Landlord to blame in carbon monoxide deaths?

Here in Toledo, Ohio, our community suffered a great and needless tragedy this past week when four innocent lives were lost due to carbon monoxide poisoning in their rented home.

If you read the Toledo Blade story linked above, you'll find out that the family of four had recently moved into the rental home, and that the current landlord has owned the property himself only a short time. You'll also find out that the home had no water, electric or gas utility services, and that the landlord supplied the family with a gas-powered generator only hours before that same generator running indoors emitted toxic carbon monoxide fumes so powerful that they killed the entire family as they slept.

It turns out that the utilities were turned off before this particular landlord owned the property -- the electric, when a former tenant moved out; and the gas, at the request of a tenant, possibly due to an inability to pay a $200 bill balance. I've not seen any information about the property's water service.

Is the landlord culpable in these four tragic deaths?

I'm going to say yes, he is.

Any health department inspector would've found the property to be unfit for habitation. No water, no heat. As a landlord, you ought not rent out any property that's not fit for habitation. I'm sure this guy, the current landlord, wasn't thrilled to find out that at least one utility bill needed to be paid before service could be restored to the address, but that's one of those things you suck up and deal with when you're an investment property owner.

Expect a lawsuit to be filed by surviving family members, if not formal charges levied by authorities, in this case.


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Rent-to-own homes, the pros and cons

You've seen the ads, long-time renters, for homes for rent that come with an option to buy later.

But is renting-to-own your home really the way to go? Check out the pros and cons of lease options, and learn how they work, in Leasing a Home to Buy: Good Idea or Scam?


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Outrageous security deposit deductions for cleaning? Here's where to turn for help.

Rent apartments long enough and chances are good you'll eventually run into a landlord who nickle-and-dimes you out of your security deposit with outrageous, exorbitant cleaning fees after you've moved out.

Sure, sometimes security deposit cleaning deductions are justified. If you didn't return your apartment to move-in condition when you moved out, expect your landlord to recoup his cleaning costs for the next tenant out of your security deposit. However, if you think your landlord charged you in excess of what it actually cost him or her to clean your apartment, you may have options to recoup some of the money.

Read "How to Dispute Outrageous Security Deposit Cleaning Deductions" for some advice on where to turn for help.



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Beware Toledo's slumlords! They're out there.

Every city of a certain size has them: Slumlords. Toledo's no exception.

WTOL-11 earlier this month recounted the story of one East Toledo man who encountered a slumlord when he rented an apartment on Greenwood in a story here. The piece also advised apartment hunters on how to inspect an apartment before you sign a lease and move in.

It's a short read, so give it a click.



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Spring Apartment Hunting Advice

Spring has sprung! And although my sinuses protest (yours, too?), spring is a time of action for many of us, including those who are in search of a new apartment.

Many apartment leases end in spring and early summer, so right now is when a lot of tenants are choosing whether to renew their leases or find new digs. If you choose the latter, you may want to read Spring Apartment Hunting Reveals an Apartment's Secrets: Beware the Subtle Signs of a Bad Apartment, published just this week.

You'll discover how to assess an apartment's landscaping, how to look at the gutters for signs of poor building maintenance and how to survey the common areas for signs of inconsiderate neighbors. Don't view any apartments this spring until you've read this article and learned how to sleuth out the secrets of your prospective new place.




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Cold-weather apartment hunting can give away a landlord's secrets

Time is running out for cold-weather apartment hunting!

Generally, the arrival of spring is all-around a good thing, true. But if you're apartment hunting, the shortcut to finding out all you really want to know about a prospective apartment is to view it in the wintertime.

Figure out how you'll be treated as a tenant year-round and what the building's condition really is, by reading my tips for super-savvy apartment hunters here.

Two great property management blogs -- hilarious and keepin' it real

As a former rental property manager, I am so thoroughly entertained by two fellow bloggers' property management blogs that I have to recommend them both here:

Check out both Apartment Manager Kaos and Stories from Apartment Managers. Especially if you yourself work in the apartment management industry.

These two blogs make me giggle, nod in agreement and, to be honest with you, make me feel a little relieved to know I WASN'T crazy after all when I was doing the job, though it sure felt that way sometimes.

When I was managing apartments I was always so worried that it would be unprofessional to blog about the daily goings-on in my buildings and among my tenants. Of course I write under my real name -- right there in the upper right hand corner (oh hey, hi there) -- so that was probably a valid concern.

Not so for "TxAptMgr" (Kaos) and "Apartment Manager" (Stories), who were both smart enough to stay anonymous so they can give you the uncensored lowdown on crazy tenants, scammy landlords and all the reasons that property managers might sometimes come across as anal, evil, uncaring b*tches when really they're mostly pretty normal, nice people doing a hard job in which you can never make everyone happy.

Highly recommended reading for others in the apartment industry!