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Re: Need help with wording - Landlord Forum thread 321916

Re: Need help with wording by Anonymous on July 28, 2014 @03:16

                              
What is the purpose of making your tenants have a phone, land line or cell?

To make it easier for you to contact them? They don't have to answer the phone if they don't want to.

So that they will have a phone to call the fire department if the house catches fire? They might not be at home when the fire starts.

The clause is not just outdated, it's illegal.

You also can't require a person have electricity, water or other utilities.

You know why? Because you cannot make a person engage in commerce.
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Re: Need help with wording by Anonymous on July 28, 2014 @09:03 [ Reply ]
You are wrong. You can require that a person have electricity, water and other utilities in the context of renting a property, because it is illegal to inhabit a dwelling without those services. Get your water shut off and see how quickly the city code enforcement posts your property as uninhabitable and condemns it, as well as fines you for any habitation while such a condition exists. I've had enough deadbeats get their water turned off to know whereof I speak.

I agree that the phone requirement seems silly these days with tenants changing Obama phones like underwear; if a tenant prefers that I post all notices and send/receive all communication by mail, no worries for me. I have no reason to talk to tenants except to do inspections (notices posted), maintenance (notices waived per lease) and move deadbeats out (notices posted). If a tenant wants to be treated in a congenial manner, they provide me a phone, if they don't I don't really care.
    Re: Need help with wording by Anonymous on July 28, 2014 @20:19 [ Reply ]
    You show me the law that says you have to have electric and water to live in a dwelling.
    Re: Need help with wording by Anonymous on July 29, 2014 @03:38 [ Reply ]
    You're just making stuff up. Where is it illegal to live in a property and not have water or electric? That's what you think and you think you're so smart so that's how it must be. That kind of thinking shows your ignorance.

    My sister had her water and electric shut off after she went into the hospital and didn't pay the bill. I stayed at her house for 3 months waiting for her to recover with no electric or water from the city.

    Since I took her mail to her, I know she never got a notice to turn the water or electric back on. All she got from the utility company were two notices of nonpayment, a notice the utilities were going to be shut off for non-payment, and a final bill after they shut off her utilities for non-payment.

    I could have easily paid to have the electric and water on, but I enjoyed living with candle light. Any water I needed was brought in with jugs.

    No one came to her house to see what was going on.

    Two days before she left the hospital, I had everything turned back on.

    This was in the city limits too.

    And if your having a lot of deadbeats, you don't know what you're doing either.

    Someone else said to show the law. I bet you can't.
      Re: Need help with wording by Bryan (Ia) on July 29, 2014 @11:32 [ Reply ]
      A law is not needed; only a contract clause to which both parties have agreed. If the T doesn't agree then he/she is free to find another place to live.
      Re: Need help with wording by Anonymous on July 29, 2014 @18:03 [ Reply ]
      Call your local health department. In our city, the city water department turns the address over to the health department when they pull the water meter and if the health department discovers someone is living at the residence without water service the owner is fined for violation of city health codes. I don't "make stuff up", I don't need to.

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