Rental Living 2010 a Volume One special section
The fir st of neig two times w em h with th borhoods, sh ade a guide is a t the po section, we red some ho o Rental Livin tential rror sto took o g in the re ur and he rie llaciou nter. Sift thr focus to the s, and tips Chippewa V all s horro o r storie ugh some ta landlords, c all from the ey, we focus Cover o r ed on s n ente n t t a a all so y li c Photo the ren ou can zing tips, po ting as man r's perspect : Andr te iv y ig b e e a n e . a s a come Well, d r's perspectiv Design nt pet we wo Paulse t h e ang it, p u e eeves : Josh th / Ed ld, and best te landlo . We did a b , cand itor/W Smeltz g n a a t n Thank h r reakdo t d e id you ca s are p ring lo riter: K conve er & B s: wn n be. ts of g e r i o Menom Rental Res s n r p i a z a le t y n io , too. A reat in ou Janss n start Moen o Aire P nie Housing rces, Huma f nd o e e rmatio n & Tr rs, quiz ro ne Ass A n for y evor K z ociatio Janew perties, Alto uthority, Gen ic a l o questio n e ay Re u upfer ntals, ona Housin ral Property , Warner Re ns to a , / Cont gA Peters M n ributo sk, Real E uthority, R anagement, tals, Corner rs ive sto O sta pd r n te, an d Hou Valley Prop ahl Rentals, e Managem sing A e e uthorit rty Manage North Countr nt, y of E m y e n t, au Cla ire
: Krist in Fro sch & Mike P aulus
Landlords’ Pet Peeves
a smattering of things that grind area landlords’ gears • “Being afraid to call about simple maintenance problems that end up getting bad. Like a toilet running, which is a pretty easy fix, but can lead to a huge water bill if I’m not notified.” • “Roommates not being able to settle disputes among themselves. I’m not your parents and you aren’t kids anymore. You have to sit down and figure that out yourselves.”
• “Expecting the landlord to do everything. Leaking toilets are one thing, and I’ll fix that, but plugged ones, that’s all you …” • “When tenants / parents expect us to arbitrate roommate conflicts, it’s not our job to tell you roommate she shouldn’t eat your cheerios, borrow your clothes, puke in your bed. You are an adult, learn to manage your life, and don’t have your mom call us. It makes you look silly.” • “No, we won’t let you out of the lease just because you broke up with your live-in boyfriend
INSIDER INFO
95 percent of our tenants don’t cause problems and have a good relationship with us. The remaining five percent are good people but not great tenants. This small group creates most of our headaches.
or girlfriend. I’m sure they are psycho, make you cry, slept with your best friend; you should have maybe thought about that before you signed a lease with someone you started dating last week.” • “Being told we are ‘unfair’ when you are caught breaking the lease.” • “Behavior has consequences. Being considerate and aware that your behavior affects others is critical when living near others in apartment buildings. Use common sense.” • “The No. 1 tension between tenants and landlords is security deposit withholding. Landlords are jerks if they withhold a nickel, when in reality there are often legitimate damages that tenants should be charged for. These concerns need to be addressed calmly by all parties involved. Handle it in a rational way. Making allegations and defamatory comments is counterproductive and leads to conflict.”
avoid phone calls. Sometimes they just move, and don’t contact me for help first. I can help them get out of their lease … tell me if the rent is going to be late.” • “Not getting along, and being petty about what the neighbors are doing. In a duplex, say if they’re running down the hallway too fast … don’t call the landlord.” • “Not closing the shower curtain causes water damage to the floor and walls. Water leaks into the apartment below them. If you plug the toilet, it’s not broken. It quit working for a reason.” • “We do semi-annual inspections of all units, so we try to keep an eye on housekeeping and the yard. Don’t leave pumpkins out rotting until spring. And staying away from trouble with the police (we do background checks annually). And letting others live with them illegally – that’s a big one.”
• “Having more tenants than are supposed to be on lease.” • “Some units don’t allow pets, but they try to sneak them in anyway. They always say they’re ‘just visiting.’ There needs to be an open line of communication between landlord and tenant. We’re willing to help in a bad situation. People are intimidated for some reason, and will
• Good credit rating and history of paying bills on time • Good previous landlord experience – some even require it “because I’m trusting someone with a major investment of mine” • Ability to pay – either employed or are students with steady income from loans/parents • Court records and criminal background (including sex offender registry) • “We hope for people interested in the property as a place to live, not just camp.” • Sounds responsible from meeting them in person – “the background checks give you a good
What Landlords Look For In A Renter personal qualities and background info that’s important to landlords idea of what to expect, but isn’t necessarily the full picture.” • Possibility of long-term • Non-smokers – “If they smoke inside, it can absolutely destroy an interior.” 800 Wisconsin Street, Unit 81 Eau Claire, WI 54703
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Tales From the Rental
local landlords share their odd and horrific tenant stories
• I once rented to an elderly nun who was living outside of the convent. She moved into this duplex where another single elderly person lived, so I figured it was perfect. No parties. No damage. Just two people living quietly. Well soon the nun started complaining about noise coming from the other renter. One night I went over to the place four times between 11pm and 3am. The thing was, I couldn’t hear anything. And she could not be convinced that there wasn’t noise. She said it sounded like they were vacuuming 24-7. It got so bad that she started calling the police on the other renter, and doing things like putting her vacuum next to the wall and letting it run. It turned out that she had a form of dementia that was creating these sounds. It was both frustrating and sad, because she was such a nice lady. • I had one where they were growing marijuana. There were three-foot plants all over the house. • There was one that used to have parties in the basement, and they rerouted the heating ducts to make an emergency exit for underagers so they could escape if cops came. • We were installing linoleum in the kitchen at one place, and when you do that you have to take out the baseboards, let the linoleum settle,
and then put the baseboards back in. Well by the time we came back to put in the baseboards, we found out they used them for a bonfire. • There was one place where they put up a partition wall so they could rent it out to more people. And the parents helped them do it!
