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vinomuffin · Aug 4, 2008, 02:36 PM

Is there a cap on how much I can increase rent on an apartment in PA?
Current tenants have ovenight guests, I pay water, sewage, trash collection!

ChihuahuaMomma · Aug 4, 2008, 02:56 PM

Unfortunately no. But I wouldn't suggest raising rent unless the apartment is under-priced in your area. You're not going to drive bad tenants out, you are going to drive ALL tenants out, thereby not making any money. My landlord did this, and I think its ridulous. Selfish. Just change the new leases to not include you paying those utilites, make those ones that they pay. I pay all of those myself.

twinkiedooter · Aug 4, 2008, 04:25 PM

You need to have something in your lease about repeated overnight guests. They should not stay longer than 3 days before you can tell the guest to leave (or something in that vein). When a landlord pays the water and sewage it could sure get racked up in a hurry. The trash should not really change much. Would suggest you re-think who your tenants are going to be when it comes time to rent out the premises. I was a landlord in Florida and I found that the little old couple are usually the best as they don't have friends there to party and stay over. They do have grandkids that come and say. I used to ask them if they had grandkids and the ones who said they didn't would be rented to. Just my preference as I don't like screaming kids.

ChihuahuaMomma · Aug 4, 2008, 04:31 PM

Just because someone is young, doesn't mean they have tons of guests and party 24/7. And just because someone is old doesn't mean that they aren't loud.

twinkiedooter · Aug 4, 2008, 06:45 PM

CM - I've had BOTH kinds of tenants - the younger party animals and the quiet old folks. I personally like the quiet old folks better as a Landlord. No, I am not discriminating - I was just picking a better tenant to occupy my apt and not trash it like the party animals in Florida would do. I kind of learned my lesson. Living in Florida everyone has friends that come and visit - so I had lots of experience with that scenerio as well. Not too many visitors with the old folks I noticed. Probably due to all their friends being dead or something like that.

ChihuahuaMomma · Aug 4, 2008, 06:52 PM

I understand that you are choosing your tenants wisely, but from what you said it sounds like you are not letting younger people move in because you assume that they will party and destroy everything,

this8384 · Aug 5, 2008, 01:15 PM

Your lease needs to have specifics regarding this situation if you are going to try and raise the rent. Unfortunately for you, most states will not allow you to just up the rent because there are too many shady landlords who would take advantage of it.

twinkiedooter · Aug 5, 2008, 02:47 PM

CM - I had a really NICE younger couple as tenants who had a dog when I bought the duplex. They were wonderful, quiet people and left the place spotless when they bought a new home and had to move. Then the next young couple with a dog were the pits. She did her wash in the bathtub and hung it in the shower to dry. The place was one huge pile of mildew that I had to remove PLUS the livingroom rug had peepee stains (phew) in it from her sister and her sister's baby who came to stay with her for weks on end. Now that was wonderful to remove, let me tell you. Plus they had lots of "lets stay over with them" guests that would stay for weeks on end. Yes, my water and sewer bill shot up like a rocket and I was mad. I had to evict those tenants and had lots of fun wall repairs to make as well as replace a few interior doors and the back door as well and new locks as the doorknobs were all broken off. Then the next young couple with a dog (I only rented to dog owners by the way - yes, another discrimination I know but in Florida if you own a dog you generally can find nothing to rent as no one wants a dog) I rented to. They were a real fun bunch. They had customers at literally all hours of the day and night that stayed for less than 5 minutes to pick up their drug purchases and then leave. I was furious about the obvious drug activity going on in my rental apt. I told them if they didn't leave I would turn them into the police or evict them. They just laughed at me. Well, I did something rather sneeky. I had my husband and a friend with a moving dolly take out their fridge and stove and park the appliances in my huge livingroom. I told the tenants the appliances were mine and I was going to replace them with new ones. Well, after a few days of no new fridge or stove, they got the hint and moved out. I didn't have the money or time for the eviction and figured that they would move shortly. Thank goodness they moved out.

So you can see why I opted for granny and grandad instead. Those tenants were a joy to put it mildly and did not cause any problems as they were quite grateful that someone would rent to them since they had a dog. Sometimes it pays to pick your tenants very carefully. I would prescreen them with a questionnaire as well which helped tremendously.

Sometimes when a landlord pays the water and sewer bill for all apts the landlord is the one who gets gyped in the end. Water usage in Florida cost an arm and leg and then they added sewer onto that and the bill was then out of this world.

ChihuahuaMomma · Aug 5, 2008, 02:54 PM

There is a difference between careful screening and discrimination. From your first post it sounded like discrimination. The questionairre is a good idea.

But you still can't assume that just because someone is young that they are destructive. Do you currently rent to any young people?

If every landlord here decided that all young people were drug dealers or part animals or destructive, then I'd be homeless. I'm 22, work, and have a dog. I pay my rent on time (except once). I pay my own water, sewer, and trash; not to mention about 10 other bills.

I just wanted to see that you weren't not renting to someone because of their age, and attaching stereotypes to them based on your past experience.

ChihuahuaMomma · Aug 5, 2008, 02:55 PM

Also, can't you obtain their rental history? To see what kind of renters they are?

twinkiedooter · Aug 5, 2008, 04:32 PM

CM - I was a landlord years ago in Florida land of the transients. I've lived in Ohio since 1999 and own my own home. I understand your questions but seeing it was Florida, perpetual land of musical tenants in that they'd move at the drop of a hat and go back up north regardless of how long a lease they signed, I had to resort to being super, super careful just who I rented to as it was only a one bedroom, one bathroom place but rather large square footage wise. Like I said my first tenants were a dream and I found out later that they were the rarity down in Ft. Lauderdale to put it mildly. They were sorely missed when they moved. Lovely couple no more than 23 or 24.

The other young tenant couples told me a pack of lies which I soon saw through even though they had "references". References, HAH! My foot.