Carondelet/Holly Hills Landlord Association Residents' Supplement This twice yearly supplement is provided as a courtesy of your landlords' membership in the Carondelet/Holly Hills Landlord Association. We sincerely hope that the information provided in this supplement will help your family to better enjoy your residence and your neighborhood. The Do's and Do Not's of Neighborhood Courtesy. As residents of this neighborhood, whether we are homeowners or renting an apartment, we share a common responsibility to respect the rights and property of our neighbors. Use common sense, obey the law, and follow the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Pick up newspapers, wrappers, smashed cans and other trash around your house even if they're not yours and it's someone else's job. A little effort here makes a big difference in the appearance of the neighborhood. Mow the lawn at reasonable intervals. If you are renting, insist that the landlord has the grass cut or arrange to do it yourself. Plant some flowers. Keep stereos, televisions and car radios at a moderate volume. Your neighbors should not be able to hear more than a hint of the music Keep your pets (cats, too) under your control. Do not let them wander loose through the neighborhood - they are subject to seizure by animal control. This keeps your pet safe, protects your neighbors property, and reduces noise. And don't forget to report strays to the authorities. Take note of and report any illegal or suspicious activity. If YOU don't want to talk to the police, forward the information to your block captain. We have made considerable progress in removing drug dealers and other problems in the last few years, but only through the efforts of several residents continuing to report problems to the authorities. Be part of the solution. Leave your front porch light on overnight. The cost is only a few dollars a year, but the additional light brightens up the block and helps deter crime. Drive carefully, watch your speed and stop at all signs and signals. Be especially careful in alleys, there are many children in this area and accidents be avoided by driving slowly and carefully. Don't use your car's horn as a signal, it is meant for use in traffic situations only. Honking horns are annoying, and are a sign of a deteriorating neighborhood Pull your car over to the curb when waiting for someone; don't double park and block traffic. Don't perform extensive car repairs on the street. Nor only is it unsightly but it is not safe. Never pour antifreeze, oil or any other fluids on the street or into storm drains, this can seriously damage sewage treatment facilities, which we all will have to pay to repair. Although many of these items are covered by city and state ordinances, they are only a matter of common courtesy and respect. Making our neighborhood a better place to live requires concern and commitment We've made a lot of progress but we've got a long way to go. How to Make Your Home Much Less of a Target for Burglars by Richard Wright, PhD and Scott Decker PhD, Bottom Line, Dec 1, 1998 We spent a year interviewing more than 100 burglars about their crimes and why they targeted one home over another. Here's what we found you can do to make your home less of a target. Install storm windows. To conserve energy, storm windows have two or three panes of glass. Burglars hate these windows because they are noisy and difficult to shatter. A significant number of thieves mentioned that they did not try to break into houses with storm windows. Installing these windows on the ground floor is usually sufficient. Beware of acquaintances. In many reported burglaries, the thief isn't a close friend, but someone invited into the victim's home once or twice. This access gave the burglar a feel for the layout of the home, the value of possessions and whatever security measures were in place. Steps to take. Ask teenagers to limit party invitations to people they know well. Forbid them from putting out general invitations. Do not supply the people who make repairs, deliver packages, or sell things with information about you or your home. The thieves in our study told us that they often received the best leads from friends who were delivery people. The delivery people passed along comments they had heard from victims, such as, "Thank goodness you made it today. We're going on vacation tomorrow." Be suspicious of unsolicited phone or door-to-door sales pitches. Burglars who use this scam ask when would be a more convenient time to speak with you. They are actually more interested in hearing when you won't be around. Don't outdo your neighbors. When thieves are searching for potential targets, they always look for homes that stand out as the nicest in the area. Helpful hint: Keep your home's paint job and landscaping in line with those of your neighbors. Don't make them superior. Know what today's thieves want . . . and hide it all. The market for hot consumer electronics has plummeted in recent years. Today, thieves are mainly after cash, jewelry, weapons and pharmaceuticals. Since all of these items are small . . . and thieves can be in and out quickly . . . find great places to hide these valuables. Least likely to be searched: Children's bedrooms, basement, utility closet and kitchen. Prime targets: Master bedroom, living room, dining room and medicine cabinets. Be aware when bringing valuables home. Thieves told us that they are drawn to houses where they've seen someone walk in the front door with a new VCR or stereo in their arms. It's not that they want the VCR. Rather, they believe there are probably lots of other nice things inside. Helpful hint: Take valuable items out of your car in plain bags. Cut up boxes before you throw them out. Make it hard to tell if you're away. Temporarily stop mail delivery or have a friend pick up mail and newspapers. And if you go on an extended driving trip, pack the car in the garage or at night. Guests or Roommates? Tenant Is Responsible. Tenants have the right to have visitors. It's usually okay for grandma to stay for two weeks over the holidays, but it's another thing when her moving van shows up. A landlord cannot force you to pay extra rent for a guest. However, you cannot let other people start living with you without first getting permission from your landlord. If you do this, the landlord has the right to evict you for breaking the lease. Check your lease to see if it states anything about the amount of time a guest can stay or other restrictions on visitors. Be ready to take responsibility for your guests' actions. You are responsible for what goes on in your home. If you are aware of your guests' behavior and allow it to happen, then you take responsibility. For example, if you are aware that a guest of yours is bringing, distributing, using or selling drugs in your apartment, and your name is on the lease, it will be considered your responsibility. If a guest plays music loudly and bothers your neighbors, you will be held responsible. You cannot be held responsible for unexpected, isolated, random incidences. For example, if a thief breaks a window to get into your apartment, you should not be held responsible for fixing the window. It should be the landlord's responsibility and should not affect your tenancy. Sometimes your landlord may try to hold you responsible for the damage. Ask for the landlord's cooperation in working with local officials to find the thief. Another example might be if you are a victim of domestic violence and damage is done to the property. Once again, ask for the landlord's cooperation in holding the perpetrator responsible. (webmaster's note: I, personally, would hold tenants responsible for these damages - that's why they should have renters' insurance) Tenant Survival Manual by Housing Comes First.

