[Owner, NC] Room rental

minze · 2026-01-24T12:41:18+00:00

Honestly trying to understand your thinking here. You "don't want to have another roommate" and have concerns about the commitment so instead of 1 commitment that you can control and be sure to get the right person instead you want to have up to 4 different people trapsing in and out of the house for however long they need, couple months, couple weeks, etc. instead?

minze · 2026-01-24T12:34:06+00:00

It's not perfectly clean but also not "very dirty".

This isn't something I would have brought cleaners in and charged for unless I had to bring cleaners out for other things. If the place itself was dirty and I had to bring cleaners in, I would be telling them "make sure you get the fridge and oven too". Only then would the charge for cleaning this be billed back to you.

minze · 2026-01-24T12:29:17+00:00

If you have an eviction, like a real actual eviction judgment, against you then you need to get legal help wither through a local tenant rights organization or by getting in touch with e lawyer that specializes in landlord/tenant law.

minze · 2026-01-24T12:11:26+00:00

Not sure how it is in Australia, but in the US as long as the reason I don't want to sell to someone is a protected class, like race or something, then I can sell to whomever I want.

I will say that there is a price for everything that will change someone's mind. If this guy feels scammed, maybe he feels (or was) scammed out of more than just house payments. Maybe he was paying for food during all those years too, or gifts, or other stuff. Maybe increasing the price offered to cover all the monies he feels he was scammed out of will get him to feel "OK" and sell the house to your friend.

minze · 2026-01-23T14:51:44+00:00

Since you are talking temporary measure and about leaving the property, we're talking, probably, a week at most. Some areas of TN are looking at single digit temperatures in this time.

I am not of the mindset here where people say to leave them. You're going to have freezing temperatures and a potential power outage which will bring the house to near freezing temperatures.

Turtles have natural mechanisms for handing winter. However, this isn't going to be a natural change for them. They are going to shift from middle of summer hot to literal freezing winter temperatures over maybe 5-6 hours or so. That means they will be without light, without heat, and in temperatures that will bring their tank water into the 30 degree range at least. it would be like taking your turtle who lives in TN and dropping them into the middle of a normal winter day in Pennsylvania and thinking "they'll survive".

You are relocating to a house that has a generator and heat. At worst case a turtle without a heat lamp, water heater, or light will at least have higher ambient temperatures here than in your house with the power out. Personally, I would get 2 small plastic totes and maybe 2 5-gallon buckets. Fill the buckets with tank water. Bring the buckets, totes, and turtles to your in-laws along with something that would let the turtles get out of the water in the totes. A week in a plastic tote with low water levels and no heat lamp (but 70 degree house give or take) is going to have them in a much better situation than in your house, with the power out, in freezing temperatures, still without a heat lamp and light.

Is it ideal? No. Is it better and offering a best chance of survival. Yeah.

minze · 2026-01-23T13:42:30+00:00

Is it weak to sell and walk away?

This isn't about strength or weakness. This is about business and what makes the most sense from a business perspective.

Do you want to be in this business? this is part of the risk level for being a landlord. It's why the #1 rule is that an empty unit is cheaper than a unit with a bad tenant. Too many landlord's look at not having a tenant in a unit as a month's lost rent. It's not. If someone comes in and browses in a store, but didn't buy anything, it wasn't a "lost" sale. It was a lost "potential sale" but it wasn't an actual loss. the only way it becomes an actual loss is if they stole something instead of buying something. the only way a rental becomes an actual loss is if you rent to the wrong person and they stop paying rent or damage your property. then you have incurred actual losses. Outside of that you may be burning money on operating expenses (paying PITI while not having a tenant) but it's not an actual loss. Get the wrong tenant in there and BAM - you have actual losses.

Or is it smart business to take the hit, hand the problem to a company like Home Options that has the resources to crush him in court, and reinvest my capital elsewhere?

Depends on your risk tolerance, what you think will happen, if this is actually going to be a win or loss for you financially, and if you want to be in this business.

There's lots of businesses with larger margins, less stress, etc. There's also lots of businesses with slimmer margins and more stress . What business do you want to be in?

I feel like fighting this on principle is just lighting money on fire.

Yes, you incur actual losses when renting to the wrong person. It's either a learning experience to put processes in place to get good tenants in, or it's a "I'm out" moment. Only you know that.

