Why the hell would you spend $12k to update a rental property that you don't own? This is more like /c/midllydumbass
this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2023
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Mildly Infuriating
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I get it to some degree. It's hard renting for decades and not being able to improve where you live. If the person here thought they had a decent landlord and they'd still live there a decade from now, I think it can make sense.
The way to do it is to work in either a rent decrease for X months for the work and materials or lock in a low rent for X years based on the work being done.
Another alternative is to do the above and get the landlord to supply the materials.
I've done it in the past and it has worked out well though usually for minor things (like replacing generic doorknobs with nicer looking ones, replacing a toilet with a better flushing one, or installing a ceiling fan).
Adding insulation to the attic if it's missing in spots can also make sense to do if you're paying the utilities. Though again I would get the landlord to at a minimum to pay for materials or discount it from the rent.
If the upgrades are things that will help make the unit more marketable when you move out, then they'd be dumb to turn it down.
yea you really want something on paper showing awareness and consent from the owner
Indeed. I did something like I mentioned above + we replaced the master bathroom carpet (yuck) with tiles for pretty cheap. In return we locked in a 1 year rent reduction to recoup our costs and 2 years at a low rate.
It worked out for everyone. We didn't have to live with disgusting bathroom carpets, the place looked nicer for the rest of our rental period, it let us save money to put a down payment on a house, and we didn't have the temptation to move to a "nicer looking" place and spend money and time on moving again.
In the end, the landlord got back a place that was more attractive to future renters.
The key is to ensure your landlord is a decent person (they exist). Ours only had the one house they were renting (used to be their house before they bought a new house in a better school district and decided to rent vs sell).
If it's a large holding company that is known to screw over tenants? Yeah fuck them, do the bare minimum and move out.
Turns out, she's "never there" so, I'm assuming it's a second home. Like she goes to the area frequently enough that she doesn't want to deal with hotels. Makes this even dumber
https://twitter.com/eade_bengard/status/1696982908022739091?s=20
She seems insufferable after scrolling through her feed.
Nah she dumb
My landlord served notice on me after 13 years, I'm moving home next month. He is a greedy little cunt, constantly tried to pressure me to refurbish his property for him despite me being the tenant. Last time I asked for a minor repair, he immediately notified the letting agent that he would be putting my rent up this coming October. Regardless, I agreed the new price, only to still be served notice on (I assume because he knows he can get a slightly higher rent by getting a brand new tenant in, rather than an increase).
Genuinely though I was tempted to do some redecorating. This is (for now) my home. It sucks living in a rundown home; the wallpaper / carpets in this house afaik are at least 25 years old. But when you get 'too demanding' then you suddenly find yourself out of a home.
That's capitalism. If you invest money you want a return. It's the entire system. Maintaining anything if not required goes against the whole ethos.
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A landlord was being shitty to someone and it was clear he wouldn't get his deposit back no matter what, so when the renter moved, he took everything. Meaning he unscrewed the plugs from the wall and took those with him, took the toilet seat and so on. Play stupid games, win stupid prices I guess.
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One of my neighbors lived in a large 1 bedroom apartment. It was in the family since the 60s. It’s rent stabilized and in a popular area. A decade ago she was paying $850, market value at the time was $2k+. She renovated her kitchen when I lived there…. The downside was that her new upstairs neighbor was a musician and had a full sized piano that he’d practice on daily for hours at a time…
If you know you can't be evicted unless you stop paying rent and the rent is cheap enough, it's not a bad idea to renovate it a bit. I told my friend he should quietly renovate his rental apartment because he hated the kitchen and all the flooring. He was paying $2k under market price, had rent control, and because it's a corporate landlord, they can't evict him unless he misses rent a lot or harasses other tenants.
My friend opted to buy a condo instead, so while his mortgage is more than his rent was, at least he's earning equity and a rising housing market.
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What idiot pays for upgrades to a house they're just renting, Jesus wept.
Seriously. The most I'd EVER do is free basic repairs and that's only because my last landlord was my good friend, meaning I was getting a killer deal.
I did that when I had an awesome landlord. I just sent pics about what I was fixing and gave her a price. Then I got my rent reduced by that much.
But that was the only rental property she owned. It was extra money for her, not her primary income. And I paid several hundred less than anyone else in the area according to Zillow.
But that was the only rental property she owned. It was extra money for her, not her primary income.
