Renting a Home

My fiance and I looked at a nice older house to rent that the owners had remodeled. When we met with them Saturday to look at the house, we were told that the rent would be $550 a month and that they would get the air conditioning hooked up for us before we move in. Today, Amanda talked to the owners and they said that she misspoke the other day about the ac. If they were going to sell the house, they would put the unit on if the buyers wanted. For us renters, they will put it in if we want, but then they want to charge us another $25 a month to cover the cost of the ac unit.

I really don’t care too much about the money, its only another $25 a month, its just the idea that they want us to pay for an ac unit in a home that they own. I want to tell them that I will pay the extra $25 a month, but when I move from there in the future, that compressor is going with me since apparently I paid for it.

Is that sort of thing common, or should it maybe be a warning as to the type of landlords they will be? It just struck both of us as odd.

I’d look for another house. If they are nick picking about that, you can be sure other items will come up during your lease term… If you rent there, be sure to get everything written down in your lease agreement and keep a copy!

Its too bad that the days of a handshake and a man’s word are gone. It all boils down to what you have in writing. If she declared to you that she made a mistake before a contract was signed, you do need to give her a minor benifit of the doubt. However, since history has been established of not being completely accurate, I would ask for everything in writing. Remember, that goes both ways and you should be equally held accountable for your end of the lease. Keep in mind that a 3ton air conditioner will run somewhere around $1600.- +/- and your landlord will be responsible for maintaining it. So will you be in there for 64 months or more?? The other option is to buy a couple of window units (provided the house does not have casement windows).. pay the higher operating costs and keep the units when you leave.

Since they misspoke the first time ask them to split the differance. 12.50 extra a month. It will easyliy cost you 25.00 in elec. to run a window unit.

make sure you take pictures of each room so you have something to go on when you move out if they want to be that picky now over $25.00 who know when you move out you might not get deposit back

For them to come back and say they misspoke is a red flag for me. Like you said, it was $25. They should have just excepted they made a mistake. Without knowing the people, I think they are the kind that if they see an opportunity to make a little extra, they will. What would they do if the main line backed up, make you pay for it saying you caused it? Are they going to try and push wear and tear off on you? But it’s also a tough call not knowing or meeting these people. Like ^he^ said. Take pictures and be really thorough with the paperwork if you go with them. Absolutely get every concern in writing on the lease. Don’t take their word for it, you already know what happens then.

I think you should find out if they are rookie landlords. If they are new at it, I’d cut them some slack. Also on a house you want to make it clear who does the yardwork and snow removal and other home owner chores.

When I had rental property, I put in the lease that if they had a window unit air conditioner, it cost extra. I paid the heat/electric as part of the deal. Not uncommon. They may not have had that figured out. You want to make sure what is covered and how. In other words, if you pay the gas/electric, you get the bill from the Utility company, not a bill from the land lord. Stuff like that. Some newby landlord don’t got it all figured out!

-J.

I would look for another house. In most places it is a buyers/renters market. You could end up with way more headaches than you bargained for. Use the advice given by the other posters no matter who you rent from.

Nut

I have to go with Jon on this. Try to find out if they are new at this. But when it comes down to the bottom line, you have to go with your gut feeling. Are you good at reading people? If you and your wife are having ANY uneasy feelings towards them or the house start looking in a different direction.

When it does come to sign on the property you do decide on, get everything written on the lease agreement!

Good Luck,

FDR

Very good points mentioned already. I would be very concerned about my deposit if they are trying to bait and switch you already!! If you decide on this house, be sure to take pictures of the house or, better yet, video it when you move in. Also, get everything in writing!! Leaves no room for foul play!! Good luck. Ted

I don’t know how long they have been in the rental business. From what I understand, they buy houses, flip them, and then resell them. They do run some rentals, but I think they are more into reselling houses.

They were very agreeable to our requests as far as decorating within the house, not moving in until May, and the big one, having a dog in the house. We have a couple other places we are going check out, but if the other houses don’t really wow us, we are going to go with this one.

I will make sure to go through the lease with a fine tooth comb and make sure that anything I feel is a major concern is addressed within the lease.

Could be an honest mistake.Was the house advertised and did the ad say it had A/C?Not sure what rent goes for down there but 550-575 isnt bad these days if it is a decent place.For the extra $25 I would definitly want the A/C.I guess it would also depend on how long you will be renting it or if they plan on selling it.If they plan on selling it down the road you may also have the option of buying it if it works out for ya.

Basically till you sign on the dotted line anything can change.

Warning- This is coming from a landlords perspective- I have seen every mess, heard every excuse, listened to every lie out there from tenants.