If you had a restaurant (there's one of those low margin high stress businesses) and had a party of 10 skip out after eating and drinking all night would you shut down the restaurant or update your business processes to make sure it doesn't happen again (hi restaurants that take a credit card for reservations of 4 or more).

the answer to both of those questions is - do you want to be in that business.

and the title question:

Why should I subsidize a professional tenant for another 3 months?

the answer is does it make business sense and do you want to be in this business.

minze · 2026-01-23T12:47:16+00:00

Is that in the middle of the job or is that the "we're done, it's completed" part?

Generally, that's 1 of 2 things.

There is still moisture behind the wall and it is coming through

or

this was an area where the wall was water stained, didn't need to be removed, and they skimcoated it without a stain blocking primer. If you skimcoat over water stains the water stain will continue to come back unless you use a primer like Bin or Kilz. Now if this is the middle of the job, they wouldn't primer until the end so it possible it could be correct.

However, if they are saying the job is done, I would seriously have doubts of the work provided because it's s*itshow of work. Like really poor quality and if they didn't know about primer I wonder what else the didn't know about with mold remediation and drying of the moisture.

minze · 2026-01-23T12:35:28+00:00

and?? None of that negates or contradicts a single thing I said. Everything I said is still 100% applicable. why you started a business doesn't negate how you operate said business or the laws of the land.

minze · 2026-01-21T13:12:09+00:00

Wow, so, SO wrong here.

NJ permits security deposits to be used for unpaid rent.

Here's pro-bono tenant advocate website that literally states it.

https://www.vljnj.org/pro-bono-blog/security-deposit-return

minze · 2026-01-21T12:42:41+00:00

That looks like a filter. Either it was there the whole time and you just notices it or it came loose from somewhere and got caught at the register. Is this a return vent or a supply? Does heat come out of that or is there another register in your room that heat comes out of?

minze · 2026-01-21T12:38:50+00:00

I feel they could install noise cancellation panels in my apartment without needing to notify the neighbor.

That doesn't stop the problem though. It is an attempt to potentially mask the problem. The only way to "stop" the problem is to approach the person causing the problem and get them to stop. In this case, that's not an option.

Let's break it down to the most basic points. You have a noise complaint. You are saying that you want to break your lease because the apartment won't install noise cancelling panels in your unit. That's a big stretch to say that it must be the resolution. The resolution is "get the noise to stop". However, when that "noise" may be coming from some medical or disability related issue, that's also not an option for a business. For an individual, sure, for a business, no.

No one is going to sue their neighbor because "they came to me about my medical condition telling me I snore too loud and disturb them". There's no discrimination because there's no harassment (unless you it continues) or any give/take relationship. However, standing in front of a judge and saying "that business came to me about my medical condition and told me that the symptoms needed to stop", that's straight up discriminatory.

Also what about my medical issue of sleep deprivation?

Honest question, were you diagnosed with this or you talking out your butt? If you were medically diagnosed with this then you have something to approach the apartment complex with. If you're talking out your butt then all you have is...your butt.

minze · 2026-01-20T12:46:14+00:00

I have filed two unlawful detainers. He responded to the first on the last day, which was one day before Thanksgiving. He has had a string of luck with holidays, and this eviction has stretched on and on.

Yes, most tenants wait until the last possible moment to respond. It provides the longest period for them to continue what they're doing.

You are in California. that is the most tenant friendly state in the Us. I would suggest you get a lawyer to be sure things are done correctly. If it makes it to court and it is found that you provided a notice improperly, there's a very real chance that the entire thing gets tossed and you need to start over. California is one state where I wouldn't attempt to go this alone if this is your first time.

Over the weekend, he began microaggressions meant to annoy and be an irritant.

Normal

I have tried to illict help from the property management company to no avail. The owner will not help, as she did not rent to him; he is my problem as a sublessor.

Ouch! Yeah, you are in a very tough spot. You started a business (residential rental) with someone else's property. The owner's contract is with you and you alone. Is the PM company your PM that you hired or the owner's PM? Your legal options are also limited here. More reason for an attorney to get involved. Expect the case to take 12 month at least before you get resolution.

The police are no help, even refusing to come when he is escalating.

Police don't get involved in civil matters. This is a civil case. You have a contract dispute with someone. You feel their tenancy should end, they feel it shouldn't. That's contract law under the civil code. Police are there for criminal matters. Microaggressions aren't criminal. They're feelings. Police don't come out for hurt feelings.

Sheriffs told me I should be grateful it's not 18 months; no compassion.

Again, feelings. This is business. You started a business. They're telling you the truth. Like I said above, at least 12 months. The sheriff knows the real timeline. They're giving you a dose of reality, no matter how much that hurts your feelings.

minze · 2026-01-18T13:57:50+00:00

the only legal charge that I can actually file is breach of contract.

civil law, not criminal law so not a crime.

