Sunset Park house is on a nice block. Priced well too.

Posted by: Rick at August 12, 2007 9:41 AM in response to Open House Picks

You should do a few tests to be sure you like the color. You may want to look at alcohol stains because you can get vivid bright colors. About upkeep, I think your're talking about the bricks shedding. A clear coat of polly should help with that.

Posted by: Rick at August 13, 2007 7:51 AM in response to Brick Staining vs. Painting-DIY

Wow, if this post is for real I hope the place is cheap enough to put up rent stabilized tenants. If the purchase price is low enough that you feel that you get a nice space for yourself, it could be worth it. However, in this market, chances are you're asking for a headache.

Posted by: Rick at August 13, 2007 9:07 PM in response to Rent Stabilized

I'm pretty sure most all home owners on average get a couple tickets per year. This is just the way life is in the city. Be firm with your tenants about the trash and hope for the best.

Posted by: Rick at August 14, 2007 7:24 AM in response to How to be fair to good tenants

Yes, put it all in writing and speak to them about your plans. You will quickly see if you have a problem on your hands or not. This story is something I hear often and it sometimes comes with anger from a tenant. Do your best to be kind to yor tenant and it may go better than you think. If you end up with an angry tenant on your hands, distant yourself and file for eviction. Try to keep a cool head about it.

Posted by: Rick at August 16, 2007 6:06 PM in response to Getting rid of a tenant

I'm not surprised that the Sunset Park sold for that price. I've seen the house. It was in move in condition, a great deal of renovation was already done! It's a four story building plus a basement with a landscaped yard. The owner could have a lower duplex and 2 or 3 rentals in this 5,000. square feet house. I think it was a smart choice for the couple who bought it.

Posted by: Rick at August 17, 2007 1:47 PM in response to Just Sold in Brooklyn

I think there is a mistake on the SP house listing. The photo shows three floors including the parlor. There is a garden floor & a basement too. If the house is 20X50, that's 1000 sq ft per floor, including the basement, brings it to 5000 sq ft.

Posted by: Rick at August 17, 2007 2:12 PM in response to Just Sold in Brooklyn

This is an old problem most of us have had. It's a new experience to you because you're a new home owner. Some of the above posters have some over the top ideas, like pee in and cup or opera. You're taking a big chance if you go that route. You could be inviting a game ( or war ) of sorts. I think those ideas are fun fantasy but you're better off calling 311 or the Police. Be upfront with the people hanging out on your stoop. Be nice and tell them that your stoop is not public space. We had the same trouble when we first moved in. Often in the morning I would find beer bottles left in front of our house. I guess they considered my stoop a public party space. Originally most row houses didn't have fences or gates. Over time people added gates and fences, so now the houses that are open to the sidewalks have become invitations for a stop. Older people stop to catch their breath and kids just like to hang out and meet up with their friends..( Some of these kids can be 19 and up! ) The small kids just love to hang out on other peoples stoop too, I can understand it, It's like playing ball in the street is different than in the park. This is what city life is about. We all live around & on top of each other, it's natural that there will be some spill over into your space. Once we put a gate in, people would move to the closest stoop that didn't have one.

Posted by: Rick at August 18, 2007 7:29 AM in response to Individuals sitting on our stoop

I use LWP all the time.

Give them a call

LWP Lucky Window Products
www.lwphomepro.com

5401 3rd Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11220
(718) 492-7774

Posted by: Rick at August 19, 2007 7:51 AM in response to insulated interor wood door needed

It's a larger job than you may think. When you remove the wall tile you will have to replace the sheetrock too. Toilet & sink would have to be removed and later put back. Call a few handymen and get some quotes and you will get a better idea of the scope of the work and the cost of this job.

Posted by: Rick at August 19, 2007 4:47 PM in response to Replacing Bathroom Tiles...Help!

Hi Flora,
I'm a bit surprised and uncertain as to why you've chosen to waste time (and your sanity) responding to the nonsense in this blog. Many of the posts appear to originate from a bored and/or belligerent younger crowd. In any case, you'd do best to take the responses with a grain of salt, and pay attention only to those that offer productive suggestions and sound advice.
It seems as if your tenant is legitimately mentally unstable - to what extent, I'm not sure.

Here are my two cents:
1) You could consider the $220 and paint job a loss (and lesson) and appear as appeased and non-confrontational as possible, until your tenant becomes less irate. If this is successful, tell him that family members will be moving in when you undergo your next operation. (This is a good, neutral and unarguable reason to vacate a premises, as long as the required notice is given). Or you could offer some other health-related reason that would be legitimate in his eyes.

2) Go the other route - send him a letter addressed from a lawyer. There is always a possibility that he is 'playing chicken', and will change his attitude when he sees that you are serious about taking him to court.

