On Wed, 2 Feb 2011 05:59:56 +0000 (UTC), (Don
Klipstein) wrote:

In article , Oren wrote:
On Tue, 1 Feb 2011 21:55:34 -0500, "Robert Green"
wrote:

I was thinking of something remote controlled, like a kill switch for the
furnace or something similar. Something that would make staying in the
home, not paying rent unpalatable. Would it make sense to keep the
utilities in our name and pass them through so that we could cut them off,
or does cutting off a deadbeat's electricity boomerang back on the
landlord?

Put all utilities in the tenant name.

If they go all stupid, don't spend a bunch of money of ways to get
them out. Just take the front door off, frame and all. Explain you
have to order a custom made Mahogany door from Belize.

How about if utilities are in landlord's name and the lease specifies
that utilities are responsibility of the landlord?


Not me. Not to be trapped by un-paid utility bills. They pay their own
bills and not lean on me for a safety net. (no longer a landlord, btw)

Oops, the furnace had a transformer burn out about a week into January,
and the replacement one has a "lead time" of 2 weeks or a month.

Oops, a hundred crazy felons break windows out of the cell block. Nope
not in our budget this year. Maybe next year we get them fixed, if
the budget allows for it.

Preferably, the lease specifies that the tenant is not allowed to
perform modifications and repairs to items regulated by building or
housing-unit-rental codes. (my words).


Su why did you change this door special order item? Um, wild sex
with my girl and she broke the door.

Furthermore, I have seen leases requiring that tenant must not use a
heat source other than landlord-provided heating system for home heating.

My experience in delivery jobs suggests to me that problem tenants
disproportionately tend to have a problem with indoor temperature lower
than 70's F.

Cut the front door out with a HF sawzall. You can change minds of the
tenants.