Latest from The Brief
Not subscribed? Change that.
Birds fly.
Fish swim.
And Tenants make big deals about nothing.
The winner for Best Performance in a Dramatic Role goes to...
You're a Landlord. Not a round-the-clock handyman.
You dig passive income.
But also sleep, vacation, and other sweet tunes of life without interruption.
Despite...
So, you got the itch to swing by your Tenant's crib.
Maybe you need to:
- Fix a leak
- Check the smoke alarms
- Confirm the house isn't doubling as a goat yoga studio.
Before you go moonwalking into the place like Michael Jackson in his prime, remember:
You must give reasonable notice before...
Your Tenant wears clothes, right?
Well, except for their yearly retreat to Birthday Suit Bay.
No shoes, No Shirt, No Shorts baby!
Those deep v-necks need washed.
And dried too.
But here's the kicker:
Dryer vents get real dirty, real quick.
And can clog faster than a Thanksgiving toilet after the...
So, you want to text your Tenants.
It's fast, easy and creates a paper trail if you ever need to sue them.
You text things like:
- rent is late
- the plumber will check the leak
- that Chevy on blocks in the front yard needs a new home
Before you go sliding into your Tenant's DMs, make...
Ever try to serve an eviction notice?
It can be hard. Especially if your Tenant's doing the moon walk outta town.
You gotta stick that notice somewhere.
But playin' ding-dong-ditch with legal papers won't cut it.
And getting a Tenant to answer the door when they owe you money...
Well, you'd have...
Picture this:
Your Tenant flies the coop faster than a squirrel on an espresso binge.
And you have no clue why.
All you found was a handwritten notes, 'Gone to Narnia. Toodles!'
To your surprise, he left the place pretty clean. Well, kinda.
You're keeping some of the security deposit....
You know this:
Service and emotional support animals aren't - ahem - pets.
So you can't deny a Tenant that has one, no matter how much your curtains fear for their safety.
Truth is, they can damage your property.
Your mother-in-law ain't got nothin' on an emotional support parrot!
Like...
You know the Tenant's kid from the Pine Street house?
The one who practices drumming at all hours of the night.
Yep, that's right - our very own Ringo Starr.
Well, guess what?
He turned 18!
We know what you're thinking:
'Ya, so what? He's still a brat! Why should I give two hoots about his...
We got a bone to pick with this idiot.
A guy wanted to rent from a legal plan member.
But found the idea of this rental application insulting.
And even claimed that requiring two months' rent plus a security deposit was illegal.
Can you believe it? The nerve!
That's like saying...
It's 2:00 AM when your Tenant calls.
Thinking he's drunk, you hit ignore.
Then he follows up with this text:
"Yo, my toilet erupted like Old Faithful - HELP!!"
Uh-oh spaghetti-o...
He kills the water main and it stops.
Somehow, there's no damage.
Until you get the plumber's invoice.
...
"It can't be that easy," said a Legal Plan Member.
"I serve the eviction notice, then sit back and relax?"
You got it, bud!
It's kinda hard to believe, you know...
Given Illinois' love affair with Tenants.
But it's true.
If you serve the right eviction notice, your work is pretty...
Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Better not be you (at least without notice)!
Picture this:
Rent is overdue. And the Tenant won't return your text.
So you waltz over to the property - unannounced.
No one answers. So you crack the front door and peek inside.
Sure enough, your Tenant is watching...