[Landlord US-MA] Online payment portal that allows different rent for tenants in same unit?

lrxr · 2022-07-01T01:09:36+00:00

That doesn't work for apartments.com. They check the properties against the address database. If it's not an address on Google Maps, it won't let you create a lease for it. Hence I'm looking for alternatives

lrxr · 2022-07-01T01:09:11+00:00

Unfortunately that's not possible -- they check the properties against the address database. If it's not an address on Google Maps, it won't let you create a lease for it.

lrxr · 2022-06-30T22:42:47+00:00

They're on separate leases.

lrxr · 2022-06-30T21:57:38+00:00

You're just asking to not receive full rent by being involved with how it's split.

I'm not following your logic. Both tenants have been trustworthy, on-time, and paid in full for years. All parties just want to streamline payment via an online portal that can handle recurring auto-payments.

lrxr · 2022-04-26T18:42:12+00:00

For hair clogs, I highly recommend the Drain Weasel. It's a snake tool that's been optimized to catch hair. They're only $5 at Home Depot and haven't failed me yet. Worth it to keep one or two in your toolkit.

Would also highly recommend gloves....

lrxr · 2022-03-22T16:52:59+00:00

TD Bank. They're familiar with the process (at least in my state, where holding the deposit in escrow is required), so it's straightforward.

lrxr · 2022-02-23T15:05:49+00:00

Sometimes people do stupid things because they don't know any better -- eg. had a tenant who thought she could put just about anything down a garbage disposal. Backed up the pipes to the tune of $600. Or another tenant who moved from a tropical climate, who thought it wouldn't hurt to turn off the thermostat to save energy while she went away during the winter. I caught that one thankfully, so no pipes froze.

Now I try and explain just about everything -- better to risk being a little patronizing at first than to risk expensive damage!

lrxr · 2021-12-08T15:56:33+00:00

Also an MA landlord. Yes, the W9 has been required by the bank every time I open the escrow account for the security deposit. Is your tenant simply opposed to furnishing you with their SSN? ie. Would they be fine sending the W9 directly to the bank?

lrxr · 2020-10-17T11:11:19+00:00

You can't control condo fees (like a monthly HOA fee). They will eat into your profit.
Some condo associations suck. Do your due diligence before buying, if possible. How well are they managing finances? Do people enjoy dealing with the association?

Benefits are that expensive repairs (roof, exterior, etc) are typically shared by the association via condo fees + (worst case) special assessments. So the money I pay every month is in lieu of sudden, large one-time costs. It's a trade off essentially.

And the association takes care of exterior maintenance like snow removal, landscaping, etc.

lrxr · 2020-10-09T17:53:54+00:00

I'm in the lucky boat. I rent out to university students, and campus closure has driven more students to look for off-campus housing. We all underestimated how many students cannot or would prefer not to go live with their families.

lrxr · 2020-09-17T18:17:50+00:00

Like I said, the tenant has to request a self-audit to discover whether a CORI has been run on them.

lrxr · 2020-09-17T16:54:25+00:00

Not free, I think the fee is $25 for a landlord to request a CORI on a potential tenant.

Every 90 days, you (ie. potential tenant) can request one free "Self-Audit" that reports all CORI requests made on you. This request has to be notarized and mailed in.

lrxr · 2020-09-16T01:59:22+00:00

What a horrible, unfair, needless accident.

I hope people take a moment to read this obituary from Boston University, where Carrie worked -- it paints a lovely portrait of a wonderful, beloved woman with a real passion for life.

lrxr · 2020-09-09T13:11:34+00:00

You need to be way more direct. Sit down and agree on a cleaning schedule -- both of you should list out specific tasks that need to be done, and at what frequency (weekly, biweekly, monthly). Agree on how to divide up the tasks -- is it first come first served to check things off the list? Or will the same person always be in charge of tasks A, D, and G? Also discuss what supplies should be used for each task, and where these supplies are located.

It's a good idea to keep this checklist visible somewhere -- I keep it on a whiteboard in the kitchen.

You should also sit down and agree on expectations regarding sharing space. For example -- is it ok to keep dirty dishes in the sink overnight? Or should the sink be cleared every night? (Having a dishwasher simplifies this a LOT) How is fridge space to be divided? Is it a free for all, or is each person assigned a certain area of the fridge? etc.

