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Tenant told me my lease was 'hostile' and I actually listened
They said the 3-day late fee was way higher than market rate in Austin. Dropped it from $150 to $50 and suddenly people stopped fighting me on rent. Has anyone else had a tenant call them out and it actually made things better?
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finleythomas21d ago
Hostile lease" is a pretty strong phrase but honestly it kind of fits a lot of landlord paperwork. The thing nobody talks about is how those hidden fees actually hurt you more than help you. When you pile on too many expensive penalties it makes people miss payments on purpose because they're already in the hole and think "what's one more fee." Dropping the late fee to something reasonable probably stops that spiral before it starts. Also the whole "pet fee gouging" thing is just lazy on our part, if someone is willing to pay pet rent every month why make it impossible for them to move in.
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emma_hart22d ago
Right there with you on the "hostile lease" thing, my guy. Had a tenant point out my $200 pet fee was basically double what anyone else in the neighborhood charges. Dropped it to $100 and suddenly my units started renting out in a week instead of a month. It stings at first but they're usually right.
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