They rerouted the heating ducts to make an emergency exit for underagers. • When they were moving out we went to the basement and when we opened the furnace it was filled with empty beer bottles and plastic cups filled with urine.
They were both accusing each other of being druggies and using meth.
the other, and there was a balcony so they would fight and argue. The tenant above dropped a cigarette onto the balcony one night, because he was being careless and didn’t like them. It was a windy day, and the unit burned down. 12 people lost their homes and a dog lost its life.
did you get that in here?” They said they couldn’t get it inside to rebuild it, so they took it apart and rebuilt it in the kitchen. There was oil and dirt everywhere. I asked, “How are you getting it out?” It turned out they did it without thinking that far. They had to take it apart and get it out, just to put it back together again. They were nice people. They just weren’t thinking.
• Some tenants ditch during the middle of winter, general uncleanliness and damage that has cost up to $4,000 per unit, unauthorized pets, and hoarders that make it so that
• Fill in a check-in sheet accurately and completely. Don’t misrepresent the condition of the place. Be fair. Two years ago we rented a brand new apartment to a nice individual. The tenant filled out the check-in sheet stating that every surface, every appliance, every counter, every window, everything was trashed from the prior tenant. Dirty, broken, filthy. This was a brand new apartment and had never been lived in before. The tenants intentionally misrepresented the condition of the
• A neighbor lady in her 80s got mauled by a pit bull that was one of my tenants. Her insurance company tried to have me pay for damage to her clothing, etc. There’s nothing that says I’m responsible for their actions.
• Tenants had a pet Ferret they let run free. It completely destroyed the apartment; ate holes in the floor, walls, cabinets, chewed the electrical, nested in the fridge ... We had to completely redo the apartment and the tenant complained about not getting their deposit back. •Years ago I entered an apartment for a general inspection and found a car motor fully assembled in the kitchen. I asked the tenants, “How
you have to walk a one-foot path cleared of stuff in order to show the place. It’s a bit scary.
• One time I had a mix of boys and girls in a house (two and two) and they were both accusing each other of being druggies and using meth. apartment so when they moved out, they had a record that it was trashed. • One of my residents lived above
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• One tenant shot his deer rifle in the house and through the neighbor’s house. Nobody was hurt.
DECISIONS DECISIONS
Deciding between a home or apartment
Deciding between mom-n-pop or rental company
If you’re renting out a compartmentalized house, it’s not only arguably easier to meet your neighbors, it’s often necessary. Renters might convene to figure out things like heating bills, yard usage, and tornado hideout procedures.
Apartment complexes may have thinner walls than houses. So if your neighbor is showering or spinning records or drying their hair, you are probably privy to their habits.
Companies often have more visibility in the community (signs, ads, and websites) and are thus easier to find, especially in a time crunch.
If a fire were to break out or a burglar entered your place, an apartment has the added safety of extra eyes/ears to prevent or stop them.
Because they tend to have more properties than Momand-Pops, rental companies are more likely to have openings.
Houses usually have more storage space (garages, basements, sheds, attics), while apartments have shared storage spaces.
Companies usually have established protocol and employees for repairs, including 24-hour help lines, while Mom-and-Pops require working around their schedule.
Rental houses are typically older homes and have more unique physical attributes (like ceiling and wall angles and weird little cubby holes and hallways/staircases-to-nowhere), while apartment complexes tend toward universal design standards. The other side of the coin, though, is that older homes have older innards, which may or may not comprise pipes (which may not be able to handle the harshness that is Drano), insulation (high heating bills), and basements that can seem more akin to cellars (and have holes for bats). Homes typically have bigger yards, which are nice to play in but often require more work.
Apartment complexes are far more likely to have perks like a pool or workout room. Apartments may have a garbage/ recycling chute, while at a home you must take it out to the curb yourself.
Mom-and-Pops are usually more flexible, not punishing you for a one-time late payment, adapting the lease timespan to fit your needs, etc.
Divided up homes sometimes give one tenant thermostat control, and everyone in the house has to live with it.
Mom-and-Pops are more likely to allow minor changes to a property (e.g. painting rooms) than a rental company.
