"Look good, feel good. Feel good, play good" - 08/25/10 02:33 PM
"Look good, feel good.  Feel good, play good."  Famous words from hall of fame receiver Jerry Rice of the San Francisco Forty-Niners.  In various interviews spanning his career Jerry Rice often made this famous statement about his tireless approach to be the best.  Jerry took nothing for granted in life and made every effort to distinguish himself on and off the football field.  For Jerry, the playing field was not just the area in between the lines where he caught touchdown passes and set historical records.  He made sure he looked his best to boost his mood, project his image and alert his competition to … (2 comments)

Every Penny Counts to You and Your Tenant! - 08/25/10 12:49 PM
Every Penny counts to you and your tenant--deposit funds are no different.  When tenants prepare to vacate they are opting more and more for the tandem move out inspection prior to the actual final move out date.  The owner or agent must walk the property with the tenant at an agreed upon time and date to discuss the condition of the property and what remedies are required for a full deposit refund.  These tandem inspections may be scheduled during normal business hours unless the agent or owner opt to accommodate the tenant.  I try to keep it as simple as possible:  if it … (1 comments)

Deposit disputes: settle vs court - 08/16/10 03:22 PM
When processing security deposit dispositions you must keep in mind what the law allows the deposit to be used for.  Damages and unpaid rent are all you may use the funds for.  Damages are the gray area when handling deposit refunds.  Some items are obvious such as holes in walls, broken doors and trash hauls.  Other items are not as easy such as wear and tear to counters and cabinets.  To make things worse, many liberal judges are incredibly tenant friendly allowing the tenants to recover much of their deposit money for items that historically are tenant costs:  carpet cleaning after … (2 comments)

Landlord property tips for placing new tenants - 08/12/10 02:33 PM
The best thing a landlord can do to ensure a smooth start and end to a tenancy is to provide a rent ready property.  Rent ready does not have to be all new.  Rent ready means clean and functional.  Too many times we have to mitigate deposit refund discrepancies after we inherit an occupied property.  Even more common is when these properties have not been properly documented at the start and when new items are installed the receipts or invoices are not properly kept.  It is critical to start the tenant off as smoothly as possible and to document the condition … (0 comments)