NY chicken lover!!!!

[rancher hicks]

We have a duplex we rent out 3 hours from here. (Gawd, how I want to sell the place) I just spent this past weekend there. Not a HUGE amount of damage, just stupid things like holes in doors and grease EVERYWHERE from cooking. However they stole EVERY appliance in the place. GRRRR.... Not only are people pigs but in today's economy they are theives too.

We are going to take them to court. Probably won't get anything except the satisfaction of seeing their name published in the paper as having a judgement against them, but really....THE APPLIANCES? Move out and take things that don't belong to you? Now That is low low low.

I recently have been to a friends rental which I must say they haven't been watching. All the copper was stolen. They didn't and don't know how to deal with things. The place is neglected at best and a dump at worst. They are looking to unload the place so I think.

My SIL and I went over and repaired the front steps which had been busted up by a neighbors car and a support under the side porch. They had a jack under it but that got stolen.

Here's my advice as a former letter carrier. If you decide to rent again, get their old address or even addresses. Then go and talk to the mailman. The mailman not only knows where they live but HOW they live. He's sees their mail and knows more than you think. He can tell you how long they've really lived there and any problems.

My aunt used to say she had four kids but she really had eight. One lady I delivered to had the utility bill in her little daughters name. I suspect she owed in her own and stole her daughters social security number.

The mailman can tell you if they are really married or just shacking and for how long. Whose kids are whose.

Never, never , never expect to rent it and forget it. If you need to, pick up the rent at the house so you can see what's happening. Do a drive by on weekends. While you might get more money with Section 8, you may get more problems too. Seems to me it might be better to rent for less to working folks, than not.

Remember every house will sustain the usual wear and tear. A busted window or broken faucet are not damage. Life happens to them and us. Maintenance is your responsibility. We had one landlord who wouldn't fix a leaky toilet even after I bought the seal to do it. We made lots of mistakes like doing the painting ourselves for no compensation.

I wish you well,

Rancher

 

[JayinCohoes]

I wish I could use a gun to get rid of squirrels. Unfortunately I live within city limits and would probably get arrested for shooting a squirrel. I also read that squirrels are very territorial and if you removed one squirrel another would soon take over his/her territory. In small cities and towns we are overwhelmed with squirrels because they are over fed with bird feeders or squirrel feeders in many yards. As if we really need to give them extra food. My sister actually puts out a few bird feeders and then will complain that the "dumb squirrels" keep eating the bird feed. Since she isn't on this site I can ask "who is the dumb one in this scenario?". But I'd love to hear ways to keep the off of our property if you can't shoot them.

Right now I have a boarder collie who has learned to only chase after squirrels and chipmunks and leave the chickens alone. It's funny to see how my chickens are now so used to my dog running right past them to chase a squirrel. My chickens just stand still as my dog runs and jumps over them. But she's getting old and the squirrels know it. I swear the squirrels come in the yard sometimes just to be chased by my dog.

 

[Lynzi777]

Here's my advice as a former letter carrier. If you decide to rent again, get their old address or even addresses. Then go and talk to the mailman. The mailman not only knows where they live but HOW they live. He's sees their mail and knows more than you think. He can tell you how long they've really lived there and any problems.

My aunt used to say she had four kids but she really had eight. One lady I delivered to had the utility bill in her little daughters name. I suspect she owed in her own and stole her daughters social security number.

The mailman can tell you if they are really married or just shacking and for how long. Whose kids are whose.

Rancher, thanks for the skeeved out impression I now have of my mailman!

 

[Glasshen]

Gramma, in addition to J and J Feeds in La Fayette, there is also Lee's Feeds in the Valley section of Syracuse. Lees sells Blue Seal, Jand J sells their own or Purina. I have been buying Purina Flockraiser lately for 17.01. That is the final cost.

Rancher, we had the same mail man for many years in Syracuse, and he was always lovely, we still see each other out and about like maybe the LaFayette Inn IN THE DINING SECTION, on a Friday night, it's always nice to see him. The mailman before him came to our house about 7:30 pm because he couldn't get it out of his mind that the mail had not been taken in from the previous day by our retired widow neighbor next door. He was worried that she could be In need of help. We have had super mail men, but as I write this it does occur to me that perhaps it is not so pleasant to work in the PO itself, as those folks don't seem to be as happy...

I've been experimenting with not eating wheat products per the Wheat Belly book. It makes it very obvious that Americans are totally dependent on wheat, and don't seem to use much else. I tried the bisquick that is labeled gluten free to make biscuits, of course using my eggs. They are an amazing color of yellow that make butter look like a washed out pale yellow. Very strange, but they tasted ok.

Stoney, how are you liking the pellet gun discussion? Is it as good as shotguns and rifles?

 

[Tab's chicken obsession]

Gardening and cooking are my first and second loves...so chickens just feel right.

