I have written about screening your tenants and tenant application red flags.  I have even written about screening your tenants using MySpace.  Generally, if a tenant is going to be a problem, they have some history of being problems.  When I wrote “Once a Bad Tenant, Always a Bad Tenant“, I was mostly talking about payment history.

I recently had an interesting situation with a tenant in one of my duplexes.  She is a single mom, very well spoken.  Her rental application was pretty clean except for a 5th degree misdemeanor from 4 years ago.  She has lived in the apartment for about 9 months.  Whenever I have stopped over, the place is clean.  Her previous landlords gave her a decent referral.

She did have some problems paying rent about 3 months ago and after I filed the eviction, she promptly found emergency assistance to pay her past due rent.  Despite that, there have been no complaints from the neighbors below her or the homeowners on either side, until now.

This weekend, I received an email from a neighbor with whom I have built a strong relationship.  She is motivated to keep her neighborhood safe, but also understands that it is better to work with me initially, than to just call the police.  She said that recently this tenant  “is showing all the signs of criminal activity”.  The neighbor went on to document multiple visits per day of a few minutes by differing men in fancy tricked out cars.  The neighbor is suspecting drug activity.

By having this good working relationship with this neighbor, it allows me to address the situation immediately.  I can demonstrate that I am good landlord and want to be a good neighbor.  Alternatively, if she had not contacted me, I could have a powder keg on my hands that would blow up with the police getting involved and my rental license in jeopardy.

I will be stopping by this apartment and discussing the situation with the tenant.  I will tell them that I received calls from the police and neighbors (never divulging who told me).  While I am not naive enough to believe that this will instantly cure the problem or that the tenant will openly admit to dealing drugs, I have always found that talking with the tenant will reduce the problem in the immediate future.  When they know they are being watched and the heat is on, the dealers will usually find an easier place to work.

I encourage you to know who the neighbors of your rental properties are.  Give them your phone number.  Ask them to report anything suspicious.  With all of us working together, we can keep the problems out of the neighborhood.

John Gall shot me a question:

Is the amount paid as a pet deposit the only amount allowed to be used for pet related damage, or is it just a safety measure expecting that damage will occur. So if you have a $1500 deposit + $400 Pet deposit and $500 in damages, can you take the overage out of the general damage deposit? Similarly, if one party of say three other adults in the house who are on the lease owns the pet and paid the deposit for the pet and signed the addendum allowing the pet, are they the only one responsible for damages or can all tenants be held responsible for pet damage?

I am not sure there is a correct answer here, but here is how I would handle this:

1. The pet deposit is in addition to the standard deposit.  I look at it that I don’t care where the damages came from.  As in John’s example, I am taking $500 out of their $2000 deposit.  Some subtle differences is that the pet deposit does not accrue interest like the standard deposit.  Also, some of it can be non-refundable for cleaning carpets or such after the pet.
2. I tell roommates (and they must be reminded) that they all rise and fall together.  They can be more difficult to work with.  I am not going to worry or keep track of who paid what and who’s dog it is and such.  They need to work it out amongst themselves.  They are all on the lease and took that risk.  If there is a hole in the wall upon move-out, I don’t care who made the hole.  I am taking it off the deposit.

Now, maybe I am wrong in how I do it (if so, please drop me a comment on this post), but I have never had much complaint.

I am in houses every day.  I often find it a little interesting seeing how people decorate their houses.  Is is especially interesting on foreclosures as often the homeowner has made no attempts to go to a neutral decor or remove the more strange things they like.

Steve Howe at Minnesota First Time Home Buyers found a very strange cat house that he shared with us at his First Time Home Buyer Blog.