- Thread starter jrjrth
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Attn: Condo-Homeowners...Who has been beat out of Rental fees....
I've had all kinds of problems with tenants. I've been renting apartments for five years now, so lots of stories to tell about tenants not paying, or paying late, or giving me worthless checks,or breaking stuff and hiding if so I realize long after they leave, or making loud parties at night, or having trouble with prostitutes, or falsely claiming they have been robbed, or fornicating with the cleaning lady, or trying to break into other tenant's apartments,... I've even had one tenant die (of a heart attack) in one of my apartments.
Every problem has made me change the rules or raise my awareness. Basically, with time I've learnt to be extremely selective. If I perceive anything even slightly strange while I talking on the phone with an interested person or showing them around the apartment, I don't rent.
I've become especially allergic to any kind of informality, which is normally a telling sign that I'll have problems with that person later on. I've come to learn that with prevention I can save myself lots of trouble, time and money.
Thankfully lately I am having very good tenants, I cannot complain at all.
Every problem has made me change the rules or raise my awareness. Basically, with time I've learnt to be extremely selective. If I perceive anything even slightly strange while I talking on the phone with an interested person or showing them around the apartment, I don't rent.
I've become especially allergic to any kind of informality, which is normally a telling sign that I'll have problems with that person later on. I've come to learn that with prevention I can save myself lots of trouble, time and money.
Thankfully lately I am having very good tenants, I cannot complain at all.
Hi LB. By informality I mean failure to stick to common sense and courtesy rules.
I'll give you recent examples:
A couple needed to come pay the deposit, sign the contract, enter the apartment, etc. I close at 6pm, so I asked them to arrive no later than 5.30pm so we have time to do everything. They said ok, no problem. They they showed up at 8pm. When asked about our agreement to come during office hours, they act like I'm a lunatic and don't even bother to give me a satisfactory reply. I did not rent.
Another couple asked if they could have a little dog. I said yes, as long as it did not bother other tenants. They ended up with a barking dog, a cat and a very loud cotorra. I had to ask them to go.
An informality classic is when they start to pay you the rent a little bit later every month, until eventually they pay one whole month late, and then pretend it is that month's rent they are paying (skipping one). Now I give them 5 days to pay the month's rent, then start charging a 5-dollar-per-day tardy fine (which is in the contract).
English is not my native tongue, so maybe informal is not the word I should have used. What was on my mind was the meaning of "informal" in Spanish.
Cheers.
I'll give you recent examples:
A couple needed to come pay the deposit, sign the contract, enter the apartment, etc. I close at 6pm, so I asked them to arrive no later than 5.30pm so we have time to do everything. They said ok, no problem. They they showed up at 8pm. When asked about our agreement to come during office hours, they act like I'm a lunatic and don't even bother to give me a satisfactory reply. I did not rent.
Another couple asked if they could have a little dog. I said yes, as long as it did not bother other tenants. They ended up with a barking dog, a cat and a very loud cotorra. I had to ask them to go.
An informality classic is when they start to pay you the rent a little bit later every month, until eventually they pay one whole month late, and then pretend it is that month's rent they are paying (skipping one). Now I give them 5 days to pay the month's rent, then start charging a 5-dollar-per-day tardy fine (which is in the contract).
English is not my native tongue, so maybe informal is not the word I should have used. What was on my mind was the meaning of "informal" in Spanish.
Cheers.
I am on this site to see if I can obtain assistance in getting a renter out of my home in DR who has lived there for four years without paying a dime, after three lawyers have scammed me by taking money under the table allowing the lady to buy more time and stay there longer.....anyone has suggestions or recommendations....please let me know...
Just imagine the nerve of that tenant! How dare he die in your apartment! I'm sure he did it on purpose just to spite you!!!
Tenants win hands down, because their relative position in the deal allows for far more screwing. They have the possession of the owner's property, whereas the owner has a deposit (worth 1/100 of the value of the property, at most) and the promise of a rent.
So that the owner can only screw the renter for the value of the deposit, whereas the renter can screw the owner for a much higher value (for example, if the renter does not pay the rent twice, he has screwed the owner double what he could ever be screwed).
Trang, you miss my point, screwin can be other than money, poor condition, no maintenace, no hot water etcc etc etcc
three big guys who you pay more to (AFTER their "eviction" service) than your tenant can afford to.
oppssss.. forgot to hit "quote"... this was in answer about the tenants who refuse to leave.
oppssss.. forgot to hit "quote"... this was in answer about the tenants who refuse to leave.