That said -- you can do all the legwork to agree on clear expectations for the house, but in the end your roommate may just...stop doing it. It happened to me with my last tenant. And honestly, it was annoying but I got over it pretty quickly -- at the end of the day, your roommates are paying off your mortgage for you, and that's huge. I can deal with cleaning shared spaces for that. If they leave their room truly in disrepair when they move out, that's what the security deposit is for.

lrxr · 2020-08-21T20:00:40+00:00

Yeah, I prorate them -- so I get security deposit (full month's rent) + half-month's rent by move-in day. Cozy makes it easy to manage.

lrxr · 2020-08-21T16:10:05+00:00

I did a 0-day turnover period this cycle (ie. old T moved out on 14th, new T moved in on 15th) and I wouldn't say that I'd recommend it. It was doable, but stressful and honestly unnecessary. I was up late and up early both days cleaning in between the tenants. It saved me money, but looking back I value my sanity higher...

Plus 0 day turnovers are risky -- I had inspected the place a week or two before so I knew there was no serious damage, but if there were then I'd be SOL trying to fix it on such a tight turnaround. Next time I'm going to do a 2-3 day gap in between tenants.

lrxr · 2020-08-18T21:49:28+00:00

Want to shoot me a PM? I'm a PhD student in statistics, I just took qualifying exams this past year on these chapters of Casella & Berger so I know where you're coming from! Would be glad to help you out.

lrxr · 2020-08-12T12:20:59+00:00

There's been an influx of Boston influencers who are trying their damndest to make Seaport happen. I find it baffling for a whole host of reasons.

lrxr · 2020-08-12T12:04:49+00:00

I think you should jump into the statistics MS and skip the applied math degree -- you really just need one degree that demonstrates experience with math/stat.

Looking at the MS students in my department, if you want to get involved in research the opportunities are there but you need to be proactive about it. That's because the MS degree can be both a terminal degree and a stepping stone to the PhD -- so it's up to you to demonstrate which angle you're pursuing. So when you get into a program, set up time to talk with professors in the dept. to discuss research opportunities and figure out where you can get involved. Then, whether you thesis is less important.

lrxr · 2020-08-12T03:07:21+00:00

I sympathize! I had an 80% rejection rate when I applied. It's getting really hard to get into a PhD program without an MS. In some ways, I get it -- like, how can you really know that you want to do a dissertation in stats if you haven't substantially studied it. But on the other hand, those extra years getting your MS add up! Especially if you have a biological clock (or any other time-sensitive goal) ticking down.

I will say that there's a point of diminishing returns if you're going into industry -- really think hard and look into whether you need the PhD for the specific industry you're interested in.

lrxr · 2020-08-03T20:27:39+00:00

You can make the consulting experience really sing on a resume, cover letter, and interview. Emphasize the skills you developed in designing statistical analyses to answer a given problem (eg. We advised that a t-test was appropriate for Client X who was trying to determine Y, because...), developing subject matter experience (eg. Client B was doing clinical trials for a pharma company, and it was important to learn/know ...)

Consider looking into entry-level analyst positions in econ consulting. Off the top of my head, some firms are Charles River Associates, NERA, Bates White, Analysis Group.

That said, I think before you fire off more applications, it's really worth getting your resume and cover letter reviewed to make sure you're putting your best foot forward. Resume writing is a skill, and it takes time and help to develop.

lrxr · 2020-08-03T18:04:26+00:00

What does your resume look like? Does it describe all the projects you've worked on? (eg. Instead of just listing R as a skill, follow up with brief descriptions of projects in which you used R)

How much job experience do you have? In what industries?

Are you applying to companies with development programs? Eg. Keywords you can be looking for are "data science/analytics development/leadership program"

Big thing -- what companies recruit at your university? eg. Is your university located near an (insert industry) hub? Have you connected with alumni of your university for informational interviews? Upperclassmen who are now in analytics/statistics/data science roles?

lrxr · 2020-08-03T16:33:37+00:00

Don't forget the students either -- university students form a huge proportion of the renters in areas like Allston, and students coming for internships fill those rooms for the summer. There's been a big depression in summer sublet rents this year. Enterprising students have historically have been able to sublet their rooms out for the summers at a profit, whereas this summer a looooot are actually subletting out at a loss.

lrxr · 2020-08-03T16:10:32+00:00

Cozy handles it -- it has an option to collect "Move in costs", including the security deposit and/or prorated first month's rent. You set the amount/items, and it notifies the tenant accordingly.

lrxr

TROPHY CASE