Category Archives: Landlord Disputes

0 Weatherproofing Your Boston Apartment

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What a difference a window makes. Keeping heating costs down is very important to those of us who don’t have heat and hot water included with our Boston apartment. I, being one of these people, have begun my attack on the cold weather with a nice new window in my bedroom…along with some clear, saran wrap-like, insulation.

My bedroom is on the second floor of a duplex apartment. You’d think the bedroom would be warmer than the bottom floor as heat rises. Alas, a draft from an old window was turning my bedroom into an icebox at night. That isn’t exactly a dream for my wallet.

Of course, landlords aren’t exactly chomping at the bit to buy new windows, but it never hurts to ask (especially since mine was becoming discolored as the seal between the panes of glass degraded). So, as my super was about to insulate the window for me with some plastic, I inquired as to fixing the window itself. Low and behold, my landlord had just stocked some new windows that day. 30 minutes later, I had a fresh, draft free window.

OK, 9 out of 10 times if you ask for something like this to happen, you are going to be denied (unless the window isn’t up to code and is causing your home to drop to temperatures unacceptable by the city of Boston).  So what can you so about older windows in your apartment that are leaking out your precious heat? Here’s a quick guide from Home Depot regarding weatherproofing your windows: Keep Warm!

Remember, don’t do anything to your apartment without your landlord’s approval. Don’t be afraid to talk to your landlord about any issue you have though. You are paying rent and you deserve to have a warm, habitable home.

0 Your Real Estate Agent Is Useless

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No really…the person you are paying to list your real estate is completely useless. You’re not paying them a fee? You’re still trusting them to get your property rented AND to put a decent tenant in there. They aren’t doing that.

Ok, fine. Maybe a few real estate companies out there are doing their jobs. Bottom line: Most aren’t. I have absolutely no qualms telling a landlord that they are using a useless agency or telling that particular agent that they are a waste of time. Here’s a list of things that agents I’ve had the displeasure of dealing with over the past month have done…

1. Not bother to show the property themselves. THIS IS YOUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY!
*If the person you are listing your property with won’t bother to show up to show it themselves, why in the world are you trusting them with your investment?

2. Offend my client and then ask me to apologize to them on their behalf. This sounds like something that would go on in 7th grade…except a 50 something year old man who wouldn’t stop talking about how long he’d been in the business did just this. I was embarrassed for him. He should quit. I hope he reads this and realizes just how ridiculous he is.
*If the agent you contract to represent you is offending potential tenants, FIRE THEM!

3. One agent sent me a lease that was filled out incorrectly…twice. Again, this was supposed to be an “experienced” agent. She was so experienced that she would take her sweet time responding to time sensitive messages because she was so busy (presumably messing up other deals).
*If the agent you have hired to rent your property can’t write up a binding lease, fire them.

I could go on. I dealt with an agent who tried to illegally act as the agent representing a landlord when they were, in fact, the landlord, just to charge a fee. You can represent your own property if you disclose that you own it, but this was just straight up theft.

Frankly, I am not alone in being appalled half the time at the people I have to call colleagues. There are other hardworking real estate brokers out there who get just as angry as I do on a weekly basis because of unethical business practices among Boston real estate agents.

Is this a rant? You bet…but maybe some of those hardworking brokers will read this and begin calling out these bums just like I do. Maybe, if you own property, you’ll think twice about who you list it with and save yourself a headache along with some cash. *Side note – A horrible little head shot on a business card doesn’t make an agent good. Neither does working for a big name firm. If anything, relying on that company name makes it easier for unqualified agents to exist.*

If you want your property treated as a priority, list it with All Access Boston. We will take care of you. If we don’t think we are the right company for you, we will let you know. It’s time real estate agents gave themselves a good name. It’s starting with us.

0 Boston Neighborly Advice

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Boston Neighbors

Boston Neighbors

I have not seen as much rain in Boston as I did yesterday in a long time. I was in the middle of brokering a deal on a nice ark when it finally settled down somewhere in the middle of the night.

What’s funny is that we happened to post a blog about Boston apartment emergencies yesterday that mentioned what to do if you experience a leak in your apartment. Fate has it that this morning, my landlord and super come knocking on my door about a leak dripping into the apartment downstairs from me. I foreshadow myself apparently.

Of course, I happily obliged my landlord’s needs to come in and inspect our front deck for a leak. Not that I really had any choice in such an emergency, but it always pays to be nice to your landlord. You never know when you need a favor in return. It just so happens that I do, which I happened to mention as the landlord was thanking me for being so helpful. Hopefully my buzzer will be fixed ASAP.

The point we’re trying to make here is that being neighborly is a big part of living in a Boston apartment building. From the apartment next door, to your landlord, to the weird guy down the block, you never know when you might need a little help and a friend you’ve made along the way. Of course, being nice just in case you need help isn’t really in the holiday spirit, but you know what we mean and we’re sure you’d be the neighborhood hero regardless.

I’ve got to go make another pot of coffee for the super as he works on this leak. Why don’t you think of something nice you can do for your neighbors today. It doesn’t have to be huge, just let them know you’re there for them.