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completely agree, if your tenant dont wanna pay and is laughing on your face, just visit him with some nice friends from "Hoyo de Friusa", you will see how quickly pays all pending bills ...
email Guzman he is the attny that assists alot with questions on this site.....try the legal section and post a thread or email them direct...
It seems to me that the renter usually has the advantage in the Dominican Republic. There seems to exist a form of intrinsic entitlement that in the mind of the renter that supersedes contracts, agreements and in a large part common sense.
Unfortunately, the court system perpetuates this problem and a landlord can have a very difficult time removing a problem tenant. I have known owners to spend years getting rid of a tenant. Usually the owner ends up making a deal with the tenant to pay them to leave, as absurd as this seems.
While using force and/or intimidation to remove someone may seem justified, this move toward a violent or implied violent eviction can open a pandora?s box of violence and retribution that may make the original problem pale in comparison to the new problems created by these actions. If you live in the DR, it is best not to make enemies in general and especially over essentially small civil matters. You would not believe how long people can carry grudges when they are ?wronged? and the violence (especially with alcohol involved) that can result from the ?settling of the score?.
I think the best idea for looking for renters has been promoted by Trangalanga who appears to be very savvy in rental business. Pre-qualify the applicant very thoroughly and take a pass on any applicant who has anything that makes you feel uncomfortable about their sincerity.
I too had a stingent pre-qual process for my tenant, however they still skipped out leaving me with a RD$20,000 electric bill that I have to pay for. I will however attempt restitution on US soil being they went back to Miami....I am sure I will be spitting in the wind, but I will try nonetheless.
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Tell me about it.
My first and last foray into the rental market in the DR was in the early nineties when I rented out a condo that I bought as an "investment" to a long-time employee of my father-in-law who was married to a Canadian girl. I knew him very well, knew that he made more than enough money to pay the rent, and thought that he would feel a sense of obligation to me via our family connection. To make a long story short, he began paying late, then not paying at all. I spoke to him, had family speak to him, but no cigar. He simply looked at the rent as a monthly expense that was "optional" for him. In the end, he finally did me the favor of moving out after about a year of free living, plus leaving the apartment a disaster. I remodeled the apartment and sold it at a loss just to get rid of the nightmare. I still see him (the ex renter) occasionally and he acts as if nothing ever happened, once again the sense of entitlement.
So I guess my point is, no matter how well you feel that you have it covered, there is always a risk in renting. You have to know how much risk and aggravation that you are willing to live with to be a landlord. I think you did well with "only" a 20k loss and I hope that you get it back, I wish my loss had been so low!! Oh well, another lesson for me in the DR.
My first and last foray into the rental market in the DR was in the early nineties when I rented out a condo that I bought as an "investment" to a long-time employee of my father-in-law who was married to a Canadian girl. I knew him very well, knew that he made more than enough money to pay the rent, and thought that he would feel a sense of obligation to me via our family connection. To make a long story short, he began paying late, then not paying at all. I spoke to him, had family speak to him, but no cigar. He simply looked at the rent as a monthly expense that was "optional" for him. In the end, he finally did me the favor of moving out after about a year of free living, plus leaving the apartment a disaster. I remodeled the apartment and sold it at a loss just to get rid of the nightmare. I still see him (the ex renter) occasionally and he acts as if nothing ever happened, once again the sense of entitlement.
So I guess my point is, no matter how well you feel that you have it covered, there is always a risk in renting. You have to know how much risk and aggravation that you are willing to live with to be a landlord. I think you did well with "only" a 20k loss and I hope that you get it back, I wish my loss had been so low!! Oh well, another lesson for me in the DR.
just a clarification.... my "thugs" approach was tongue-in-cheek humor. very few situations warrant that kind of response, and it's always a dangerous gamble.
maybe not a great, ultimate solution, but what about forgetting renting for long term and just focus to rent for shor term? I think that chances of tourists renting your apartment for just holidays weeks, or a month, and finally not wanting to leave the apartment are really lower than if you get a long term tenant who lives there and is not on vacation.
On the other hand, renting only for short term, even having bookings for just half year, will give you more income than long term rental prices ... it is a fact.
cheers.
On the other hand, renting only for short term, even having bookings for just half year, will give you more income than long term rental prices ... it is a fact.
cheers.
That sounds like a very good idea Rubenpriego. I have a friend in South Florida who does this very thing (short term rental using VRBO, Craigslist, etc.) and has had great success and very little problems. Maybe this will work in the DR market as well.
Short term renters are probably more likely to have wild parties, be obnoxious, have fights etc but if they trash your apartment for only a couple of weeks it can usually be put right relatively easily. Someone who is there for months can really do some major damage.
Getting rid of non-payers? I believe the law has been changed recently to allow turning off utilities such as water and electricity.