What should you look for in a tenant?

[adambomb]

Nevermind renting to a single mom, have you ever tried dating one?

Listen to Kanye...

Have you seen her?
My psychic told me she have an ass like Serena
Trina, Jennifer Lopez, four kids
And I gotta take all they bad ass to show-biz

[Special K]

Does anyone use property management for basement suites? How much is the comission?

[hchang]

Originally Posted by Special K

Does anyone use property management for basement suites? How much is the comission?

We used a property management company to rent out a suite a few years ago and it was first months full rent as commission or if you want them to take care of everything afterwards it's 10% of the rent every month

[Special K]

Originally Posted by hchang

We used a property management company to rent out a suite a few years ago and it was first months full rent as commission or if you want them to take care of everything afterwards it's 10% of the rent every month

What was your experience with them? Pm me is good too.

[Mr.Money]

Originally Posted by meowjinboo

tbh, I was raised by my brother when my mom passed away when I was 12, and I feel sorry for the landlord because my brother would yell and beat me for 8 hours a day for 4-5 years. So I understand where the dude is coming from.

good,i bet you smashed you're brand new toys up and told everyone on xbox live you would fuck their mother.
did you tell your dads girlfriend "UR NOT MY FUCKING MOM!" too when she didn't buy you the new iphone.

[asahai69]

i find asking about employment info and making sure the person has a steady and stable job is great at weeding out the less favorable types of tenants.

[Harvey Specter]

Here's a few things I wanted to add to this thread from my experience. Hopefully you won't have to deal with a bad tenant but if you rent quite often than you unfortunately you will come across a bad tenant and you should be prepared. You have to be somewhat street smart when it comes to renting nowadays, too many fucked up people out there who know how to work the system.

-Don't rent to people who show up say on the 2nd or 3rd and seem to be in a rush to rent and have cash on hand. I find these type of people are either getting evicted or they're been denied by other landlords because their references don't check out.

-Like I said earlier, references don't mean much nowadays. I find work references are the most useless because I have yet to call a work references and the employer has said anything bad even though the person turned out to be a bad tenant. Credit check is ok because you can see if the person is responsible or not but I've had a tenant who had A+ credit but flaked out on the rent and moved out. One thing about credit checks though is it does weed out some bad tenants because bad tenants will be reluctant to provide personal info. Best tool imo is social media and the internet in general because it can give you a general idea of the person, even a simple google search can bring up information about a person. I also search linkedin profiles which I find much better than a work reference. Most professionals will have a linkedin profile.

-I highly recommend you read up on tenancy laws in BC.

-Always sign a BC tenancy agreement. Make sure this document is filled out properly and signed. Also be aware that your tenant will still have the same rights under the tenancy laws even if this agreement is not signed. There's some landlords who think not signing this agreement they can protect themselves from dealing with the tenancy board, this is not the case.

-If things go bad between you and the tenant, make sure you give the proper notices and fill out everything properly. One mistake on the paperwork like forgetting to sign or having an incorrect name and that notice is void. Tenancy board pricks look for even the smallest mistakes so be careful. Also send important notices through registered mail as proof because most tenants will tell the tenancy board they never received the notice.

-Remember, tenants have more rights than you (landlord). If you think giving a 30 day notice will have someone out of your rental unit at the end of that notice, think again. If the person knows his/her rights, they'll basically play the system and you'll be stuck with that person for 2-3 months or maybe longer and most likely they'll be living rent free so you'll be footing the bill. Also, never take shit into your own hands like changing locks. It's illegal and you can get in a lot trouble in a form of a fine.

-Never take the law in to your own hands like changing locks or cutting off water, power, etc...As a landlord you can get in a lot of trouble in forms of fines which are very hefty.

[Gucci Mane]

Originally Posted by blkgsr

yup the tenancy board is a bunch of useless pricks that favor tenants over landloards with video evidence and stacks of paperwork to back up their claims

well i'm glad i got a guy on the inside then lol. we had our tenant kicked out within a month. so glad we didn't have to deal with the bullshit most people do when it comes to the RTA.

[Mr.HappySilp]

As a customer service/ tech support. I also recommend never ever provide cable/phone/internet as well. Is good for both parties. We have had landlord closing their accounts because wasn't paid, tenants order a bunch of extra shit and landlord have to foot the bill (angry and sometimes they don't even have to pay coz they are the only ones who can make changes). Landlord didn't pay us so their service got D/C and tenants are left without any service.

So save the hassle and let the tenants setup their own service.

[adambomb]

Originally Posted by Mr.HappySilp

As a customer service/ tech support. I also recommend never ever provide cable/phone/internet as well. Is good for both parties. We have had landlord closing their accounts because wasn't paid.

I provide internet/cable for my rental unit as a excuse to increase the rent for my unit in comparison to others in the neighbourhood. I've asked my provider to disable PPV and On Demand features and new channels can only be ordered from myself and not the tenants. I figured I had all my bases covered in providing cable. Is there something i'm missing? I haven't had any problems with billing.

[Raid3n]

Originally Posted by N.V.M.

you will be violating your TOS with your tv/internet provider.

i don't know about telus, but shaw has a tenant program for this kind of situation. extra X amount, duplicates landlords base services.

[Great68]

Originally Posted by adambomb

I provide internet/cable for my rental unit as a excuse to increase the rent for my unit in comparison to others in the neighbourhood. I've asked my provider to disable PPV and On Demand features and new channels can only be ordered from myself and not the tenants. I figured I had all my bases covered in providing cable. Is there something i'm missing? I haven't had any problems with billing.

