Late Rent Reply

June 3, 2003


RE: Your letter dated May 31, 2003

Dear Ms. Menudo,

We value you as a tenant.

It is important to receive rent on time, and we would actually prefer to get rents on time than to “make an extra $35.” Please note rent is due in our office by the 1st of the month, with a five day grace period, which means if rent is mailed on the 5th, it’s late.

Our attorney’s letter contained a typographical error, April’s rent was received on April 7th, not the 17th. However, since rent is due on the 1st with a five day grace period, Aprils’ rent was still late. May’s rent was received on the 6th and deposited the same day. Enclosed is a copy of your envelope which was postmarked on May 5th, and received the next day. I trust you now believe our records are straight.

We sent you a Notice to Cease for two reasons, 1) in order to give you formal notice not to pay rent late and 2) in order to protect our rights in case there are future problems. This is standard procedure, and we send this notice to all tenants who have two late payments in a six month period, we are not singling you out. After receiving a Notice to Cease, a tenant making two more late payments receives a Notice to Quit terminating their tenancy.

You can send your rent by certified mail to the same address, but that is not really necessary. It usually takes only one or two days for the rent to reach us by first class mail. If you mail your rent a few days before the first of the month, you’ll have no problem.

We have already waived the late fee for April’s late payment. Please pay the late fee for May. Enclosed is an invoice and a payment envelope. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Very truly yours,





XXX Mgt, Co. Inc.
Rosey,
Property Manager

To Whom It May Concern:

May 31, 2003


Attention:
XXX Management


To Whom It May Concern:

I recently received a notice to cease from your attorney. The letter stated that April’s rent was received on the 17th of that month, funny thing is that the check was cashed on April 8th. Therefore making it impossible for your company to have received it on the 17th. Also stated in this letter was the May payment of rent, you supposedly received it on the 6th, yet it was cahsed on the 6th. Your accounts receivable department must have been really expeditious on that day. Are you trying to make and additional $35 a month? As an honest and professional woman, I am diligent in sending my rent payment between the 1st and the 5th of the month. If your department is uncapable of keeping their records on order, please let me know where I can mail my payments through certified mail. I am also very disturbed with your attorney’s threats to legal actions and/or eviction. I know my rights as a renter and would appreciate no further errors. Please inform your attorney’s office to get facts before they send threatening letters. If you feel you have legal recourse and want to take me to court, be my guest. Contrary to your office I have my records straight, and would really enjoy showing them to you.
If this problem continues to arise I will have no other alternative than to contact my attorney.


Best regards,
G. Menudo


Please see attached copy of my checks.

Eviction Notice

XXX Mgt, Co. Inc.

Eviction Notice


To: Mr. R. Kaapeto, 200 Central Ave., Apt. #10, Major City, NJ 08000
From: Rosey
Date: April 13, 2003
Re: Our Attorney has filed for eviction

Dear Mr. Kaapeto,

Our Attorney has filed for eviction. You will receive notice of the court date by mail.
You have outstanding charges due of $621.50. To stop eviction proceedings, we must receive the total amount immediately. Only money orders will be accepted.

Habitual Late Rent Payments

August 8, 2003

RE: Late Rent

Dear Mr. Kaapeto,

In May you received a Notice To Cease (copy enclosed) from our attorney for habitual late rent payment. Since receiving that notice, your rent has been late two more times. Your tenancy can now be terminated at any time for habitual late rent payments.

As has been communicated several times, rent is due on the 1st of the month with a five-day grace period, which means if it is received in our office on the 6th or later, it is late.

To avoid termination of your tenancy, please pay on time.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation.


Very truly yours,




XXX Mgt, Co. Inc.
Rosey,
Property Manager

Happy New Year!

Well the pundits & such are saying what crappy year it was. For those who experienced some of the disasters, natural and man made, certainly it was. But it was a good year for the US economy by the numbers, despite what the nattering nabobs of negativity had to say.

For the apartment building industry, it was a year of low mortgage rates, although they’ve creeped up. I refinanced two properties this year and although I missed nailing the bottom by 50 basis points (1/2%) I still did well locking in 5 ¾% for 7 years. It was a year where rents just started to rebound and occupancy ticked up. It was a great year to sell, but a rough one to buy. If you bought anything in 2005, chances are you paid too much.