If you are going to make such a big deal out of $25 for a/c in what sounds like a nice place for very reasonable rent, go somewhere else. The owners of the home are taking ALL the risk, you could do $25,000 damage to their home in an hour. Regardless of whether or not they are “rookies”, they bought the home, did the work, and now have the right to do with it what they want. I have been screwed by tenants more times than not and have to stand on the owners side on this one. How long are you going to live there? $25 a month x 2 years is only $600. That is what two decent window units will cost. Go get your own then you can take them with you. Your rent is also covering the cost of the furnace, water heater, plumbing, electrical, appliances, etc… Do you expect to take them with you also? When you rent, you are paying the owners bills and they are taking the risk in having a stranger in the house doing who knows what.

This is not a personal attack, just an opinion from a guy has grown tired of renters and their excuses and complaints.

right now that price you mentioned is cheap rent for a house. very cheap for a house in todays market.

I am with Fish Hammer on this one. As a landlord myself, please move on to another property.

What renters need to get rid of is the, ” I am doing you a favor by paying you rent” attitude.

Again, not a personal attatck, only an opinion.

Fish Hammer – I understand that they are the ones taking the risk and the extra $25 doesn’t bother me especially to have central air. I’m just concerned that I could end up paying extra if there ends up being a problem with the electrical, plumbing, etc even if the problem is not related to something I did, because they need extra money to fix a problem with their house. In this particular situation, I don’t see it as a whole lot different than paying extra a month on an apartment so you can keep pets.

I’m not trying to say that the landlords are wrong, I just want to know if I should see this as an honest mistake, or if I should see it as a red flag as to what could happen in the future.

Oh yeah, and the part about taking it with me was meant to be in jest. I suppose I should have put one of these after it .

If anyone is curious, this is what the home looks like

Rental House

In todays market, any “renter” is doing a homeowner a favor… Notice the laughing. Seriously, that looks like a nice place. Follow all the advice here. Get it in writing who is responsible for repairs, lawn/snow care etc. etc. etc. If they flip and sell/rent homes, they have to have some references I would think. See if you can contact any of them. I know when I rent a Bobcat, their is 3 pages, tiny writing and the pages are 18″ long… I would expect the same or more for a house.

big G

The rate they are charging seems very reasonable. Just make sure every thing is in writing and most importantly, take pictures of EVERY room BEFORE you move in. Bring to their attention any defects so it is documented and then you will be fine. Remember, it is a business and not personal. Good luck.

After talking to the fiance today, we decided that the other houses that we had as options aren’t what we want. We are going to go with this house so I’d like to change the direction of the thread a little and ask what types of things should we ask to be included on the lease?

I do like the idea of taking lots of pictures before moving anything in. I hadn’t thought of that .

Everything !!! Things like garbage service. If there are issues, do you call them first, such as if it’s an emergency, such as a plumbing leak, and you cannot get ahold of them, can you call someone yourself. Things like this will always come up, and how they are dealt with, should be spelled out and clear. If you do any improvements, such as ceiling fans, window treatments, any fixtures, how will that work. Utilities, exterior maintenance, out buildings use. There are alot of things for sure, if they have done it in the past, I would think they should have it pretty well covered. Be sure to read everything before you sign the line

big G

That house looks very nice. Especially for 550.00 per month. I’m assuming you will be responsible for utilities at that price. Since we’re hopefully at the tailend of the winter months, heating cost might not be a big factor this winter but I would want to know what it might cost next winter if you plan to stay there that long. Its not unheard of for older houses to cost over 500.00 per month to heat. They should be able to provide the past utility expenses. Or the electric or gas company can provide it.

The owners aren’t real sure what the heating costs will be since no one has lived in it since they owned it. Plus, they put in a new energy efficient furnace, and all but one window is new, so that should help lower the bill some.

I can’t wait until May when she moves in and then this summer when I move in. I like living in an apartment, but this will be a lot better.

Go to the bank and get pre-qualified, then see what that 550$ plus a bit more will get ya and be an owner, with a tax write off instead of tossing the $$$ to some one else and later have nothing to show for it.

We had thought about buying the home, but once we saw the basement, there was no way we would do it. It’s also a house that had been on the market for some time and everyone has passed on it because of the foundation issues. The had a company come in and put big anchors that run way out into the yard all around the foundation, so I’m not concerned about the structural integrity its the resale of it. And I really don’t want to be stuck with a house I can’t sell.

The town I work in and the town she works in are about 50 minutes apart, but eventually I will be looking for something closer to where she works. This house is about halfway for us now, so another reason we’d hate to buy right now is if I get a job closer to her, we’d still have to drive 30 minutes each to work instead of being able to cut that down to 10-15 minutes at the most.

I’m not sure what you decided to do with the AC issue, but wanted to give my opinion.

Tell them to forget it, and buy your own window unit or two. My home is about the same age as that one, and I have a good window air unit that cools the entire first floor very nicely. For the upstairs we have a smaller window unit just for the bedroom.

We only use them when it gets uncomfortable in the house which is not enough to justify $25 a month all year, in my opinion.

To me it seems, they will install it and you pay for it over time.

Its a nice house, and hope you enjoy it.