Properties that sit on the rental market forever!

Just by looking at this message board you'll see properties that have been vacant for quite a while & the cost of rent remains the same. It sickens me when I go to look at a property and I see cobwebs and bugs in the corner, rusty stoves, and stained linens. Like seriously?? They've got to do better. I'm guessing because the island is so small they look at it like "Take it or leave it" but I refuse to spend my hard earned money on crap!

and a washer on premises would be nice toooooooooo.....................

I fully agree! I put to rent 3 properties, a house in the states and 2 condos on the island. I would not think of showing a place unless it was in it's best presentation state, and certainly not without electricity.

I am currently in the position of looking for a house to rent on the island and see the unsavory conditions stated in the original post. I got my first look at "Agency standard" lease wording. WATCH OUT! Make sure you read the lease entirely and ask questions.

Late fees can amount to 25% or more per month.
Don't view the place without electricity and and sign a lease to accept "AS IS" condition.
You may be responsible to replace appliances.
Be careful of "Remedies" where if you are one day late, upon 3 days notice your stuff can be removed and you put out.
What the heck is a non-refundable security deposit?

How is it people actually sign these ridiculous documents?

I've seen these posts before of ppl complaining about rental rates and such. As I am a landlord myself, I completely agree with the best possible presentation. The place should look and smell clean. I do make sure the lawn is cut for showings. The bed is made, the bathroom is clean, and so on. However:

1. If you go see a house or an apartment and you don't like, just move on. No need to complain.
2. If you don't like the rate, why even go see the place. The landlord sets their rate. It's none of your business whether or not the mortgage is paid. Don't waste my time or yours.
3. Renters want dishwasher, washing machine, dryers, but you expect the landlords not to recover the expenses.
4. A pool, are you kidding me? How inconsequential is a pool. Yet, should I not recover the cost of the pool, pool care, the electricity bill for the pool?
5. Dinner plates are not furniture. You are not staying in a hotel. What's wrong with buying your own stuff. And again you complain about cost.
6. How about paying your rent on time? Then no need to worry about late fees or being evicted.

If you see a place and the lease states that you have to replace appliances (which I've never heard of) or other terms you don't agree with, don't take the friggin place.

Being a landlord is about making money (if you didn't know), so forgive us if we try to make a profit.

Ifonly,

Nice of you to register just to make this post.

I have had the opportunity to see both sides of the fence recently, and while I agree with you that we as landlords are in it for the profit, I would expect certain professional standards to be followed, especially by management companies that know better.

If you advertise "with appliances" then don't try and hide in the lease that the tenant is going to have to replace them at the tenants expense.

If you call something a deposit, then it is not non refundable.

If you want someone to accept the property in "AS IS" condition, then put the electricity in your name so everything can be checked properly.

I agree furnished is used as a gray area term here, and my units advertised as fully furnished do come with dishes, pots and pans, and linens. Maybe there should be more truth in advertising.

I personally have outstanding credit and have not made a mortgage or rental payment past the first of the month in a decade. But with the terms of the late fees I described, while I would never worry about eviction, I still would not sign such a document and would recommend no one else does either.

And I have moved on. I didn't think there were pirates left in the Caribbean.

Due diligence on applicants background and credit checks should prevent this type of lease from being necessary.

Yes we are entitled to make a profit, but that does not mean tenants need to give up standard rights and privileges to make us that profit.

And OBTW... "friggin"?... nice!

I've come back to this site time and time again, but never felt the need to comment. However this post prompted a response. The reality is this, we all have choices. My point remains the same, if you don't like the rate or disagree with lease terms, MOVE ON. I don't know where you've been looking, vroberge, but again I've never heard of tenants having to replace appliances unless they damaged them or a non refundable security deposit. I too would never encourage anyone to sign a lease with those terms, that is ridiculous.

Pirates in the Caribbean, hmm, funny.

Interesting tirade.

A good lease is there to protect the tenant as much as the landlord. A security deposit gets refunded when it is demonstrated that the tenant has left the property in basically the same condition as rented. So often tenant feel it is alright to just move annually rather than clean, leaving the landlord a years worth of garbage to clean up. That cost come out of the deposit. A landlord who has gone to great effort to make a place show-able, cleaned, furnished and decorated, including flowers and bath linens in place, has a better chance at securing a tenant. however, the tenant has an obligation to not trash the place, or steal the decorative elements, or place the indoor furniture on an outside patio and leave it to weather.

Having said that, if you don't like the terms and conditions requested by the landlord or owner, as has been said before, look elsewhere. No one is obligated to accomodate your wishes, or make concessions because you feel they are warranted.

Some would rather have a place remain vacant than rent to any lowlife that comes along and have to deal with their neglect.

You want the perfect rental, keep looking, as there will be someone else who can see the jewel there may be in the rough.

You may be right, there are landlords that don't care, but htere are many more that do. Their rentals tend to move to good tenants, quickly.

However, you can't find the good places if you do not take the time to look.

This thread has gone astray and I just want to apologize. There are a lot of assumptions being made and people's words are coming out a lot more offensive then probably intended.

I feel it necessary to say that I was coming from the point of view of being a potential tenant with excellent credit, references, and no pets, who happens to be down here for a couple of years because of work. At this time we don't think we will be staying here permanently We thought we were only coming for a year so we brought very little... needed as many "furnishings" as possible.

The list I created comes from my own experiences and friends' stories as well.
We are not low-life's, or slackers, we are working professionals who just want clean, safe, comfortable housing for the time we are on island.

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I don't necessarily agree with onerous lease provisions, but regrettably, even background and credit checks are no guarantee against bad behavior. These islands are very transient places where people sometimes do things they wouldn't do "back home."

But in the end, trust tempered with a healthy dose of caution are what we all have to work with, landlords and tenants alike.

Best,

Islandlola