Many people know that I buy rental properties in Kansas where my immediate family lives. It works out well because prices are lower than here in Puget Sound and the rents usually allow for most properties to cash flow well, which as a real estate agent is good since our income fluctuates from season to season. 🙂 Anyhow, the 4-plex I bought recently has a basement area that I’m renting out as storage currently to the past owner and her daughter. The former owner is now a licensed real estate agent in Wichita although she does it as a 2nd job after her work at Lear (formerly Learjet).
She should definitely keep her day job and get out of real estate. Not only was she not forthcoming with information about the property during the sale but she has been a pain in the butt ever since I took possession of the building. She has most recently dumped a bunch of garbage into both the receptacles that are for my tenant’s use (and only their use) as well as dumped into a neighboring owner’s garbage dumpsters. According to my brother, who manages these properties for me, the bins were overflowing and many items were left out sitting on the curb or in the alleyway.
I called the other agent and left a not too friendly message on her voicemail as well as sending her an email (copying her broker) with my remarks. She called and at first tried to give me every excuse about why she should be able to dump her and daughter’s stuff in my and the other owner’s garbage. She also mentioned that in Wichita if people lay things out frequently others will just come and take them. As I pointed out to her, she could take her stuff to her own home and put them out on her lawn but that she doesn’t own the property where my building sits any longer and she didn’t have permission from me to do so. I don’t intend to let my building look like the trashy one on the block – period (no pun intended). 🙂
I stayed firm and told her garbage fees weren’t included in her storage lease and that regardless of whether another owner’s tenants had abused her garbage privileges when she owned the building she DOESN’T own the building any longer. She can take up a personal argument with the other building owner if she wants but I am to be left out of it. She also tried to say she’d reimburse me for the garbage costs and I said, “no, you’ll remove your items now because you are using space that is specifically for my tenant’s use and you paying me for the right to use the garbage doesn’t free up space for their stuff.” She’s going by the building by end of week to remove her items.
A note to anyone that is buying a building anywhere – know your leases and what is or is not included when you allow storage space. In my case, my lease specifically stated the owner of the stored items must take their garbage off premises. Be willing to follow through on your lease terms.
