What to have at a lease signing?

What to have at a lease signing?

• Two copies of the lease
• Lead Disclosure
• Mold addendum
• Move-in check list
• Photos/CD
• List of important phone numbers & community map – library, schools, churches, etc.
• Emergency Contact Sheet (tenant information)
• PO change of address form,
• Generic renter’s insurance information,
• Instructions for turning off water & power, emergency info taped to hot water heater,
• Envelopes for rent SASE
• Make sure that utilities are switched over to tenant’s name,
• Create smoke alarm test record (name, address, date, alarm location, type of action {tested, battery replaced, alarm replaced} and have tenant sign & date

A ruptured disk has rendered me bored and stupid and housebound

So, I thought I’d clean out my office. It will be great when it’s finished, but my shredder may blow smoke and die before I finish shredding all the nonsense that arrives each  day in the mail. My new contract with self: OHIO = Only Handle It Once. Open it, read it, pay it/file it, shred it. Although I still pay some bills by check, I’ve been paying most on-line and loving it. It’s quick, saves postage, provides an excellent tracking tool, and then I can toss/file the bill immediately. If you’re not using the on-line bill pay offered by your bank, try it. It’s amazing how convenient and easy it is.

Quake-Readiness for Renters - Not only homeowners need to be prepared for the Big One

The following article, written by Julie Look, appeared in SFgate.com on October 13, 1999 – and although not a recent article, it brings up important issues to be considered by renters and landlords alike.

Quake-Readiness for Renters - Not only homeowners need to be prepared for the Big One
by Julie Look

I recently took an informal poll of friends who rent — and guess what? No one has planned for an earthquake, let alone The Earthquake. Tall shelves teeter against the wall, escape paths are uncharted, and vital supplies are still at the store.

That includes me. I’ll be sharing my dogs’ blanket if an 8.0 hits tomorrow. This despite the fact that I huddled under a display table at Nordstrom during the Loma Prieta quake 10 years ago and shook in a doorway during the 1994 Northridge temblor.

This is a classic “do as I say, not as I do” situation, but if you’re ready to plan for the Big One, here are a few renter-specific tips.

– Check your hardware store for brackets and straps to attach tall, heavy furniture, like bookshelves, to the wall. Find the studs in the wall; plaster and Sheetrock aren’t nearly as secure for holding the bracket screws.

Legally, landlords own anything you attach to their walls, but it’s a rare one that would try to confiscate your furniture for this reason. Get written permission beforehand if you’re not sure, and be prepared to fix the holes when you move.

Also check that the water heater in your unit (or in your building) is strapped upright and fitted with a flexible gas supply line, a state requirement noted in “Tenants’ Rights”` by Nolo Press. The book’s 14th California edition came out last month.

– Find out where the gas main is and learn how to turn it off.

– Consider getting earthquake insurance. Renters insurance doesn’t cover damage from earthquakes, including quake-related fires. Your landlord’s homeowners insurance doesn’t cover you or your belongings either unless damage is proved to be caused by his or her negligence.

By law, insurance companies that offer homeowners insurance in California have to offer homeowners earthquake insurance, too, but that requirement doesn’t extend to renters.

Most of the household-name carriers, like Allstate, State Farm and AAA, offer very limited coverage to renters in the Bay Area, according to the California Department of Insurance.

The coverage, through the California Earthquake Authority, protects only the contents of a home, not the structure itself, but there’s a 15 percent deductible and the premium is high. The CEA was chartered by the state as a response to the dearth of available insurance after the Northridge quake; insurers backed away after they had to pay out billions in claims.

But two dozen companies offer their own earthquake policies. Annual premiums for a rental in the Glen Park area of San Francisco range from less than $50 to several hundred dollars a year for a $50,000 policy. These insurers include Chubb National Insurance Co. ($1.45 premium per $1,000 of coverage), Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. ($2.50 per $1,000) and Travelers Property Casualty Insurance Co. ($2.90 per $1,000).

Premiums vary greatly, be sure to check with several agencies. Also, inquire about coverage limits and payoff rates.

– Rent safely. Before you sign the lease, ask: How safe is the building, and how safe is the land under it?

Subsections under these two questions are laid out clearly in “Tenants’ Rights.” Wood- or steel- frame buildings are more flexible, so they are safer during a quake. Brick can shake apart. In any case, the building should be bolted to the foundation. If it isn’t, don’t rent it. A strong quake could shake the building off the base.

Be cautious about buildings with ground-floor garages. Some of them have had load-bearing walls removed to make more room for cars.

