Danny the Kid

The brothers called on Tuesday afternoon and, as expected, they turned the place down. Danny still wants the place and came by yesterday to leave part of the deposit to hold the apartment. I have my reservations about him for a few reasons:

1. He’s moving from a $560 two bedroom apartment into a $700 one. He and his much older roommate (who I have yet to meet) make only $10 an hour at their jobs. Why wouldn’t he stay in his current apartment and move the roommate in there? His current landlord is under the impression that Danny wants to move into a smaller apartment that he can afford. Something’s not right here.

2. What if his roommate flakes out on him? His salary gives him a little over $1200 a month after taxes. Subtract the $700 and he’s left with a little over $500 for heat bills, food, and other living expenses. Even though he hs no car or car insurance to take care of, that’s still a tight window to go through every month if his roommate decides to move out.

3. He doesn’t have all the money right now. He’s given me $150, then he gives me something this Friday, followed by the remainder on November 1st (next Friday). Even though he’ll technically be on time with the payment, I much prefer a tenant have everything ready to give me in one shot. It demonstrates responsibility and efficiency, and tenancies should always start off on a good note. I learned that lesson with my old tenant Nicky.

I sat him down and told him my concerns. He said that he’s currently living in a one, not a two, bedroom apartment. That made sense. He will also bring his roommate with him on Sunday to sign the lease. As he spoke, I couldn’t help but feel that there’s something… off about Danny. He's 21 or 22 years old and seems like a nice kid, but his timid way of speaking made me wonder if I was doing the right thing. He’s obviously not the best candidate for the apartment, but he’s certainly not the worst. His current landlord gave him those glowing recommendations and he's never been arrested, so he's a safe enough bet. I still have to meet his roommate over the weekend, but my search for Libby’s replacement is officially over. Danny the Kid is in.

My plan for Danny is for him to be a filler tenant. I’ll sign him to a six-month lease and use his tenancy to slowly make improvements to the apartment. That means replacing all the windows and possibly installing new cabinets in the kitchen after 6 months. As one can see from the previous post's video, they are the only eye sores in the apartment. If he shows that he’s a good tenant with no problems, I’ll keep him on board with a month to month tenancy. If not, I’ll end his tenancy after the 6 months and move in a more desirable tenant thanks to the more desirable apartment. It looks like a good plan... I just hope the execution of it is smooth. Is it ever?