For 2006 I would like to start posting some educational stuff here to help people learn how to get into the business. But for now, I’m feeling lazy, so I’m going to continue posting letters to and from tenants which I find humorous and hopefully you will find informative. You can learn a lot from these letters, i.e., how to address a problem -- in writing -- to your tenants.

Don’t be scared off by anything you read here, you can make a lot of money in this business, but it does take work. I’ve never experienced the sensationalized hardships landlords face on TV or in the movies, and you won’t either as long as you follow a system, stay educated and act decisively when problems arise. I have yet to find a way to make money (short of inheriting or being born rich) that doesn’t take work. When I worked for the man, I made good money my last few years , but paid with my soul.

Abandoned Property Notice

This letter was to another "Spinning Wheel Winner."
************************************************

April 1, 2004

RE: Abandoned Property Notice

Dear Ms. Geri:

You are receiving this notice because you abandoned personal property on the premises located at: 200 Central Ave. Apt. 10, Major City, NJ 08001. You have thirty-three days from today to collect this property or it will be thrown away, sold, and/or destroyed. A tenant (even one who owes rent) is entitled to the return of his or her goods after the tenant moves out. The law now requires that the tenant shall pay reasonable monthly storage fees. The landlord charges storage fees of $125 per month.

You may additionally be responsible for any fees incurred in the event the items have to be moved. Please call the office for details and to set up an appointment to arrange for the retrieval of the belongings, and payment of the balance of any storage and/or moving costs. Please have this money ready in money orders made payable to the landlord when you come to retrieve the items. You must also bring with you materials and be prepared to cart away your personal property. This may include, but not be limited to, people to move the items, boxes, and a truck. If you do not completely clear out all of your belongings, additional storage fees will be charged. If you left perishable foods, they have been thrown away. If any pets were left, please contact the local animal control agency.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the landlord’s office.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Very truly yours,




XXX Mgt, Co. Inc.
Rosey,
Property Manager

You're Fired!

September 19, 2003

RE: Termination of Employment

Dear Mr. Toro,

Since you have failed to keep up with your responsibilities as superintendent, your employment is hereby terminated effective immediately. You are no longer entitle to the super’s discount effective today.


Very truly yours,




XXX Mgt, Co. Inc.
Rosey,
Property Manager

Warning Notice

August 13, 2003

RE: Warning Notice

Dear Mr. Toro,

In order to continue your employment as superintendent, you must keep a working telephone with voicemail or an answering machine; and you must keep your account current.

There is a plumbing emergency in the building today, and I can’t reach you because your telephone still isn’t working. If I need to come down to the building to let the plumber in, then you are not helping me as the super…

I received your payment of $410.00 today, so your account now has a past due balance of $159.00. Please bring your account current as soon as possible.


Very truly yours,




XXX Mgt, Co. Inc.
Rosey,
Property Manager

More Excuses

Actual note from tenant...


Rosey,

This is half of my rent. I’ll pay the rest of it this week.

Plus the late fee.

PSS
I had 2 pay 4 an attorney 2 represent me 4 my custody battle with my kids.

Thanks

J. Toro

Complaints from other tenants and Notice to Cease

Here is an actual letter I sent to one of my tenants. I believe it is self explanatory...



December 11, 2003

RE: Complaints from other tenants and Notice to Cease

Dear Mr. Gigantore,

You have been a resident for just over two weeks and already I have fielded numerous complaints from the other tenants regarding your behavior, including, loud noises, jumping on the floor, hammering in the hallway at 8:00 AM on a Saturday morning, constant intoxication, smoking and loitering in the halls, and bothering other tenants to use their telephone.

The above behaviors are prohibited by the Rules and Regulations of the lease which you signed on 11/25/2003, and are grounds for eviction if they continue. A highlighted copy is enclosed.

Please be a good considerate neighbor. Please be quiet at all times when in or near the building. Please keep your apartment door closed at all times so that others won’t have to hear your noise or smell your smoke.

Enclosed is an official legal Notice to Cease. If the above behaviors do not cease, your tenancy will be terminated and you will have to return to the Spinning Wheel*.

Very truly yours,



XXX Mgt, Co. Inc.
Rosey,
Property Manager




*The welfare hotel he was staying at prior to becoming my tenant on a county paid program.

Girlfriend Groped?

