reno #4 drawing to a close

Reno #4 is coming to an end.  There are a couple of things that need to happen – namely, doing the bathroom plumbing, and fitting and painting the bathroom door – but otherwise, it’s all coming together.  I spent Saturday cleaning out the oven and stove top, and Sunday cleaning the rangehood and fridge, so the main cleaning-type activities have been done.  This coming weekend we’ll do some final stuff like putting up the window treatments, and on Monday we have organised to get the laminate flooring laid.  Tuesday we’ll have off work, to transport all the furniture and get the unit ready and set up for Wednesday, when the quantity surveyor will come through.

So yes, it’s all happening here….. I’ve already advertised the unit on some websites, sans pictures unfortunately.  If we’re incredibly lucky, we’ll have tenants in and paying rent by next weekend.  Whew.

tenant issues

I served a notice of non-payment of rent on two of our tenants today.  They’re a couple who live in one of our units – the fully reno’d one that took us eight months or so last year to get finished.  They have a history of paying late.  They’re supposed to have the rent in the account on Saturday.  Well, they were good to start with, then they slowly started paying later.  And later.  And the original phone calls we got apologising changed into text messages ‘letting us know’ and then, nothing.  I don’t like calling or texting tenants to ask when the rent will be paid.  As far as I’m concerned, it’s their responsibility to remember.  Surely it’s not that hard to forget to pay for your shelter, whether it’s rent or mortgage payments?

Anyhow, they paid a week late the week before last, and I said to the girl that we would charge a late fee next time.  I served them with the notice this afternoon, after work.  They’re five days overdue.  I wasn’t sure about the reception I’d get, so I actually used a digital voice recorder from work to tape the coversation, just in case it gets nasty down the track.  It was a short but courteous interaction, so hopefully they’ll get the hint and start paying on time without me needed to hound them about it. 

One of the things I did include was a service charge of an additional $50 on top of their overdue rent.  This is specified in their lease, should they break the Residential Tenancies’ Act or their lease, and a notice be served as a result.  Finally I thought, no, it’s in the lease for a reason, and we’ve let it go before – it’s not like it’s the first time they’ve been late.  So I included it with the notice, and mentioned it to the girl when I served the notice.  (‘Serving the notice’ sounds formal, but all it means it that I handed it to a relevant person as defined under the Act.)  She seemed a bit surprised, but I did kind of appear from nowhere with the paperwork, so that’s to be expected.  (I didn’t want to call in case they pretended to be out when I got there, which would prevent me serving her with the notice.)

Yes, so that is one to keep an eye on.  I’m so hoping they get the hint and just pay their bloody rent on time from now on.  Watch this space.

latest on renos etc

As per usual, it’s been a busy week and I’ve been slack with blogging.  However I’m sitting in front of the idiot box, full of food and coffee, and I have the time to assemble my thoughts into something resembling coherence.

Reno #4 is progressing nicely.