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Companies are more likely to handle snow and lawn mowing than Mom-and-Pops. Companies often have a walkin rent payment option. Companies sometimes employ several people, while at a mom-and-pop you’re going to deal with the same people. Mom-and-Pops tend to be easier to get a hold of outside of business hours, while companies are easiest to get a hold of during business hours. Mom-and-pop owners can sometimes be located far away, while companies are close by. More often than not, it comes down to a case-by-case basis. Sometimes you’ll deal with a great company, and sometimes you’ll deal with a crappy momand-pop. And vice versa.
RENTER’S CHEAT SHEETS Here are some helpful tips for the serious renter. Cut them out. Laminate them. Place them in silver, heirloom frames and pass them on to the next generation.
Tips for the Prospective Renter Ask around. If a friend lives in a place they like or deals with a landlord they like, there may be units available even if they aren’t advertised. What is the neighborhood like? Look at nearby amenities and bike/walkability. Check the 2009 Rental Living guide at VolumeOne.org for a full breakdown. Call the Health Department and check if there are any uncorrected complaints against the property (Eau Claire: 839-4718; Chippewa Falls: 723-5542; Menomonie: 232-2388) Get the name of a possible landlord and run it through WI Circuit Court Access (http://wcca.wicourts.gov/) to see if he/she has a clean record. The Eau Claire Police Department has developed a voluntary landlord certification program. See if your landlord is certified, as it shows a dedication to what they do. (www.cvtc.edu/landlords/directory.htm) Never sign a lease without seeing the apartment – especially in complexes where “all the apartments are the same” and they keep a clean one on hand to show people like you. Read and understand all lease paperwork. Make sure all your questions and concerns are answered before you sign. It is a contract, and means you have legal responsibilities as well as the landlord. A one-page lease could be a red flag. The more paperwork, the better. Tenant and landlord responsibilities should be clearly defined. Good landlords enjoy answering questions. They want tenants who care about their living space. If you’re deciding between two places, consider the Paper Layout Experiment. Take the rough measurements of the crucial spaces, and note where there’s vents, doorways, windows, etc. Then measure your furniture, bookshelves, and the like. Divide the measurements down so the room can fit on paper. Then do cutouts of the furniture and organize them in the paper room. Whichever layout excites you more is the winner.
Landlord Conversation Starters WHAT utilities are included? WHAT are the average monthly utility charges? HOW are maintenance requests handled? HOW long, on average, does it take to complete maintenance requests? HOW are maintenance emergencies handled? WHO do I call for maintenance emergencies? HAVE the locks been changed since last occupancy? WHAT’S the parking situation? HOW is the lawn mowing and snow shoveling handled? WHAT’S the laundry situation? HOW bout dem Packers?
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After You’ve Signed the Lease Educate yourself about your rights and responsibilities as a tenant. For more info, contact the Bureau of Consumer Protection at (800) 422-7128 or visit them on the web: http://datcp.state.wi.us/ Your landlord should always provide an emergency number. Get it. Create a check-in sheet on the apartment and list all items that may be charged to your security deposit (such as stains on the carpet, scratches on counter tops, etc.) Keep a copy for yourself and send one to our landlord. Grab your digicam and take pics when you move in and after you clean up upon moving out. If the apartment has gas heat and/or stove, buy a carbon monoxide detector. Consider renter’s insurance. It’s usually inexpensive and covers things like robbery, fires, and liabilities. The amount of a policy depends on how much of your stuff you want to protect. Things like floods are usually not covered. Learn odd/even parking. If you don’t have a designated parking stall, you’ll likely have to find on-street parking. Between Nov. 1 and May 1 the City of Eau Claire dictates which side you can park on. So make sure your car is parked on the “even” side (with even-numbered addresses) between midnight and 7am of even-numbered days. And vice-versa. Big security deposit suckers: defrosting the fridge and cleaning the oven. When moving out, remember: Xcel Energy makes you cancel your own utilities. (And don’t forget TV, internet, and other such bills.) Head to the post office for a helpful checklist of change-of-address reminders. If you’re moving over the course of a few days, leave stuff like beds and entertainment items for last. Save boxes early and often. Ask grocery stores if you’re desperate. Frequent recycling dumpsters at commercial spots if you’re extra desperate and bold.
“Is This Place Cool?” CHECKLIST __ Turn on all light switches to see if they do, indeed, produce light __ Check each power outlet (use a small appliance like a hairdryer or waffle iron) __ Turn on the sink and bathtub faucets __ Check for leaks or slow/plugged drains __ Flush toilet, check for leaks __ Look for smoke detectors and fire extinguishers __ Check ceiling and walls for cracks and water stains __ Check the locking mechanisms on doors __ Check the locks on all the windows __ How well sealed are the windows? (Will you pay a ton for heat/air?) __ Inspect furnace and/or air conditioner: Are they well-maintained? __ Check hot water: Is it the proper temperature? __ Check for exit lights __ Is the exterior of the building well-lit and well-maintained?
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