Posted by: andrea43 at July 10, 2008 2:04 AM in response to tenant problem

Housing court decisions don't scare tenants.
Ny is pro tenant and the judge will give 6 months for the tenant to vacate.
What is worse after the time is up tenant can appeal the decision in another court,
You can be out close to a years worth of rent.

Another bad scenario is the tenant can file a bankrupcy with no lawyer required on his part. On top of the appeal.
Bankrupcy automatically stops creditors including landlords dead in their tracks.

In ny it is scary to take tenants with no credit or background check.

So many bad laws for everybody in ny.

Creativity seems to be king involving legal matters here.

Posted by: Ysabelle at July 10, 2008 10:31 AM in response to tenant problem

Does anyone else think that Flora and her tenant deserve each other?

Posted by: guest at July 10, 2008 4:41 PM in response to tenant problem

I'm having a similar problem but in my case, the tenant's father co-signed the lease. The apartment is in Brooklyn, the co-signer is in Philadelphia. Should I send a rent bill to daddy?

Posted by: guest at July 10, 2008 5:08 PM in response to tenant problem

Let me correct myself, the tenant's father signed a guaranty of lease. Can I send a bill for the unpaid rent to the father? Anyone ever dealt with this?

Posted by: guest at July 10, 2008 6:27 PM in response to tenant problem

To guest 6:27pm

I think if push comes to shove the guarantor is responsable to pay if you desire to take him to court to collect unpaid rent.

The purpose of the guarantor is legally to guarantee payment if the tenant defaults.

In other words the tenant has no credit or bad credit which is why there is a guarantor.
It doesn't matter where the guarantor is. The law still applies.

Posted by: Ysabelle at July 10, 2008 7:42 PM in response to tenant problem

Sure you can - read the guarantee - it says so! (That was the whole point of getting the guarantee, no? Use it now - don't wait.)

But if by similiar problem, you mean you are arguing about stupid stuff like painting the apartment, or reimbursing for stuff that you led the tenant to believe you'd cover, then the practical advice would be to fix the problem first - going to daddy won't fix your communication with the tenant.

Posted by: guest at July 11, 2008 2:00 PM in response to tenant problem

Sometimes tenants wihthold rent (whether legally entiled to or not) to induce the landlord to act to fix something - it's the only leverage they've got. And if the landlord needs the money (like to pay the mortgage) it can be a quicker and easier way to get repairs, though potentially risky.

I had to threaten it once - be uncharacteristcally late with the rent - in order to get the landlord to focus on the fact that my bathroom ceiling was moldy and caving in and dangerous due to water damage. Letting him know weeks earlier about the problem didn't get his attention - not getting his rent check on the 1st the following month had a way of focusing his attention and getting him (absentee landlord) to get someone in to fix it, once I explained I'd be happy to resume paying promptly once he did that. I wouldn't do it for small stuff though - but I was pretty sure I was within my rights given the scope of the problem and various dangers (mold, ceiling falling on me in the shower.) I knew it wouldn't come to court stuff though - he knew I'd pay if he focused and met his responsibilities (I always paid on time), and that if I didn't, I had a legitimate complaint that he needed to focus on. Worked quited well.

Posted by: guest at July 11, 2008 2:09 PM in response to tenant problem

2:09- you're lucky it worked because legally you are still not entitled to withhold rent without going to court first. Had he taken you to court it could have resulted in the court deciding against you and even allowing him to evict you. It happened to a friend of mine who took it upon herself to act without getting court permission and it backfired, badly.

But in your case it sounds like your landlord probably has a lot of trouble on his hands with other tenants (if your apartment was allowed to get so bad, there must have been others, right?) and probably figured the smart thing to do was fix the problem before it went to court. Good for you though- I'm glad it worked out.

Posted by: also guest at July 12, 2008 10:35 AM in response to tenant problem

Any time I communicate as a landlord, I like to follow a strict structure. I lay out exactly what I want, using an if/then statement that ensures that I will get what I need either way.

So I would say something like:

"Hope you are having a great trip. I haven't received your renewed lease. If you don't get it to me by x date, then we are on new, month-to-month terms. A complete description of those terms is below. Failure to renew your lease by date x is going to be interpreted as acceptance of these terms, so be sure to look at them carefully if you're not planning to renew.

If you don't find the renewal lease or my month-to-month terms satisfactory, then please do talk to me about your concerns before x date.

Best,
Landlord"

Communicating this way is effective because you never lose agency, but you're still being nice and allowing a conversation to occur.

Posted by: vanburenproud at July 13, 2008 3:04 PM in response to Renter hasn't responded to lease renewal - What to do ?