Avoid landfill, which can liquefy in a powerful quake. Parts of the Financial and Marina districts in San Francisco are built on landfill. In an earthquake bigger than Loma Prieta, some of the original bay coastline may suddenly reappear.

For similar reasons, avoid renting on an unstable hillside, which can slide. Bedrock is far safer.

– Plan ahead. Ask managers of multi-unit buildings how well they’re prepared for an earthquake.

One way is through city certification. San Francisco, for example, pre-evaluates buildings for their safety and immediate occupancy after a big temblor. Occupants of a certified building will be able to avoid evacuation and waiting days for an inspection. Ask your landlord if he has gotten, or will consider getting, this evaluation from the city’s Building Occupancy Resumption Emergency Inspection Program.

At a minimum, there should be some plan for the first few days after a quake. Is there a cache of supplies for the building? Does the manager help tenants plan their own? What do you do if you’re injured or your neighbor is? Who takes care of pets if their owners aren’t home?

If there is no such plan, see if your landlord is interested in setting one up or go ahead and do it yourself.

The worst that can happen is you’ll meet your neighbors.

Gifts for the Holidays

Special “thank you” for special tenants or simply holiday cards. One landlord used to give us a potted poinsettia for Christmas, another landlord served us with an eviction notice on December 18, 2000 – we had rented his house for four years and he agreed to sell it to us, however he sold his house, wasn’t able to find another house to purchase that he could afford – this was in Mountain View/Palo Alto, CA area – so he decided to take up residency in ‘our’ house, ahhh but that’s a whole other story! Let’s see, our landlord in France would always send over an extraordinary bottle of wine and a charming gift for our daughter, and we didn’t get anything from the Married Student Housing Authorities at UVA…except really reasonable rent (and that was worth a lot)!

I kind of like the idea of giving gift cards, or plants, subscriptions, or desserts. I’ve heard of a lot of landlords who think that upgrading something in the rental unit (which is deductable) is a clever gift during the holidays – hmmmm, granted everyone benefits but it smacks of self-serving Scroogieness. If you can’t afford to give a gift – send them a holiday card - lately I’ve been using Thanksgiving cards since I can no longer keep track of who is celebrating what and when…at least with Thanksgiving, everyone will celebrate, regardless of religious preference.

Poor California

They’ve been dealing with Mother Nature (who is apparently most displeased with the West Coasters) who is doling out punishment as only she knows how – wildfires, Santa Ana winds, and earthquakes – with the rains and mudslides to follow. All of this brings up the “what to do” list…you know the one…”what to do in case of” earthquake, fire, flood, etc… I thought this might be a good time to post a list or two for tenants and landlords alike. Landlords can  include the list as a reminder in your next tenant letter/bill and take a moment to review it with your family.

Here are some items you may want to collect to make evacuating easier:

A fireproof safe. Well worth the money to keep your documents and even negatives of your favorite photos. I remember Matt Lauer interviewing a couple in Rancho Bernardo and the only thing that remained of their house was the chimney and the fireproof safe they had purchased the week before!

Ziplock bags. If you don’t want to buy a fireproof safe, at least, store your important papers in a plastic bag that will be safe from water damage. Another alternative is put your items in a safe deposit box at the bank.

Emergency Kit. You should include a battery-operated radio, a flashlight, bottled water, a first-aid kit and a blanket. It’s important to pack these now. You won’t be able to do this as you run out of your house to evacuate. In CA, the kids are drilled in earthquake preparedness and they are often the ones that make sure their parents are prepared! CA encourages carrying a quake kit in the car as well as keeping an expanded version in the house.

Medicine & Pets & Cash. Pack at least a week’s supply of your medication, food for your pet(s), and some cash (often ATMs are not working after a catastrophic event.

Write up a family plan. Make sure everyone knows where to meet in case of an emergency. Have a local destination and even one in a different state. Make sure  everyone has the necessary phone numbers and addresses. Bottom line, think ahead now so you don’t have to panic in an emerge

Print out a copy of the Family Preparedness Plan  http://www.disastercenter.com/guide/family.pdf) located under FORMS, or check out the following websites for more information:

http://lafd.org/eqindex.htm - The LA Fire Department provides this information on their website – and we KNOW they’re experienced! Definitely worth a look.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/preparedness.php - This site is hosted by the US Geological Survey group – a group of scientists and researchers who focus on quake activity.

http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/ - FEMA provides information for all manner of emergencies as well as emergency agency information.

http://www.gulf-coast.com/Weather/hurricanepreparation.html - Hurricane preparation and family planning information is provided on this site.

http://www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0_248_,00.html – The American Red Cross has a great page addressing tornado preparedness and planning.