0 Boston Apartment Emergencies

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Metrodome CollapseCheck out that Metrodome. The video of the roof collapsing is pretty awesome. It probably wouldn’t be as awesome to watch if you lived in the Metrodome though. Of course, if you lived in the Metrodome you’d probably have a lot more to worry about in your life than a little extra breeze…but what do you do when catastrophe hits in your Boston apartment?

First of all, let’s go over what constitutes an emergency in your apartment and what doesn’t (consider this a list of things to call your landlord about no matter what):

Not Emergencies:
1. Your light bulb burnt out. (Solution: go buy a light bulb)
2. Your sink is draining slowly. (Solution: go get some Drano)
3. The Red Sox just spent too much on Carl Crawford. (Solution: get used to it)

Emergencies:
1. Any sort of leak. Water damage is bad news and can go from little to Metrodome in no time. You landlord will want to know about it immediately and should send over someone to fix it ASAP. Leaks lead to structural damage and mold. Both of these issues will end up costing a lot more than calling a plumber at 3 a.m.
2. Anything that may be a fire hazard. We’re not talking about trash in the stairwell, we’re talking about a smell of burning electrical wires, the smell of gas, the downstairs neighbors lighting a bonfire outside (seriously I saw this happen). Depending on the degree of the danger, decide whether to call the landlord or the fire department first.
3. Any serious crime. A break in, major property damage, anything that threatens the welfare of the tenants and/or the property. Obviously you’ll want to call the police about something like this as well. Use your discretion as to who to contact first.

Your landlord doesn’t want any issues at your apartment any more than you do. They’ll want to address a problem before it becomes a bigger problem. Just make sure you’re not the boy crying wolf at 3 a.m. or you’ll rough up your tenant – landlord relationship.

0 Obnoxious Boston Neighbors

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Dealing With Noisy Neighbors

bad boston neighbor

Let’s talk about something that a lot of people are asking me about since moving this past September 1st. Obnoxious neighbors and what to do about them.

Alright, so the first thing we have to do is categorize the annoyance level of your neighbor. We’ll group them into two separate categories of hooligans and then talk about how to handle them.

The first category of obnoxious Boston neighbor is one who isn’t exactly breaking any laws, they’re just annoying on a personal level. How do you know if your Boston neighbor fits into this category? Let’s look at some examples of what they may be doing.

1. Butting their sub-woofer up against your bedroom so even though their TV isn’t turned up loud, it gets annoying at night.
2. Playing a Justin Bieber CD.
3. Leaving the trash out a day or two too long (we’re not talking about mounds of garbage here).
4. Walking around loudly above you so it sounds like elephants have rented the apartment upstairs.

All of these things can be terribly annoying. You may be tempted to take drastic measures but in dealing with this sort of obnoxious Boston neighbor, it’s best to start off nicely.

Try knocking on their door and asking politely if they could move that sub-woofer or maybe try to walk softer over your bedroom at night. If you explain things kindly in a way that makes them understand what you are going through, they should be genial enough to oblige your requests. If not, then you can simply call your landlord, explain that you already tried to talk to the tenant but that they were unwilling to take their neighbors concerns into account and to please address the issue so it doesn’t become a problem. If there’s one thing that landlords do not want in their buildings, it’s problems between tenants.

The second category of obnoxious Boston neighbors goes a little further into what could be considered law breaking annoyance. Here are some examples of what I mean:

1. Having a huge party that’s loud enough to be a serious annoyance (especially past 11pm). Frankly, you’ve all probably signed a lease that says you won’t have loud music in your apartment that impedes on other tenants quality of life. On top of that, there are laws governing loud music after a certain time of night.
2. Collecting piles of garbage that never seem to go away or just being so dirty as to attract rodents or insects.
3. Playing a Justin Bieber CD.
4. Damaging the property in any way.

After being both the annoying college kid years ago and the cranky old man who lived near them later on in life I can tell you this without any doubt. You must go directly for the jugular in dealing with obnoxious Boston neighbors like this. If they are used to living this way, believe me, they don’t care at all about how nice you ask them. They have zero respect for their neighbors and so must be dealt with by the most direct means at hand.

Call the police. Here’s how this works… You don’t look up the local police stations number at midnight, you can just call 911 directly. In fact, the police station will tell you to do just that. If you’re calling in a party or noise comlplaint, 911 dispatches the police so they’re the call to make. The next day (and this is really important), call your landlord and tell them that the police were at their property because of this certain tenant. They will take it from there. If it doesn’t work on the first shot, rinse and repeat. Eventually the police get really tired of showing up to the same place and make an arrest or two. That’ll settle things down real quick. If the neighbor lives across the street and you don’t know the landlord, being persistent about calling the police is especially important.

If there is any health risk, infestation risk, or property damage, call the landlord immediately. Explain to them that you don’t want to call inspect services to get these neighbors removed but you will if you have to. Believe me, the landlord will be on them like white on rice. Inspectional services can ring up huge fines on your landlord and that is like throwing holy water at a vampire (they aren’t huge fans).

If the problem isn’t being solved within a week, call Boston inspectional services regarding the garbage or rodentia. They’ll send out an agent who will document the problem and serve legal papers to both the tenant and the landlord. Don’t feel bad; you gave the landlord a chance.

Whatever you do, do not get caught up in a back and forth of apartment sabotage. Getting back at a noisy Boston neighbor isn’t the way to handle things. It will only lead to bigger problems and an unsavory living experience.