Hello, furb-ga!
This has turned out to be one of the most difficult questions I have
ever worked on! For some reason, I kept coming back to it because I
have first-hand experience with tenants performing repairs and
maintenance for rent reduction. I KNOW that these types of situations
occur. However, I have come to realize that most of these arrangements
are unique, personal contracts between a private landlord and the
tenant(s). They are rarely publicized.
There is no shortage of articles on renovation of run-down
apartments. There are many private landlords that invest in
dilapidated properties, renovate them, and rent them to a very happy
group of tenants. There are also many articles concerning tenants,
funding and renovation. However, public information about the private
landlord-tenant relationship you are seeking is extremely scarce.
I did manage to find a few articles that touch on landlord-tenant
relationships that concern incentives for apartment
upkeep/maintenance. I also provided a few examples that are a bit
outside the realm of your original question under "Additional
References."
I hope you find these helpful.
ALLOWING A TENANT TO PROVIDE MAINENANCE AND REPAIRS FOR FREE RENT
==================================================================
A landlord could certainly apply this concept to a renovation project
by providing free (or greatly reduced rent) to one or more tenants who
had the skills to help in the remodeling while other tenants pay the
regular rental fee.
From "Living, working rent-free," by Max Millard. The Examiner. (Dec.
13, 2002)
http://www.examiner.com/employment/default.jsp?story=c.resmanager.1213w
Excerpt:
"Jim Pritchett, 49, has been the resident manager for a 23-unit Nob
Hill building since 1995. Like many of his peers in medium-size
buildings, he sought the job so he could work part-time with flexible
hours. In his case, it was so he could be a stay-at-home dad to his
new son while his wife returned to her corporate job."
"In exchange for a one-bedroom apartment, Pritchett spends 20 to 25
hours a week cleaning the building and its surroundings, painting and
doing minor repairs, showing vacant apartments to prospective tenants,
checking their references, and sometimes moving heavy appliances.
"I do anything and everything except collect the rents," he says. When
doing extra work that would normally require an outsider, he is paid
$15 an hour."
"A former paralegal, he found the job a good match for his
communication skills and limited handyman experience. When tenants
ring his bell, it's usually because they were accidentally locked out
or want him to let a service person into their apartment. They rarely
bother him with petty complaints, he says, but in return, they expect
Pritchett to respond to emergencies right away."
"The 85-year-old building has some unexpected maintenance problems
that pop up. But most repairs "are just basic common sense," he says.
"No job is exactly the same twice, so you have to be a little
inventive."
"A bigger challenge, says Pritchett, is handling domestic squabbles,
late-night noise or renters who endanger the building's security.
Younger tenants sometimes treat it like a dormitory, he says. "You
can't just have doors open and people coming and going all night, so I
try to keep up on that." He also keeps an eye out for strangers who
might slip inside behind a resident, hoping to find an unlocked
apartment."
.....
"There's no age limit for resident managers. "It's a great way for
retired folks to keep themselves a little bit busy without being
overwhelmed," says Andresen. For many others, the attraction is to
live in a nicer apartment than they could otherwise afford."
==
Simply as a further idea, read the following post:
"Child Support-paying father willing to work for rent discount."
Craigslist.
http://portland.craigslist.org/hou/14501910.html
PROVIDE A REASON FOR TENANTS TO CARE ABOUT THEIR RENTAL COMMUNITY
=================================================================
Simple incentives like providing a vacuum cleaner for tenants to use
to keep their apartments clean and allowing tenants to earn discounts
for on-site childcare by helping with landscaping has helped foster a
sense of safety and community for some low-income tenants.
From "DOING WELL BY DOING GOOD," Emery Magazine (1995)
http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_MAGAZINE/spring95/Briefs.html
"When 1968 law school alumnus John Lantz took over the management of
Shallowford Gardens Apartments in Doraville, a heroin dealer was
conducting business out of one unit, most tenants were behind on rent,
and turnover was high. But rather than strictly enforcing lease
agreements with his renters, many of whom were Asian and Hispanic
immigrant families, Lantz turned his attention to the quality of life
in the complex."
"The obvious part of my job as landlord is to make sure the roof
doesn't leak and the plumbing works," Lantz says. "But there are a lot
of other things a landlord can do that are appropriate to caring for
needs. If you have a community of people who know each other and take
pride in where they [live], it's a totally different feeling from
being in a strange place with a bunch of strangers. Community is a big
word that encompasses a whole lot of little things, such as a sense of
security, pride, and self-esteem."