How to verify military pay information?

I found the following quick guideline to military pay. ALWAYS try to contact their command to verify any information given. First SGT or Company Commander will have the info. This works for officers also since they are probably assigned to Headquarters Company for admin purposes, even if they outrank the company commander by several grades.

 1) First, determine if they are Active or Reserve. Most, but certainly not all, active duty members will live around military bases; the main exceptions are for recruiters and Recruiting Command support/command personnel.

2) Ask to see a copy of their ID card, (AKA Common Access Card or CAC). It will show their rank and an expiration date on the front and their social security number and birth date on back.

3) For Active duty members, ask for an LES (Leave and Earnings Statement). This can be downloaded so it can easily be altered. With a copy of their ID Card you can more or less verify the LES by going to the following two websites:

www.dfas.mil/army2/militarypaycharts/2007MilPaycharts-cc.pdf

www.perdiem.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem/bah.html

Both sites are fairly easy to use. For years in service, assume they joined at about 20 for enlisted and age 22 for officers. Everyone is different, but this will put you in the ballpark. Also try to verify rank with their command.

4) For Reserve members, this is a lot different. For most it is a part time job, effectively working out to about 1 day a week of pay. However, many Reservists are on various types of active duty. To make it easy, simply request a copy of their orders and verify them with their command personnel. Orders will be for a certain number of days and have a start date which indicates how long they will be on active duty – it could range from one day or two years. For Reservists on active duty use the above two websites to verify their LES.

Annual rent increase dilemma?

Boy, there’s a lot of controversy swirling around this topic. Increase rent by a little bit each year or by a painful amount every five years or so? Is it gonna be a $10 increase per month or $50 increase per month. Are these long term tenants that you want to keep or recent arrivals that are good tenants but could be gone at lease’s end? Some landlords increase their rent by 10% with each turnover and 3-5% with each renewal. A lot depends upon the reputation of the landlord and the quality property & maintenance – if you have a reasonable and responsive landlord who diligently maintains the property, tenants are inclined to renew regardless of the increase (remember ‘reasonable’ is the operative word here as well). We all know that maintenance costs increase and we presume that ‘everyone’ gets a ‘raise’ once a year…just remember that your ‘good’ tenants are working hard for their money too – and whopping increase in rent, that may be as little as 3%, could be unaffordable for them. I’m definitely in this business for the profit, but sometimes you have to weigh the pros with the cons…and there are times when 3% provides your tenant with a lot more than the same 3% will provide you as the landlord.

Pets or no pets…Pets or vacant units…is the question

A friend of mine says, “It’s either pets or the poor house, so take your pick.” Compare a vacancy to carpet replacement costs and the case becomes moot. I had much prefer to have a long-term quality tenant with a pet, than a series of short-termers beating up the walls and flooring with each move in & out. I always get vet paperwork on the pet, integrate the pet into the lease, continue to be selective about the types of pets I’ll allow resident in my units, and depending upon the state (restrictions vary from state to state) I’ll include a monthly pet add-on fee or non-refundable maintenance deposit specifically for the pet.

Should you clean the carpet between tenants?

YUCK. Any landlord who asks this question should be forced to live in their own rental property resplendent with wall-to-wall nastiness. Let’s see, can we guess what my answer is? OF COURSE!!! I don’t want to live with someone else’s dirt – why would I expect a tenant to be interested in renting a property that is poorly maintained? This is a particular peeve of mine…I can remember moving into a SFH in California and hearing my 5 year-old daughter ask about the Rice Krispies in the carpet…it wasn’t cereal – it was filthy, vile carpet embedded with decades of ???. The carpet was gone the next morning. So, yes, clean the carpet. I always have it cleaned professionally and tenants can cover the cost of the cleaning…but as a landlord, make sure that you replace the carpet within a reasonable amount of time – nothing lasts forever.

Tenants give notice to vacate

Landlords seem fully prepared to give their tenants ‘notice to vacate’ but are mystified when a good tenant decides to move out (or on) without any help from the landlord. Landlords aren’t quite sure what their next step should be. My approach is to send a letter explaining how sorry I am that they are leaving (and if they were good tenants offering to be a referral in the future); how the ‘move out’ condition of the unit can affect their security deposit refund; how soon after vacating they can expect a deposit refund accounting statement (most states require deposits to be refunded within a finite time period); and, finally, wishing them well. I always include a copy of the walk-through list so the tenant will know what I’ll be checking.