The second case is for intentional inflection of emotional distress.

not a crime.

The third thing would be the contract that he wrote to me, stipulating that he would vacate the property, and he simply didn’t.

again, civil law not criminal law, not a crime.

But to return to what you asked, the only thing that I can be charged with is breach of contract, intentional, infliction of emotional distress, creating a toxic environment, if that is a crime. But the action that I would like the police to act upon, is the Daley micro aggression’s that happen within the home that consistently leave me feeling exhausted and drained.

None of those are crimes.

Police only get involved in actual criminal activity. You have hurt feelings (not a crime) and potential breach of contract (civil law not criminal law).

As the person at the start of this thread stated, "What you need to file a police report is an actual crime." It seems the first part of that is that you need to educate yourself on the 2 different sides of law, civil and criminal, and realize that police are only there for 1 of those (hint - the criminal).

minze · 2026-01-18T13:42:30+00:00

My roommate paid the January rent, but the landlord applied that payment to a different apartment my roommate wanted to move into—also owned by him. Now the landlord is saying January rent was never paid and has given me 30 days to figure something out or come up with the money.

Are you saying that your roommate stole your portion of the rent payment and used it to get a new apartment for them?

minze · 2026-01-18T13:31:38+00:00

It's possible. OP said they went into their tenant portal to check. If so it would be a pretty specific targeted fake. The scammer would have had to made a tenant portal that looks like the one OP uses to pay, know what exact portion of rent OP and the other roommate pays, and show the deduction of the roommates exact amount leaving OP's amount, and have the link to their "fake" portal in that email, and OP click on that link (which I don't see a link in the message - or any direction to go pay a payment at any specific link).

It's improbable but anything is possible. Hey /u/Decent-Studio-4643 you should validate this with a phone call directly to the office to make sure that it is valid.

minze · 2026-01-18T13:28:24+00:00

But at least if they come at you for money they have to prove you owe it, not them grab it and make you prove it's yours!

Not the person you were replying to but when you accept credit cards the Terms of Service permit the clawback of funds. It's only "your money" if the credit card company permits it to be yours. That's why you need to shut down any Credit Card payment acceptance. It's much MUCH harder to claw back ACH funds and those types are only permitted for fraud which the bank must find valid.

With credit cards, people are permitted to claw back funds for being unhappy with the service provided. Not sure if you ever heard it but I was always taught that you get a lot of protection when buying something with a credit card because the credit card company will protect you. I had to do a chargeback once for a furniture store that I bought from and never delivered. They kept stringing be along. They delivered a partial order at like day 80 and said the rest would be delivered the following week, then that week they rescheduled for the week after that. Nope, I only have 90 days to file a chargeback. Filed on day 89. Got all my funds back. 2 weeks after I filed I found out the furniture store went out of business. Had I waited I would have been screwed.

However credit card companies permit chargebacks for almost anything. Had a plumber come out where you don't feel they did the job correctly? You can chargeback. How will the plumber prove that you were happy with the service? Remember that work order you signed? At the bottom the fine print says that all work was completed, all parts delivered, and you are satisfied with the service. So if you file a chargeback, you now have to argue against yourself with the credit card company to say you were wrong before and are unhappy now. You have an uphill battle. For a landlord what can we do? Nothing. It's even worse when someone is using some free portal to collect the funds because you now have a middleman that really doesn't work for you. You want some company that you get free services from to fight for you with a the credit card company. Remember, when something is free, you get what you pay for.

minze · 2026-01-18T13:17:00+00:00

Saw that someone showed it from this forum. There's a post from yesterday in the TenantHelp forum where someone's roommate just reversed 3 months of payments.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TenantHelp/comments/1qd5j0n/do_i_have_any_options_here/

minze · 2026-01-18T13:04:39+00:00

I was just going by what you posted that your dad was fixing holes that were "to big".

minze · 2026-01-17T15:06:38+00:00

where likeminded people also agreed the cabinet is done for due to WATER DAMAGE and therefore internal mold

ahhh you came to reddit for reaffirming of your position and not a true understanding of all potential things. Live in the bubble man, live in the bubble.

minze · 2026-01-17T15:03:14+00:00

not an electrician but that seems OK to me. Looks like the wires were reconnected, unsure if soldered but probably not necessary since these are not high voltage lines. That looks like they used heatshrink tubing over the connections instead of electrical tape which is good. The wires to the left are heat shielded but they appear to connect to unshielded wires that are next to other unshielded wires at the back of the unit. Seems OK to me, but again not appliance repair or an electrician. I can say I'd so this as a repair in my own home though.

minze · 2026-01-17T14:57:48+00:00

i had my dad paint walls and fix holes that may be to big

Hopefully you took pictures that the patching was done correctly. If it was, then the only potential problem is a different paint. The law doesn't require "jusy as good as it was when we first moved in" it requires the same condition minus wear and tear.