"Together, Jones and Lantz generate and implement ideas for creating a
sense of community at Shallowford Gardens, which sits on the outskirts
of Atlanta. They first encouraged tenants to get to know one another
by sponsoring Labor Day and Memorial Day picnics. "You can't get
better security than knowing your neighbors will help you and you will
help them," says Lantz."
"He and Jones turned part of the complex's laundry building into a
classroom where English lessons are taught. A YMCA program offers
after-school, on-site child care,
*****
and families can offset the program's cost by helping with landscaping
tasks around the complex.
****
"The two have improved maintenance, given away hanging flower baskets
and bird feeders, and installed a basketball goal in the parking lot.
Lantz purchased a vacuum cleaner that tenants can use. A community
newsletter, printed in English and Spanish, offers money management
tips, welcomes new tenants by name, and keeps residents informed of
activities in the complex. And with the help of the DeKalb Extension
Service, residents planted a community garden of vegetables, flowers,
and herbs."
"Since Lantz began his initiative, many tenants have learned enough
English to fill out a job application, which enabled most to find
employment and catch up on their rent. For many working parents, the
YMCA program solved chronic child-care problems.
*****
The vacuum cleaner, used at least two hundred times in the first
year, has helped Lantz save thousands of dollars on new carpets.
*****
"There is a waiting list for the garden project, which won second
place in the raised bed division of the Atlanta Botanical Garden's
1994 Autumn Gardening Festival. The turnover rate for the apartments
dropped from seventy-seven in 1992 to fewer than thirty in 1994.
Lourdes Perez, a Shallowford Gardens resident for more than two years,
plans to keep her family of six there permanently. "Here we live
almost like [we did] in Mexico," she says. "Everybody meets other
people, and our children play here safely."
A TENANT TAKES THE INITIATIVE TO FIX UP A RENTAL AND IS REIMBURSED FOR
LANDSCAPING SUPPLIES
================================================================================
From "Feedback and Discussion - 1999." The Old Louisville Guide.
http://www.oldlouisville.com/Feedback/1999.htm
"When I first moved into my apartment on 2nd between Ormsby and Oak, I
was somewhat disgusted. You see I didn't have much time to look for a
place when I moved here for a job. I had to settle for something less
of my expectations.
**
"Luckily my landlord allowed me to paint and decorate my apartment as
I saw fit."
***
"The inside of my spacious apartment is beautiful now, but the yard...
YUCK! It was a mess. You couldn't even walk through the yard without
stepping on fallen brances, and the evergreen shrub next to the porch
was way overgrown and had collected several years of trash and leaves.
The side yard where a parking lot is for the Kling Center had
overgrown and out of control weeds. The yard was full of weeds, and
hardly any grass.I decided to take it upon myself to clean it up.
Another tennant and myself cut the evergreen down to its 3 stumps, and
we dug it up... roots and all! We dug up all of the weeds and dying
shrubs along the side of the house. I planted grass seed in the front
and side yard. Just last week we went to Franks Nursery and purchased
6 shrubs, mulch, and over 300 bulbs of tulips, dafodils, iris',
jonquils, and several others types of flowers to sprout up early
spring. Our neighbors thought we were nuts considering that we are
just renting. None the less, Amy and I like to take pride in where we
live. Actually our neighbor thanked us for cleaning up the yard, he
said that it makes his yard look better. Now that we have it all done,
we step back and look at the yard, we can't believe the difference we
have made. We are kind of kicking ourselves in the butt for not taking
before and after pictures! The funny thing of it is that the owner now
has a for sale sign in the front yard, a yard that she has not
maintained in God knows how long.
I guess the reason why I am putting this message on the forum is
because I hope that it inspires others to clean up their yards as
well, whether you are a renter or not."
***
"If you are a renter and the landlord doesn't take care of the yard,
ask them if they will reimburse you for any purchases you make for
shrubs, flowers, mulch, etc... That's what I did, and it worked."
***
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:
======================
Cohousing:
Tenants who choose to rent a property in a co-housing agreement have
far more commitment to upkeep of the rental than those who have no
relation to one another. In the the "N-Street" Housing community,
several landlords have allowed their properties to be rented to those
desiring to be part of a "neighborhood."
While the following article mentions nothing about tenants performing
maintenance and repairs, it does highlight the commitment of tenants
to community upkeep.
From "N Street Cohousing," by Donna Spreitzer.
http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/go/nstreet/library/Spreitzer/th_n_street.html
"The homes in N Street Cohousing do not share a common ownership plan.
