Money Matters
Stephanie2167
member
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
How much $ to put into a rental home?
Hey guys. I posted awhile back asking for advice on whether we should stick out staying in our current rental (one more year until we transfer) or look at moving. We've decided to stick it out one more year but there are a few things that we want to fix up around the house that would make us living there better. We really want to have the trees trimmed in the back yard and work on getting the lawn evened out and a bit more lush so that the kids can play out back this summer. I spoke with a friend who just had a landscaper come out and I'm thinking we'd probably be looking at $1000 to get the yard where we want it. We are 100% sure that our landlord wouldn't reimburse us for the work so we'd have to suck it up and just eat the money. He wouldn't pay the $15 for the city to repaint the address on the curb. We had been asking him to trim the trees in the backyard so the lawn could get some sun and he finally came and did it after squirrels chewed holes into our roof causing water damage in our master bath and bedroom.
So my question is, to try and enjoy our last year here, would you fork out the money to have someone come and fix up the yard?
So my question is, to try and enjoy our last year here, would you fork out the money to have someone come and fix up the yard?
Re: How much $ to put into a rental home?
ETA: I'd also hate to responsible should something happen, ex. you hit a sewer or water line, or a tree branch falls on the roof. Crazy, but possible.
Definitely, definitely get your LL's okay before doing any work...even if it's just friends helping out for beer and BBQ. Your LL definitely sounds like a jerk and a PITA...but I own rental property also and I cannot even tell you how PO'ed I'd be if my tenants had work done on the property without my authorization...even if they did the work themselves for free. Especially something that could be dangerous...like tree work.
Let me give you a worst case scenario as to why. If my tenant decided, "Hmm...I don't like this branch overhanging the yard. But I don't want to bother shortnsassy, I'll just do it myself. Or I'll give my buddy a six-pack (or $50) to do it for me." And then my tenant accidentally cuts their hand off...or their buddy does...or the branch falls wrong and takes out part of my fence or my roof. Now all of a sudden, there are huge expenses and my insurance is getting involved...for work I didn't authorize or even know was happening in the first place. KWIM?
Plus, considering how your LL has been, you don't want to give him an excuse to not return your security deposit. He could argue you made changes to the property that will cost x,y,z to change back...even if it is an improvement and he has no plans to change it back.
Also, in contacting him with the cost and improvements, you might be able to bargain with him. Present it as an opportunity. Like, "Hey! I know you are busy and have had difficulty finding time to finish the yard work improvements you promised us when we moved in. But my friend's company is willing to complete this work for only $1,000. It would normally run $1500-$2000 (or whatever a typical cost would be). If you give us the okay, I'd be willing to pay for half of it and am also willing to take care of overseeing the work."
I understand he will probably say no. But it at least puts you in a good position to negotiate again if he tries to raise the rent at the end of your lease. If he raises the rent in June, you can bring it up again. Mention the leveling of the yard that was promised a year ago when you all first moved in, but has STILL not been completed. Again offer to have this work taken care of for only $1,000, and then you would be amenable to staying for the increased rent.
I wouldn't do it. By time you get the work done & the lawn is really in place (unless you do sod). it's going to be the end of summer before your kids can really go out there and enjoy it. I vote save the money for your next home and enjoy making some mud pies with the kids when it rains. Take the money & take the kids to a local park to play and buy a local community pool membership.
Ditto the pool membership. And/or buy a membership to the zoo and/or the children's museum.
There's no way I'd ever put money into a rental property like that. And it's just a few more months before the summer will be done with and then you won't have to worry about it anymore and it will be $1k lost.
The PP who made the points about safety and liability is spot on! If in the process you damage something or the LL perceives that you damaged something, then he could come after you for damages. And, it sounds like he's a jerk and probably would come after you.
Don't touch his property with a 10 foot pole!