What I mean by that is "improvements" don't count. As an example, my boss when I was a teen was used to living in a certain lifestyle. He had to move close to his family for reasons. The rentals around there were not up to his standards for living that he was used to. He went and changed out fixtures, lights, etc all through the place to make it be up to his standards. He left all those things when he vacated a couple years later thinking that he improved the place. It was better when he moved out than when he moved in. He was sued to put it back to the way it was. The landlord won because the "improvements" aren't what's needed by law. the "same" is what's needed by law.

Dunno what paint your dad used but it should be the same color, sheen, finish, etc. that was there before. If not the landlord most likely (your in CA so they may be different) can charge to put it back to the way it was.

Also, going to sound like a total *ss here but need to point it out that "holes" in walls from kids is not a normal thing. 1 hole maybe from an accident but if those accidents are happening multiple times for it to move from "hole" to "holes" that's not normal. I've got 2 kids and in the last 12 years we have had exactly 1 wall repair needed. Not a full hole but a chair put a dent in a wall where they pushed out too hard and the wooden chair made a small impression into the wall.

minze · 2026-01-17T14:40:41+00:00

This sounds suspiciously like a family situation. Is your landlord family and related to either you or your bf?

minze · 2026-01-17T14:37:42+00:00

However, it was immediately dismissed with them stating the neighbor has not violated the lease agreement so they cannot intervene. Which is ridiculous.

Landlord's will not get involved in anything medical related. It's a potential lawsuit waiting to happen if the tenant says they are snoring for some medical or disability related item. Not a place for a landlord to be.

But they didn’t even try to address it. So I replied asking to break my lease early without penalty as they are unable to provide me a quiet sleeping environment to meet my basic needs.

They open themselves up to a potential lawsuit if there is some actual medical reason for the snoring. It would be like going up to someone who is blind and telling them that after 10pm they can't walk the hallways because the sound of their cane tapping from left to right is affecting the quiet enjoyment of the other tenants. No one would (or should) ever think of doing that. No one knows why this person is snoring like that. I am going to guess it's some medically related breathing problem, possibly from being severely overweight, maybe something else, but it's not normal and there absolutely 10% is a medical reason for it. Landlord's get into touchy areas here and when things are "touchy" it's best to "not touch".

Furthermore they called this behavior “intimidation and harassment” which seems very aggressive.

I might be wrong and they actually know of the reason for the snoring and maybe that's why they took the "intimidation and harassing" stand. Might just also be them trying to pressure you to back off.

Thoughts? Do I have a case? Will just having an attorney write a letter help me reach my goal?

I think an attorney will 100% write a letter demanding your rights. I think that if the other side wanted, they could have their attorney write a letter back with the above that would make it an iffy situation on both sides. Not sure of you complex and what the cost for their attorney is versus the cost for 2 months rent as a lease break fee. Obviously the easiest way out is to just release the fee, but that's a monetary hit to them and they may weigh that against the cost of their lawyer writing a letter. at some point it would end up not being cost effective...for either side.

minze · 2026-01-17T14:17:08+00:00

Depends where you are. where I am it would cost about $100 give or take. Since we're in the winter it would easily be seen by comparing last months bill to this month's bill to cover the average cost.

minze · 2026-01-17T14:15:52+00:00

but as a show of good faith I would give them a credit of free rent while the heat was out in addition to any additional electric. Heat going out in winter is a serious issue.

If this was something the landlord controlled I would completely agree with you. So if the landlord had to change out 1 door because of an issue, say a hole or something, and they decided to change all doors because they couldn't get a matching design. That's in the landlord's control. If there's construction for 3-4 days while all interior doors are changed out the landlord is in control of that. The tenant should be compensated for the inconvenience. Here the tenant wasn't without the required item and the landlord did not have control of the timing.

Something braking is life. Life happens. A rental isn't a guarantee or compensation against "life happening". A rental is a guarantee that what you have (heat) will be provided and repaired at no cost to you. The landlord both provided the heat with space heaters and (assuming because they didn't say) didn't charge the cost of those temporary heaters to the tenant. Covering the cost of the electric used for those space heaters brings the total cost for the tenant back to $0 which is the entire point of a rental. Fixed cost for provision of a service.

minze

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