So when you get a notice that you are going to be taken to court for downloading mass amounts of illegal movies and software, how are you going to prove it was your tenant and not you when the account is in your name?

[Mr.HappySilp]

Originally Posted by adambomb

I provide internet/cable for my rental unit as a excuse to increase the rent for my unit in comparison to others in the neighbourhood. I've asked my provider to disable PPV and On Demand features and new channels can only be ordered from myself and not the tenants. I figured I had all my bases covered in providing cable. Is there something i'm missing? I haven't had any problems with billing.

Put a password or passphrase on your acct. That way everytime someone calls in to make changes they need to give that password/passphrase first.

[adambomb]

Originally Posted by Great68

So when you get a notice that you are going to be taken to court for downloading mass amounts of illegal movies and software, how are you going to prove it was your tenant and not you when the account is in your name?

25Mbps Download 10 Mbps upload.

I don't know computer specs. Is that fast enough for someone who likes to download mass amounts of software? The type of person who downloads enough to be issued a summons?

When was the last time someone was issued a summons in Canada for illegal downloading? How often are these cases before the courts in comparison to the amount of downloading that is happening right now? I can't find any recent ones in the news.

[cunninglinguist]

Originally Posted by adambomb

25Mbps Download 10 Mbps upload.

I don't know computer specs. Is that fast enough for someone who likes to download mass amounts of software? The type of person who downloads enough to be issued a summons?

When was the last time someone was issued a summons in Canada for illegal downloading? How often are these cases before the courts in comparison to the amount of downloading that is happening right now? I can't find any recent ones in the news.

I'd be more worried about other things like online threats to the White House, child porn trading, ISIS recruitment...stuff like that

[adambomb]

Originally Posted by cunninglinguist

I'd be more worried about other things like online threats to the White House, child porn trading, ISIS recruitment...stuff like that

If the US Secret Service or the RCMP came to my house and disrespected my whole family for threats to the White House or child porn. You can bet they will have my 100% co-operation with the situation. I would allow them to search my stuff and I would present all documentation in relation to who my renters are. I'm just providing internet. Not tablets, laptops, hard drives or any gadgets like that. I've got nothing to hide, i'm not an ISIS sympathizer, just a landlord that provides internet and cable with your rent.

I think you guys are just fearmongering. Your next post will probably be about how Justin Trudeau plans on using tax dollars to put brothels and weed shops next to my internet included rental suites.

[blkgsr]

Originally Posted by Pidish

well i'm glad i got a guy on the inside then lol. we had our tenant kicked out within a month. so glad we didn't have to deal with the bullshit most people do when it comes to the RTA.

i ended up getting lucky too in the fact that after all the work i did to prepare documentation and go through the arbitration process i only had to wait 1 extra month beyond the eviction date and they had to pay for that month as part of the arbitration agreement......there's alot more to the story that basically made it in his best interest to abide by the arbitrator and not make any more of an issue out of it

[meowjinboo]

Originally Posted by Great68

So when you get a notice that you are going to be taken to court for downloading mass amounts of illegal movies and software, how are you going to prove it was your tenant and not you when the account is in your name?

Supreme court ruling has stated that you are under no obligation to pay those fines, hence why you haven't heard anyone actually paying or being taken to court because you can't prove who was on the other end of the computer.

Hence it's baseless and just scare tactics!

[noclue]

one thing you should be careful of are tenants who cook certain cuisines. If they use a lot of spices, chances of getting rid of the smell permanently after they move out is hard. Worst case scenario I heard of is one landlord had to redo the drywall to get rid of the smell.

[Manic!]

I lock non of my WIFI routers. I also have WIFI covering a 30 unit building I manage.

[Adorkami]

Don't rent to people you know. Some people will try to take advantage of your friendship and you will have to deal with them assuming late rent isn't a big deal because you guys are friends. Renting to people with animals has it's pros/cons generally it means higher rent but has a chance of damage (i paid higher than market because i had a small dog, but it didn't pee inside, chew on anything, or smell, just a cost of being a dog owner in vancouver). My parents have had the most luck with middle aged couples.

[ScizzMoney]

Originally Posted by Adorkami

Don't rent to people you know. Some people will try to take advantage of your friendship and you will have to deal with them assuming late rent isn't a big deal because you guys are friends..My parents have had the most luck with middle aged couples.

^^^^
This x100.

In my experience, couples aged 35+ have been the best for me by a landslide. Obviously there can and will be exceptions. But, The cleanest my places have ever been is when I have rented to couples above that age range.

[Traum]

Originally Posted by ScizzMoney

In my experience, couples aged 35+ have been the best for me by a landslide. Obviously there can and will be exceptions. But, The cleanest my places have ever been is when I have rented to couples above that age range.

I have some mixed feelings about this one. I've had good tenants who are 35+, but I've also had difficult tenants in that age range as well. In particular, I find that people in this age group are a lot more informed of their tenancy rights, and in some cases, will use their knowledge to play hard ball with you even on the littlest thing.

I'm not saying their are wrong, or not entitled to the things they ask for. I don't particularly enjoy playing hard ball with my landlord or my tenant because I'd like to keep these relationships cordial.

[hchang]

Originally Posted by Special K

What was your experience with them? Pm me is good too.

My experience dealing with them was very pleaseant


We opted for the first months full rent commission, and the management company was able to get us what we were asking (not lower) and a years lease signed.

I'm not sure if they put their tenants through a screening/interview process or what but he always paid on time and had zero problems in dealings with him.

[Special K]

^^^ can you pm me the company? Thanks!