope I won't smell it anymore.
So back to the lease. The current lease says.that the house should be in the same condition that it was in when the tenants took occupancy minus normal wear and tear. It wasn't too horrible except for the paint and the floor. The dirt was the biggest problem for me and I had heard that in Michigan the landlord could not take money from the deposit for cleaning. Many landlords require a non-refundable cleaning fee up front to take care of some of that. Other landlords say that gives the tenant no motivation at all to clean...ever.
I decided to do some research and found some good tips from other landlords and management companies.
I am now going to include a clause in the lease that indicates if the place is not left in good condition they can expect to be charged. I also have a list of charges for all tasks that I will send to the tenant right after they give their 1 month notice. The fees are high because they need to incentivize the tenant to do the cleaning. If the fee to clean the refrigerator is $50 the tenant might find that worth paying and leave it for the landlord, so leaving the fridge dirty will cost you $100. One landlord also sends a 4 page document that is full of instructions on how to clean.
Pet fees will also now be higher.
I'm hoping these steps will make it easier for me to deal with future tenants.
Comments