parking problem with New Tenants..

[TommyK]

Hi everyone.

I am a new landlord now! I just had a couple from Nova Scotia since November.

My property is a newer townhouse with double attached garage. When the couple came to look at the property, they had a small rental vehicle. They looked at the size of the garage and they thought it would fit their pick-up truck in.

To make the long story short, the couple had to buy a new truck on their way to Edmonton. It is a brand new baby to them so to speak.

The situation is this: The new truck wouldn`t fit in the garage. They have been parking the truck at the nearby Visitor parking in the townhouse complex. The boyfriend works at Fort McMurray so the truck is left it at the parking spot most of the time. He comes back to Edmonton 1 week out of a month. I noticed that the strata haven`t been so strict on Visitor parking as some other owners also park their extra vehicle at the Visitor parking over night.

My challenge is this.
I know eventually the strata will enforce the rules on Visitor Parking. The Winter is coming so the tenants want to park their big toy as close to the unit as possible. While street parking is available, it is a bit of distance to the unit (plus they don`t drive that truck that much so it will be left it on the street unattended most of the time). I know this is going to be a challenge with the tenants, and can be a deciding factor that they will find another place that will fit their truck in the near future.

So what can I do to resolve this issue so that they will stick to the 1-year lease?
I know in Alberta as long as they give me one month notice, I can pretty much leave. And plus they are paying a bit of premium in rent since they have a small dog. They are a perfect fit for my property (except that big toy!).

Any suggestion? should I offer to go in half for storage of their truck so I can keep them? The rental market has gotten really slow here, so I really don`t want to find new tenants in January and February.

I would hate to see the truck get towed by the strata for parking their truck at the Visitor.

Thank you in advance!

Tommy
PS: The girlfriend has a small vehicle that she drives.

 

[GarthChapman]

Don`t try to cross the bridge until you get to it. Think about your possible options but don`t do anything. A warm home for their baby (truck) will become less important as time passes.

Many problems we prepare for in life never actually happen. And often doing nothing allows a problem to melt away.

And, they are legally on the hook for the lease. Most people won`t want you to get a judgement against them for unpaid rent that will damage their credit status (sometimes you have to explain that to them - our doing that has meant collecting rent from more than one tenant who previously wasn`t going to pay us over the years.

If the issue comes up you could subtly remind him how it is important for his girlfriend`s comfort and security that she have the garage for her vehicle.

If they come to you wanting to break the lease then offer to work with them - remind them of their legal obligation and then offer to put the place up for rent while they are in it, and allow them to move only once it is rented. Have them agree to you being able to use a portion of their Security Deposit to fund any shortfall if you have to rent it for less `because it is now winter` (not because rents are lower now).

 

[TommyK]

QUOTE (GarthChapman @ Nov 16 2008, 02:15 PM) Don`t try to cross the bridge until you get to it. Think about your possible options but don`t do anything. A warm home for their baby (truck) will become less important as time passes.

Many problems we prepare for in life never actually happen. And often doing nothing allows a problem to melt away.

And, they are legally on the hook for the lease. Most people won`t want you to get a judgement against them for unpaid rent that will damage their credit status (sometimes you have to explain that to them - our doing that has meant collecting rent from more than one tenant who previously wasn`t going to pay us over the years.

If the issue comes up you could subtly remind him how it is important for his girlfriend`s comfort and security that she have the garage for her vehicle.

If they come to you wanting to break the lease then offer to work with them - remind them of their legal obligation and then offer to put the place up for rent while they are in it, and allow them to move only once it is rented. Have them agree to you being able to use a portion of their Security Deposit to fund any shortfall if you have to rent it for less `because it is now winter` (not because rents are lower now).

Thank Garth for the information. I just came up with an idea that the tenants can try. Since the boyfriend`s company flies him to Fort McMurray for work, I could suggest him to park his truck at the airport. So when he comes back or leaves for work, his truck is at the airport for his convenience. This might solve the problem since the girlfriend doesn`t really drive the truck (I hope so... ).

If they have to break the lease because of the big toy, then I will advise them to allow me to put the place up for rent while they are still in there; and they would allow me to use a portion of their Security Deposit to fund any shortfall if I have to rent it for less.

Regards,
Tommy

 

[lylefeucht]

QUOTE (TommyK @ Nov 16 2008, 06:26 PM) Thank Garth for the information. I just came up with an idea that the tenants can try. Since the boyfriend`s company flies him to Fort McMurray for work, I could suggest him to park his truck at the airport. So when he comes back or leaves for work, his truck is at the airport for his convenience. This might solve the problem since the girlfriend doesn`t really drive the truck (I hope so... ).

If they have to break the lease because of the big toy, then I will advise them to allow me to put the place up for rent while they are still in there; and they would allow me to use a portion of their Security Deposit to fund any shortfall if I have to rent it for less.

Regards,
Tommy

Tell them to let the air out of the tires... it may fit... Just kidding!
Garth is right... they are legally bound and the novelty of the vehicle will wear off soon especially when their payments start becoming a reality.
There is nothing in the lease (hopefully) stating that you guarantee the vehicle to fit in the garage.
Cheers,