Me too!

Well my girls are my first loves then comes the cooking and gardening.

 

[rancher hicks]

Me too!

Well my girls are my first loves then comes the cooking and gardening.

Well I'm sure your husband feels good that he comes after cooking and gardening.

 

[rancher hicks]

Rancher, thanks for the skeeved out impression I now have of my mailman!

Glad I could help.

I'll bet he's keeping a file on YOU.

 

[rancher hicks]

Gramma, in addition to J and J Feeds in La Fayette, there is also Lee's Feeds in the Valley section of Syracuse. Lees sells Blue Seal, Jand J sells their own or Purina. I have been buying Purina Flockraiser lately for 17.01. That is the final cost.
Rancher, we had the same mail man for many years in Syracuse, and he was always lovely, we still see each other out and about like maybe the LaFayette Inn IN THE DINING SECTION, on a Friday night, it's always nice to see him. The mailman before him came to our house about 7:30 pm because he couldn't get it out of his mind that the mail had not been taken in from the previous day by our retired widow neighbor next door. He was worried that she could be In need of help. We have had super mail men, but as I write this it does occur to me that perhaps it is not so pleasant to work in the PO itself, as those folks don't seem to be as happy...
I've been experimenting with not eating wheat products per the Wheat Belly book. It makes it very obvious that Americans are totally dependent on wheat, and don't seem to use much else. I tried the bisquick that is labeled gluten free to make biscuits, of course using my eggs. They are an amazing color of yellow that make butter look like a washed out pale yellow. Very strange, but they tasted ok.
Stoney, how are you liking the pellet gun discussion? Is it as good as shotguns and rifles?

I knew a couple of mailmen from lafayette. Pat and Gary. Believe it or not we did or do watch out for our customers. It is unnecessarily stressful at the PO. I learned to stay away from disgruntled employees as they could get me worked up.

 

[Glasshen]

Oh, my long time, favorite was Billy, and that was in the City...(Syracuse). I know that the carriers do care, they are at the house every day, and do a food collection for the needy, good folks. Now delivery is by car, and it's rare to see the carriers, unless one is hanging by the end of the driveway. But one fella who is not our regular 's son ran cross country with our son when they were in high school. And Ithink our regular carrier is a very tall young lady. Young to me...hmmm.

And it's good to steer clear of the disgruntled ones, and keep your head down too!

 

[Cass]

Sorry to hear about your experience with your tenants. I'm also a landlord and have had similar experiences with tenants. All that we can do is chalk it up as an expensive lesson on not trusting tenants to take care of our property. Now I tell everyone that I'm not prejudice I distrust everyone the same. If the Pope decided to rent out my property I'd assume he'll mistreat my house the same as any crack-head. If you have close neighbors, they are usually willing to call if something unusual is going on and usually are concerned about their own property value. I always try to do an inspection at least once a year to cover myself. Most of your damage should be covered under your "rental dwelling" home insurance but only if you listed your house as a rental property. Rental property insurance covers damage caused by "tenant neglect".
If you want to look at the positive side: At least these tenants are out. Trust me when I say you are very lucky that your tenants were not "experts" on being evicted like many low-life tenants are these days. Unfortunately, there seems to be more laws protecting tenants than there are for protecting landlords. Evicting even the worst tenant could take many months before a marshal removes them. The good news is that the worst is over and they can no longer damage your property. This is kind of how I feel when I finally realize that my chickens have been in my vegetable garden all morning. Once I get them out and fix the fence I tell myself "OK the worst is over and my garden is safe again".
But as a landlord I feel your pain. I hope it helps you to realize that your not alone and we have all had experiences like yours. Good luck.

Jay

Landlords out there, go to Staples. Get the lease there and use it. I do think it cost about $15 for 4 copies (maybe more), but we just photocopy it ourselves to use again and again. There are lots of blanks to fill it to customize it. BUT the best best best part is clause 26....After the lease becomes a month to month (a NYS Law that if a new lease isn't signed yearly then the exsisting lease becomes a "month to month" rental agreement at the end of the lease term) After a year and it's a month to month clause 26 says that "either party can terminate the lease with 30 days written notice". OMG that is soooo liberating. We didn't have to go through eviction because of that clause. We did have to have the police clarify it for the tenents. The tenents called the police because we were changing the locks and asking for the keys the day after they were supposed to be out of our property. The tenents claimed we couldn't do that. WRONG. They signed an agreement that said they would get out within 30 days if so notified, in writing, to do so. The police told them they didn't have a leg to stand on, that no eviction was needed because they signed the lease (a legal and binding agreement) of their own free will. So they stole the appliances. White trash. The worst part of being a Landlord is the distance we have to go to check on the place. If I owned a place local I would not have these problems because I would pick up the rent monthly and start evicition the second they showed they were not worthy of renting my dwelling.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled chat about chickens.