Old tenant, new owner - Landlord Forum thread 359349

Old tenant, new owner by Aleta on May 29, 2019 @21:33

I recently bought a 3 family tenant property in Mass. One of the tenants has been living in this house for 8 years. “last months rent” 8 years ago was $775 although her current rent is $925. Should we have her make up the difference now? Another thing, she paid $200 as a security deposit 8 years ago. Is there anything I can do to protect myself at this point?

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Re: Old tenant, new owner by Garry on May 30, 2019 @00:02	[ Reply ]

Any idea why the deposit was only $200 back 8 years ago? Was the person a close family member or friend of the former owner, and they got a special deal on the deposit? No matter. Unless your state allows for you to request more for a deposit in later years of a tenancy, you are probably stuck with the $200 as their total deposit. As for the LMR only being $775, compared to the current rent of $925, my suggestion is "don't rock the boat". You have a long-term tenant here, and unless she is causing other problems that you need to address, don't mess with your T. When she decides to give you a written notice of moving out, remind her in writing that the amount she put down for LMR years ago does not cover the current amount of rent, and that you will need to give her a 3 day notice to pay the remaining amount, or quit. Asking her now to come up with over $850, in addition to her monthly rent and other bills, could make her decide to move. What you should have done, was bring these things up to the person you bought the 3-plex from, before you closed. You might have been able to get a small concession from the seller, to cover what you currently don't have from the tenant.

Re: Old tenant, new owner

Re: Old tenant, new owner by JAMES on June 4, 2019 @22:26	[ Reply ]

I am a LL down in Rhode Island. Having "inherited" previous tenants, I actually think they can be great. The house I purchased had tenants that carried over from both the previous landlord, and the LL before that. Losing a great paying tenant for the sake of a couple hundred bucks may prove to be a bigger loss over the mid-term. Cleaning, remodeling, advertising a place could quickly prove to be of larger cost than hiking their rent only to have them leave. Searching online, this comes up. It is on page 6 of the PDF, under 5. "If your rent increases after you move in, your landlord may not increase your security deposit. Your security deposit is limited to the amount of your very first month's rent.6 But if the rent goes up and you agree to pay the higher rent, your landlord can ask you to pay more for the last month’s rent. So, your last month’s rent equals the new higher rent. " You cannot increase security. I am not sure about last months rent. But again, I would be hesitant to nickel and dime a long term tenant. Protecting yourself now...part of this venture requires a bit of risk. From my experience, I would not go too harsh on old tenants. They have proved to be some of the most reliable and forgiving that i have had.

Re: Old tenant, new owner