These are the best types of landlords. One of my previous landlords was retired, but he used to be a CTO at a tech company. He was renting out the property just for something to do during retirement - he didn't actually need the money. He was fantastic. The air conditioner stopped working one summer and he had a new one installed within a week.
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She could have used that $12k as part of a down payment on her own place.. what on earth is she thinking.
Might've been financed on credit - but even still, it takes a lot more than $12k for a down payment.
Assuming the median price for a home is $500k, you'd need $100k for a traditional 20% down payment. Sure, $12k is 12% of the way there... but it's nowhere near what is needed for an actual down payment.
You only need 1-5% down as a first time home buyer.
Also shop around for mortgage lenders (hint: credit unions) that will give you a break on the mortgage insurance if you put down at least 5% down.
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FHA loans need 3.5% last I checked. So her $12k wasn’t far off for a $500k dollar place. Yes they also require PMI for a bit, but better putting money into something that causes gains for yourself than for a landlord. As this article so clearly proves.
It's not far off but in the current market someone will just offer more than you and you won't get it anyway.
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You also need 2-6% for closing costs. People always ignore that.....
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People are dumb.
Think about how stupid the average person is and realize half of them are stupider than that.
- George Carlin
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verbal consent
That’s a big mistake. He got $12k for free and will find people who will pay a higher rent.
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Dealing with a landlord is just like dealing with HR at work - they aren't there for YOU. The tenant here wasn't stupid, just naive. Besides, from a liability standpoint, a tenant should NEVER do any property upgrades or repairs without some kind of written agreement (and hopefuly waiver of liability). If something goes wrong, guess who will be on the hook financially when it goes to court? Hint: The landlord turned plaintiff won't be it....
No remorse.
Not because she spent $12k for the upgrade.
But because she also paid for Twitter, or X or whatever dumb name it's called.
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Never, ever, ever do anything like this after verbal consent, especially if it involves this much money. Unless it's on paper, doing this makes you unbelievably fucking stupid
That's more facepalm, right?
Reminds me of this time in high school when we went bowling. Friend of mine spent $5 to shine the rented ball before he returned it.
Horrible. Now that the property is more valuable due to the upgrades the landlord knows they can charges a higher rent for it. The real mildly infuriating part is the fact that we as a society reward this behaviour. Sociopathic behaviour is actively encouraged under capitalism.
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I find it mildly bewildering that someone would spend $12k updating a home they don't own.
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Dude just cross post the source link, don't link to another post. That fucks up users from other instances by pulling them into a web browser for another instance. Lemmy will provide cross post links to other threads.
Everyone is so busy insulting the tenant doing the upgrades when it's the landlord who behaved badly. If all we do is collectively blame victims when they get taken advantage of, society will crumble. This woman wasn't stupid, she just didn't have her guard up in preparation for the massive asshole who had power over her. There's a difference.
When you are trusting, you're called stupid. When you trust no one, you're called unreasonably cynical. They're two sides of the same victim blaming coin. Start blaming the actual problem: predators.
Putting money into something you don’t own is stupid. Full stop.
Never put money into a rental.
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I hate landlords as much as the next guy, but this is the stupidest thing ever. Would you also pay to deck out a rental car? No, you wouldn't because you're not the biggest dumbass on the planet.
Like other commenters have stated, there are technically reasons why and how this could work, but a casual verbal agreement ain't it, chief. Don't reward massive dumbassery with pity.
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I agree that the landlord is a shitstain, but that tenant is not the best at decision making either. I can understand spending a couple of hundreds if it makes your life better, but she basically handed over a 12k check to that landlord. I can't see any good reason to do this.
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As fucked as that is, what fucking eviction notice gives 3 days to vacate? That can't be legal, can it?
Edit: Looking closer, I see that this is in Texas. And evidently 3 days is all they have to give there. Insane.
https://guides.sll.texas.gov/landlord-tenant-law/eviction-process
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She's an idiot. I understand the outrage, but she's an idiot.
My parents made this mistake twice. They were unable to afford their own place and asked the landlord if they were interested in moving back in.
Both times the landlords said no, so my parents made small improvements to the places (replacing carpets, repainting, general upkeep/improvements), but never 12k worth.
Still, both times the landlords kicked us to the curb (so they could move back in) and we had to move. The 3rd time they were finally able to afford their own place.
Ducking dumbass
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