THE ADVENTURES OF JETHRO - Don Schmidt
Jethro was experiencing several vacancies for a while and was getting concerned. He had plenty of inquires but none of merit. One Sunday morning he got a call from a Mr. Dufuss. Dufuss said that he was on vacation all week and could not find a decent apartment and was going back to work on Monday. Jethro showed him the apartment and Dufuss wanted it. Mr. Dufuss was a man in his mid to late thirties, he was driving a one year old car, and he presented himself very well. Dufuss had all the proper credentials including a recent pay roll stub which indicated he could well afford the rent for the apartment. He wanted the apartment for himself but his girl friend would stay with him on an occasional basis. Jethro called Mr. Dufuss's place of employment and was told that he has been employed for 15 years. He decided to rent to Mr. Dufuss with a monthly rental agreement figuring if it didn't work out he could cancel the rental agreement or evict Mr. Dufuss and garnish his wages if any money was owed. Mr. Dufuss gave Jethro the required deposit plus the first month's rent.
A week later, Jethro got several calls from other tenants wanting to know how many people were suppose to be in Mr. Dufuss's one bedroom apartment. It seemed that at any given time there could be up to two adults and three children in the apartment. The children were starting to harass the other tenants and the woman was leaving her laundry in the machines for hours and as much as a day in the building laundromat. After confronting Mr. Dufuss, Jethro was told that the children were his girlfriend's and that they did not live in his apartment. Mr. Dufuss assured Jethro that he would talk to his girlfriend about the kids and the laundromat problem.
Mr. Dufuss paid the second month's rent on time. However, Jethro noticed that Mr. Dufuss was no longer driving his one year old car. He also noticed that the children were still spending a lot of time at the apartment building. Upon inquiring, he found out that Elvira, Mr. Dufuss's girlfriend had a husband that lived 2 1/2 blocks away with her three children. The nightmare begins.
When the third month came Mr. Dufuss made a partial rent payment with the rest to follow in a week. The second rent payment never came and Mr. Dufuss was no longer as congenial as he was in the past. It seemed that Mr. Dufuss lost his job. He said his wife was a manager where he worked and she got him fired. Jethro was still getting complaints about the kids. Mr. Dufuss said there was nothing he could do about the kids. At this time, Jethro said there was something he could do and gave Mr. Dufuss his 30 day notice. As you can guess, Mr. Dufuss was not out of the apartment in 30 days and eviction proceedings began.
It was not too pleasant at the building during the long eviction process. Elvira's pregnancy began to show, the kids were causing some damage to the premises, Dufuss made a mess in the parking lot trying to keep two junk cars running, and Elvira's husband caused a peace disturbance several times in the late evening hours.
During the last week of this episode, Elvira had her baby in the apartment and immediately gave it away and the sheriff sent Dufuss a notice of the day, the hour, and the name of the mover that was going to put him out on the street. About four days before the sheriff arrived, Dufuss and Elvira left, but the kids stayed. Jethro was told the Elvira's husband was dropping the kids off each afternoon and they would stay there all night. After all, Dufuss never canceled the utilities, the apartment was air conditioned, Elvira's husband didn't have to put up with his kids, and he knew exactly when the sheriff was coming. As a matter of fact, he arrived at the same time as the sheriff. His three children were the only one's living in the apartment when the sheriff arrived.
Jethro learned several things from this experience.
1. Don't let emotion or concern about a long vacancy effect your policies on renting to new tenants.
2. Be very leery about someone who is in a hurry to rent from you.
3. Never rent to someone over a weekend. You cannot do the proper screening over a weekend and they know it.
4. Do not rent to someone who will be living with a girlfriend or boyfriend unless you do a complete screen on both. Have both sign the lease so both are liable.
5. Listen to your good tenants. If there is a problem, act quickly.
Even though Jethro took corrective action in a fairly timely matter, this lesson cost him over $900 in lost revenue and out of pocket expenses. In reality, Jethro became Dufuss's own private welfare program. Can you afford to be someone's personal welfare program?

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