A Modest Proposal

I have two homes in the quiet suburb of Calera, AL. The home on Hysteria Lane is managed by Mario. The one in Waterford is managed by Kirby.

Last Monday, the tenant in Waterford gave his notice. Frankly, I was a bit surprised. Though he is month-to-month (and has been for the past year and a half) he had just asked to put down tile flooring in the kitchen, so I figured he was staying a while. When I asked why they were moving, Kirby said they need a bigger place.

On Wednesday, the tenant on Hysteria Lane e-mailed Mario saying her lease was up in May and she wanted to "renegotiate." Apparently "renegotiate" means she wants another lease at a $300 a month reduction. Good for her! I want a mortgage payment at $300 less too.

When Mario sent this to me, he said something of the lines of "I am sure we can talk her into a two year lease if you do this." I am sure I could, if it were financially possible. For that matter, this is a pretty big house. A $300 rent reduction is like giving away the home. However, at this point, all I really want is to keep the homes rented.

And, in that vein, I came up with the only solution I thought reasonable. I e-mailed them both, and suggested the tenants change homes. I have no idea if this is a good idea or not. But, it seemed like a plausible solution to me.

So far I haven't heard from either Mario or Kirby (though Kirby is better at getting back to me, he still isn't winning any awards for timeliness. In fact, while I Birmingham, I mentioned I was going to e-mail him in April, and would expect a response back by June. He laughed, good natured. But I was serious). But, I figure it is a win-win for both. Both of them get the homes rented quickly. Both of them will have approved tenants from the landlord (me) and I won't have vacancies for any great length of time. Hopefully the tenants will see it my way as well.