I thought of a coupla ideas that may help keep tenants honest,& am wondering if others have any other ideas they may use,or have heard of being used?
My idea is to make sure you introduce y’self personally,when ALL occupants are avail,& get a video, &/or photo’s of them.Perhaps use some lame excuse to get the shots/video,like “hope u dont mind,just need some pics for insurance reasons,& havent had time yet”.
Or even better,walk them thru,filling in a very specific conditions report (DONT leave it to REA, they never give the detail u could), & do pics/vid of any “damages”,that they “agree to” on tape! So,if ever there is a dispute about “But,that was already like that…”,u will have it on tape!Along with their mug that you could pass on to authorities,or current affair…[biggrin]<<<<when ALL occupants are avail,& get a video, &/or photo’s of them.>>>>
There maybe some privacy issues. I would just stick with the law and do things with the property manager.
Hey Misty,
Maybe you could get them to pose back to blank wall, standing on a chalk line and holding up one of those number plate thingies!!!! Saves time as they won’t have to bother about it when they are officially charged and taken to the lock-up!!!!!
Gotta love ya Misty; you’re a card!!!! [laugh4]
Jo
What sort of tenants do you have that you need mug shots.
I just let my PM handle everything; they’re experienced and know what they’re doing by checking tenants out in the first place.
I also have landlord insurance in place, which gives me peace of mind.
Hehe taking photo shots of tenants- that was a joke…right? [confused2]
To treat tenants like potential criminals is not exactly my idea of building a good relationship [biggrin].
Celivia
Thats deception!!!!
Unless you tell them what the pics are for your deceiving them!!! Tsk tsk…shame on you!!![biggrin]
Pepper
Hi-ya Mist1,
have you ever read any of Anita Bells books? I’m not advocating her style (she’s got bigger b..lls than me and is too agressive for my liking – all the best to her), but she makes some very good suggestions about a (I think she called it) a House card. It is a summary of your house details, phone numbers, service providers she preffers, etc, laminated and secured into the pantry or some place for easy access. Goes hand-in-hand with a property folder which you keep.
She manages her own IPs but I have had thoughts of using some of that in conjunction with a PM, once I get one.
Hey good news! Just had my offer accepted and got my very own home! Sorry to high-jack this thread.
Photos might give the tennants the wrong idea about you! Must agree with Pepper, sorry.Cheers
C@34
Ah Misty, there are as many unhonest tenants as their are landlords. Give them a chance to prove what good tenants they are and most will. We all come across the odd bad one from time to time, just have insurance for those ones rather than tarring them all with the same brush!
PK
I think it’s important to take photos of tenants, as Misty suggested. I also like to take photos of my partner and family, in case they do a runner on me, or commit some criminal offence. Everyone thinks I’m taking photos out of fun and love… but really, I’m just thinking of contingencies… easier to give cops a photo of them rather than having to ask for an identikit. [rambo2]
kay henry
Misty,
I would give this a great deal of thought, and personally dismiss it.
Ever heard of the Privacy Act??? Unless you tell them what the pictures are for (as Pepper said) you could get yourself into deep water. And if you don’t tell them (as some here may imply) fun or no fun, it won’t cut it with the authorities!!! Don’t think the law will see your “fun and love” of photo-taking in the same light and justification for breaching privacy laws.
If you really MUST have some way to track them, a drivers licence will usually be sufficient, taking photos “just in case” is absurd, and makes you look suspicious!!!
Jo
Misty,
it’s hypocritical to try and make someone else honest, by using a dishonest “some lame excuse”.
The professionals use things like credit checks, references, bond, and rent paid in advance to minimise the risk of tenanting your property.
I suggest as others have that you either use a professional manager, or if you insist on managing the property yourself, do it professionally and with integrity. otherwise you will attract the very tenants you want to avoid.
‘Our landlord lied, so why do they deserve our honesty?’this behaviour is not making the world a better place. we were all born innocent.
cheers-
Minijoy to the world
PS monopoly, I think Kaye was joking. That kind of ironic dark humour.
I’ll finish it off for her….’and after I take their picture and fingerprints, I get a document ready in Adobe Photoshop marked
WANTED: in big letters. I make four copies. One goes to my solicitor, one to a private investigation firm who will use wire-tapping and other surveillance to keep an eye on the tenants, one copy goes to the local police station so they’re ahead of the eight ball when the crime I am convinced they will commit is finally carried out, and one copy goes to the printers ready for pressing of the posters.!!!!!!!!
It was just another way of highlighting the ridiculous lose/lose-ness of carrying that kind of thinking to it’s logical conclusion.
Personally,
I’d feel uncomfortable getting a group photo of my tenants and I’d feel uncomfortable of my tenants taking one of me. Plus photos don’t always turn out perfect. I just had my driver’s license renewed and deliberately had my photo taken ‘out of focus’! When a cop pulled me over and asked for my licence, he took one look at it and then looked at me and just said ‘here, you can go!’
Cheers,
Gatsby!Honest,honest- honest about what! What are they going to steal? Maybe the walls.Front door perhaps.
<edited – Derek>
Misty how many PI do you have? Sounds like you don’t have many.
Mimimogul, Did you learn anything from S.McK’s
seminar? It amazed me to see you put your hand up for it.I thought your intelligence was away ahead of going to anyone’s seminar.Besides, the way I read your posts, you’re on the tight side.(BLOODY
MEAN).So add your travel costs,accomodation costs,
plus other costs,what did you learn?????
Did the learning out do the costs?bbruham.[withstupid]
We keep our tenants honest by treating them honestly.
Expect the worst of people & that’s what you get!
Cheers,
Aceyducey
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is.– Jan L.A. van de Snepscheut
bb,
“I thought your intelligence was away ahead of going to anyone’s seminar.”
thanks for your kind words.
*thinks: reinforce positive behaviour, ignore other*
Yep, the learning outweighed the costs (it’s all tax deductible anyway, hehe, which is why NZ BirdDogs just happened to have a business meeting in Melbourne the day before!) and the fun outweighed everything. I figure, at the end of my life I will remember the experiences I had and the fun I had and the people I met, I won’t remember the amount on the bill.
cheers-
Minijoy to the world
Dear Bbruham,
Do what you want to the girls but leave me out of it, ergh,…I mean ‘Do what you want with me but,…..’ Well, you know what I mean? Relax! It was just a post. No point weilding it at people, you’ll only get splinters?
Cheers,
Gatsby!I am sure misty said this with tongue firmly in her cheeks. But for me I treat my tenants (they are mostly families) like my own, if something is not good enough for me is not good enough for them. I am providing a shelter service to people who due to circumstances unable to live in their own home. If I have no trust in a prospective tenant then I will not rent the property to him/her.
setmefree,
I don’t treat my tenants as family. I treat them as I should.Like tenants.
They pay the rent,on time,they get to stay there.
So simple.
HEY DEREK, concrete floors for everyone.bbruham.[withstupid]
It seems as though there is a heck of a lot of “tongue-in-cheek” and “joking” associated with this thread, maybe so much so, that it should be moved to “FORUM FROLIC”…Maybe Misty just clicked on the wrong forum section that’s all…hell that’s why SHE herself hasn’t responded to the suggestions/comical replies…because it was all in FUN and she is keeping an eye out under the FROLICS section for the thread she probably believes has been deleted or archived!!!!!
Jo
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. If you don't have an account, you can register here.
