Just got a printout from the applicant's current PM at a large apt complex.

They charge $15 /mo TRASH FEE, in addition to WATER and SEWER FEES, $4.99 /mo to report on time payments to a credit bureau, and $4 /mo to provide a bill.

BRAD

I understand paying for water/sewer, but to add for use of the dumpster, and $4 to email my bill automatically...it's not like the res has any control over that.

Shrinkflation - keeps the advertised rent lower but the income higher.

BRAD

The current occupant of the White House had stated during the 2020 election cycle and continues to state that he is going to "Get rid of junk fees"... the ones you see tacked on for every little this 'n that.

Of course, that won't include GOVT 'fees' (aka disguised taxes), I'm sure. Those will continue to plague us because they do not have to be passed by vote: the Govt simply imposes them on a whim.

So what will happen? The fees will get baked into the total rent price, same as they used to. There will be no net savings for the end consumer, but the Govt can pat themselves on the back for "fighting for the little guy." It's been a fun ride, but the Govt is bent on interfering with how private individuals choose to conduct business, and they also believe that a person is too unintelligent to read the final break down of all costs before hitting "purchase".

Same old, same old. Rent on.

A new luxury apartment high rise opened near me recently. Here's a list of what they charge on top of really expensive rents. Oh, plus a monthly fee for a parking spot.

"It's amazing what these large apartment complexes charge in fees"

I suspect that the add on fees are more desirable to the apartment management than are apartment rents.

"….clearly a big segment of the renting public puts prices far lower on their priorities than we landlords…"

Larry,

Thanks for that list!

Common Area utils - Wow! Got me thinking! We have always just absorbed those, like the gas bill for the one water heater in the triplex.

How about parking lot maint, snow removal, landscape/mowing? like an HOA...

Commercial buildings charge a CAM fee (Common Area Maint).

It's so easy to just pay a bill and not think about it.

That fee list would prevent some entitlement thoughts.

You think those charges are interesting? Here in CAlifornia big landlords and little landlords alike, have taken to charging things like

$28-valet garbage service Per bag/per item/per day

unaccounted for billing structure/ unaccounted for usage amounts

monthly bills- 4 total for-

Hot water

Cold water

Hot sewer?(seriously yuck)

Cold sewer

$8,95-rent reporting to credit records service per month

$4.95-Service fees month

$11.95 -$19.95 online portal payments ranging from per charged amount

$4.95-$11.99 Debit card use fee

$7.95-$11.99 major credit card use fee

If tenants payments are timely but landlord or landlords software doesnt correctly input the payments on time; then the tenant gets a negative mark on the credit record thanks to the now state mandated credit reporting service( see the $8.95 fee above).

All charges are sub labeled as RENT.

Late fees occur at

$50.00 for the first day

$10.00 for each day thereafter

$5.00 for the last day of the month if reached without full payment

All monies paid by tenants get applied to the rent ledger in the following order.

Landlords fees, costs and charges are taken off first

Followed by all landlord billed utilities

Followed by all 3rd part y billed utilities

Followed by all 3rd party billers fees

Followed by any other unstated costs

with Rent being paid out of whatever is left of the paid amount.

Which means that the tenants are quite often going to have a balance due for rent and all applicable late fees will continue to incur.

Utilities are quite often not put onto the rent ledgers until months later or in the wrong timeline.

Having utilities billed without any accountability for costs and usage or timeliness is a guaranteed tenant failure billing scheme.

These methods are ensuring many tenant failures to meet their rental obligations within the first few months of tenancy.

This leads to tenants moving out.

Which landlords also bill for.

This includes

Early lease termination penalties which range in the thousands, or

Being charged the entire years rent amounts plus future utilities costs, and any other costs landlord may incur or become obligated to take over when the tenant moves out early, for the duration of the lease prior to the tenant failing their obligations.

If the tenants wish to find a new tenant to takeover their lease they are charged unit turnover fees and are fully obligated after the move out date and until the new tenant is fully approved and signed off by the landlord.

Many landlords are using ledger software and services that create each cost to be viewed as rent, making it much easier for them to do unlawful detainers and 3 day notices and debt collection court.

Everyday I see college students and lower or middle income renters suffering from evictions which get put on the records and harmful debt collection practices which end with many becoming homeless.

Its tactical warfare by corporate landlords and what is beginning to look like a minor percentage of landlords who have lost their ability to remain calm, cool,collected and out of the political drama that is being played out against society by the bigwigs.

I see small landlords giving up against the weight of the intense pressure being put on the rental economy by these adverse tactics employed by those other landlords.

Landlords are disgusted by the extreme tactics of state and local politicians and activists groups.

Property taxes and other local taxes are being used as weapons. Heck if the city sidewalks outside your property, need repairs; it is now the owners responsibility to pay for the cost of city contracted construction crews.