12/27/2005

I received a message today from a new tenant to call him urgently, which I did as soon as I received it. He claimed his girlfriend was “groped” by one of the tenants on the second floor. (He lives on the 3rd floor). And he didn’t know who it was. I asked if he called the police.

“No.”

I explained that I can only control my own behavior and not the behavior of my tenants. That if a crime was committed that he should call the police and report it. Without a police report in my hand, there is nothing I can do. With a police report of a crime, I could file for eviction and have a decent chance of getting a tenant out on the basis of such charges, but without any proof, the judge would just dismiss the case. He wasn’t happy with my answer, but didn’t give me an argument because I think he understood. He called back about five hours later, a call that I missed, and didn’t leave a message. I doubt he called the police.

One of the most frustrating things for landlords is for tenants to essentially blame you for crimes committed on the property, but then refuse to call the police to report it. But my attitude is, if you won’t call the police to report it, you can’t possibly think it’s that serious. Either that or you are a real idiot.

Excuses for Paying Rent Late

None of them are good enough because I have to pay the mortgage, utilities, insurance, taxes and maintenance on time. But I’ve gotten some doosies. I should have written them down as I went along, because now I’m having trouble remembering them all. Here are a few:

“My boyfriend stole my money.”
“My girlfriend stole my money.”
“I didn’t work for two weeks.”
“My uncle died.”
“My wife’s uncle died.”
“My wife’s relative died and she had to go home to the Philippines.”
“Well you know, I’m working now and I have to buy breakfast, and lunch and dinner, because I’m working so I don’t have time to cook and that costs a lot of money and I had a $200 cable bill and...”
“I was having a baby.”

Mr. Bickers

I owned a building in a rough area of Newark. A 12 unit brick building from the 1930’s. Beautiful back in the day. Of course years of disinvestment took their toll. Anyway, one tenant Mr. Bickers was always complaining he was cold.

“I’m cooooooooooooooooooooooooooold. I pays my rent.”

Mr. Bickers was from the Caribbean, but now he’s living in the Northeastern United States. Anyway, after several complaints, and after my Super repeatedly checked and verified that he had adequate heat, I decided to go down there in person. I jumped in my car and drove the 25 minutes or so to get there. I rang his bell, and Mr. Bickers answered the door in boxer shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt. Period. Seriously. Oh, did I mention it was February? In the Northeastern Untied States?

“I’m cold.”
“You’re naked.”

I entered to find that the apartment was about 68 degrees. He said there was no heat in the bedroom. I went to check the radiator (steam) to make sure the air valve was good, it was tilted properly and that the inlet valve was fully open. They were. He had a pile of clothes drying on the radiator.

I told Mr. Bickers to put on some pants, socks and a sweatshirt. Take the clothes off the radiator and not to call me for heat complaints anymore.

My son wants to be a landlord when he grows up.

My son wants to be a landlord when he grows up. Why? Because that's what his Dad does for a living. Or a dying. You call this a living? Sometimes I do other things like consulting, whoring out my mind, because it pays the bills. I would do more landlording but, it is a seller's market not a buyers market. Rule #1 buy in a buyers market and sell in a sellers market. I’m just waiting for a buyers market to return, or at least some equilibrium before I try to buy anymore.

Why "Cil my landlord?" Back in the days when Saturday Night Live was funny, Eddie Murphy did this skit where he was supposed to be a poor, black, angry tenant. He recited a poem that went in part:

Kill my land lord, kill my landlord.
C-I-L my landlord.

This sentiment is shared by tenants throughout America and probably the world. So what else should I call a blog about landlording?

I want to make it clear that I despise the term landlord. It is so feudal. It has less to do with land and more with the buildings on them. And what about the lord part? yeecccch. I prefer to think of myself as a "Professional Property Manager focusing on the affordable housing sector." When I told people this in the past they screeched with laughter and labeled me a "Slumlord." Wanna make your landlord, err, professional property manager bristle? Call him a slumlord.

This blog is also about investing in real estate. Making money. Getting advice. And hopefully helping me launch my career as a real estate get-rich-quick-guru-cum-author, launching me onto the lecture circuit where I can hawk my CDs for only $899.00, if you act now.

There I did it. After thinking about it, talking about and thinking about it some more, I started my blog. Cil my landlord.