Some are owner occupied, some rented by landlords residing in the
community, still others are owned by absentee landlords."
"Dedication and commitment to this cohousing community is present
among homeowners and renters alike. Some would argue that without a
financial stake in the community, the commitment of renters is, by
definition, less. One homeowner commented that there is a "lack of
interest in the community on the part of the renters." This
exemplifies the traditional homeowner perception of renters. However,
this was the only response of its kind, and such talk would likely
stir up heated debate among other homeowners. Many renters plan to
live in N Street Cohousing a long time. Eighteen percent will probably
stay several years, and 41% don't have plans to leave."
"To supplement mortgage payments, or to meet the monthly rental costs,
all 10 of the N Street units are shared homes, in which unrelated
individuals participate as one household. Groceries, utilities,
phones, living areas, etc., are shared by all residents of any
particular house."
===
The following examples take a bit of a different approach. The goal
of each is accomplish renovation of run-down properties by using young
people to help in the project and who the might become future tenants
themselves. Those that do not become tenants still gain employment
skills and self-esteem from working on the renovations, and the future
landlord gains renovation help while providing a service to the
community.
Although these are funded projects, this type of idea could certainly
be tweaked to apply to any private landlord situation. For example, a
technical college carpentry course could aid in renovation in much the
same way.
From "Community Solutions."
http://www.emptyhomes.com/comacpages/toolkit-5.doc
The DOORSTEP Project, Grimsby:
"The Doorstep project enables multi-disadvantaged young people under
25 to become involved in * providing housing for themselves and
others.* DOORSTEP recently renovated seven empty homes owned by the
council to provide good quality, affordable housing for young families
and built 8 new houses for homeless families. ** Some of the trainees
are now tenants. **
The project helps young people by providing them with skills, training
and confidence. The trainees gain NVQs through working on the project.
Recent trainees are now working for a local builder.
Stuart Jones, North East Lincolnshire Council commented, "We've been
doing projects like this over the last three years and during that
time we've brought about 14 properties back into use. One of the most
rewarding things about working on the project has been the feedback
from the community. We've had letters from people expressing an
interest in our work. We've even had letters from older members of
the community saying what a refreshing change it is to see and meet
young people who are doing good for the community and not out to wreck
things!
"Doorstep will be refurbishing more properties in the future and will
be part of a national research programme looking at simplifying the
NVQ process to enable more trainees to acquire the building skills
they need in a shorter time."
Canopy Leeds:
"The Canopy Housing Project involves unemployed and homeless young
people in the renovation of empty properties in Leeds."
"The project was first set up in 1997 to enable 16-25 year olds in
housing need to create a decent home for themselves, while also
tackling the high numbers of derelict houses in the Burley and Hyde
Park area. So far, over a dozen local properties have been brought
back into use, housing single young people and lone parents."
"All of Canopy's properties are within walking distance of each other
and the project centre, making Canopy a focus for community activity
and linking different groups, tenants and volunteers. The project
centre also acts as a resource. It offers computers with Internet
access, a washing machine and dryer, a play area for children, a
joinery workshop and various other training schemes and activities,
ranging from literacy support to pottery."
"Canopy's facilities are available to volunteers and tenants alike,
and staff help people using the centre to learn new skills and build
confidence through personal development."
======
Extra:
From "Your Rights as a Tenant under the Uniform Residential Landlord
and Tenant Act."
http://www.korrnet.org/klas/llt.htm
"If the landlord agrees to let the tenant make repairs in exchange for
rent, get the agreement in writing, dated and signed by the landlord.
Keep all receipts for materials and supplies. Make copies and give a
copy to the landlord. If the tenant agrees to clean the place before
moving in for a credit against the rent, the agreement should be in
writing, dated and signed by the tenant and the landlord. If possible,
take before and after pictures."
===
Again, I hope I have provided some references that are helpful. If
you feel these examples are still too far outside of the parameters
you are seeking, please let me know. I will simply ask for the answer
to be withdrawn.
Sincerely,
umiat-ga
Search Strategy
===============
landlord tenants renovate together
+renters +landlords +renovating together
rent for work
exchanging labor for rent OR rent reduction
Maintenance for rent reduction
renovating apartments
renters involved in renovation
maintenance OR repairs for +rent reduction
cooperative renovation
exchanging maintenance for rent
tenant pride
tenant pride and apartment maintenance
tenant pride in apartment communities
(and many more) |
