Words and Expressions You Should Know

Before we get into this, let’s cover some common words and expressions that you should know as a tenant, then we can go over some useful tips to know before you move in.  

WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Arbitration – A way to settle a dispute without going to court, usually referred by a 3rd party. Nobody likes going to court right? Don’t worry, we’re pretty nice here. It shouldn’t come up.

Dwelling Unit – An apartment, house, mobile home, or other structure (or part of a structure) you rent to live in.

Premises – All areas owned and operated by the landlord. This includes your living space and outdoor areas that only you may use (example: Yard or attached garage) as well as all common areas, parking lots, rental offices, etc.

Rental Agreement – The lease. Legally, a rental agreement can be written or verbal. Realistically, it’s going to be written and that is the best for both parties because verbal agreements are NOT enforceable. All Island Properties rental agreements are written.

Subsidized Housing – Housing where some of your rent is paid by an organization like The Housing Authority, or your rent is less than fair market value because you are low-income.

Security Deposit –Money you deposit to the landlord when you move in to ensure rent will be paid and other responsibilities of the lease are performed. This can be used to cover unpaid rent, damages and cleaning when you move out. Otherwise this is refundable.

BEFORE YOU MOVE IN

                Before you enter into an agreement you should make sure of a few things to avoid any misunderstandings or, worse yet, fees and charges! The following are some things keep in mind.

·         KNOW THE LEASE! Seriously, read the thing and ask any questions you have, we’re happy to help and would much prefer our tenants be very clear on what they are agreeing to. Sure a legal contract can be intimidating but our rental agreement is certainly no Apple Terms and Conditions that we ALL sign without reading (you know you did it too). It can be explained pretty easily and we would be happy to do it

·         MOVE-IN WALKTHROUGH. This is the form that you will use to document any pre-existing damages OUTSIDE OF NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR on the premises before you move in. You cannot be charged for these damages…unless you forget to document it. We really don’t like broken stuff in our units so you will find them to be in pretty good shape. Also once you move in let us know as soon as something breaks. You will also find that we are very eager to fix things as soon as possible.

·         FIND OUT WHO PAYS FOR WHAT. Hot water, heat, electricity, parking, snow removal (Ha! How about rain removal!?), and trash disposal all have to be paid for by somebody.  You will sign a utilities agreement, I suggest you read it before you sign.

·         UTILITY CONTROLS, where are they? Hot water heater, thermostat, fuse box, etc. FYI, do NOT adjust your hot water heater, they are expensive if it breaks you will have to pay for it immediately. Those things are like, $300!

·         EXPECT EXPENSE. It doesn’t hurt to have an idea of how much your monthly expenses will be. Something I like to do is call the utility company and find out how much the power was for the last year. Pay attention to power usage during the previous winter, this should give you an idea of how much it will cost to heat your home. Definitely don’t ask us for that info because we don’t have any way of knowing what you would pay. We know how much it costs when its empty…

·         CHOOSE YOUR ROOMATES CAREFULLY. Yeah… I really can’t stress this enough Do they respect their own property? If not they probably won’t respect ours or yours and that sort of behavior can be fatal to a security deposit.  Also, if your roommate doesn’t pay their share of the rent guess who does? (hint: It isn’t me) (extra hint: It’s you!) If a roommate wants to leave, a Roommate Removal Addendum will need to be completed. PLEASE NOTE: The security deposit is tied to the lease not the tenants. If a roommate leaves the deposit stays, regardless of who paid it. So…choose your roommate carefully!!

·         PARKING. Is parking assigned? How many cars can you have on the premises? Can you wash your car in your own driveway? Are there any off-street parking options? Are you allowed to service your car on premises? You may be asking yourself, “Why wouldn’t I be able to wash or service my own car on the premises?” Well, besides the risk of certain hazards, a lot of water use and oil spills cost money and can cause rent to go up so many properties don’t allow that to keep costs down and pass the savings on to you!

·         THE AREA. Proximity to shopping, public transportation routes, restaurants, school zones and nightlife.  Personally, I won’t live anywhere that isn’t within five miles of a Muchas Gracias Mexican Restaurant. Don’t judge me, I’m weak.

·         RENTERS INSURANCE. Definitely get some. Our insurance doesn’t cover your belongings so we require all tenants to have a policy. You should be covered as much as we are.

·         FOR THE RECORDS: Where are you going to keep your docs? Get a file box or cabinet and put the lease agreement, Security deposit receipt, move-in walkthrough, landlord’s address and contact info, rent receipts and cancelled checks, and any other documents related to your tenancy. The shoe box full of papers is a bad system.  Our online tenant portal will also store important docs for you online.

So that’s it for today, thanks for reading and tune in next time and I’ll try to make an interesting blog about security deposits. I do so love a challenge

Austin J. M. Caylor

Trivia time!

Everyone likes pointless trivia so today I am going to share with you some little known facts to enrich your trivia database. Next time you don't have anything interesting to say or your friends are being boring you can spruce up the convo with one of these little known tidbits.

Steven Spielberg is a vid game champ

and once scored over a million points on the classic arcade "Missile Command" while on the set of E.T.! He seems like a great choice to direct the video game epic, "Ready Player One".

Local Rock makes it big.

As a child, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson lived for a bit in Vancouver. His father, Rocky Johnson, was a professional wrestler and competed for a time with Pacific Northwest Wrestling.

Willie Nelson had a radio show in Vancouver.

Willie lived for a few years in Vancouver, where he ran a radio show. It wasn't long before he was on the road again. Thanks for stopping by, Willie!

Banana Candy DOES taste like bananas.

Just not the bananas we eat today. They are flavored after the Gros Michael banana, which went into decline because of the Panama disease. That is sad because bananas are pretty "meh but banana candy is where it's AT!

Unicorns aren't real!?

Well don't tell Scotland that. The unicorn is the national animal of Scotland!

El Colacho

Is a festival in the Spanish town of Castrillo de Murcia where people dress up as the devil and jump over babies.  Yup!

Here are the DEETS on catnip.

Catnip is 10X more repellent than DEET for repelling mosquitos. As a bonus it attracts cats! Yay!

Sharks are nicer than dogs.

Well maybe not nicer but a whole lot less bloodthirsty. More people were killed by dogs in 2002 than were killed by sharks in the previous 100 years!

Salvador Dali was generously thrifty

having gotten out of paying for drinks and meals by drawing on the checks, making them priceless and un-cashable works of art!

Hawaii is the only state to have a royal palace.

 It is also the only state with a union jack on its flag!

Women often go into labor during storms

I couldnt find a pic o a storm baby so I used a baby Storm

because of the drop in barometric pressure, hence the term, "storm babies". When it rains it pours! Lol.

Do you hate the national debt?

Well, if you are a stupid person, you can donate towards it. Yes, the gov't accepts donations towards the national debt and people actually donate!!

Rental requirements for island properties of Vancouver

If you are currently living in one of our rental properties you are fully aware of the importance of quality living conditions. Having a safe, clean, and attractive home has such a profound impact on the quality of life that great steps must be taken to preserve that safety, cleanliness, and attractiveness.  Here at Island Properties we believe we have found a great way to preserve those desirable aspects without being too exclusive. In order to provide a safe place for people from all over the world to live side by side in peace we have a list of requirements that must be met. It might seem like we are just being picky or trying solely to preserve our investment (and that is part of it) but the requirements are in place as part of a bigger effort that we all benefit from.Rental requirements for island properties of Vancouver

Island Properties of Vancouver Rental Requirements are as Follows:

No Evictions in the last 7 years

No Felonies in the last 7 years

No money owed to previous landlords

No Money owed to previous utility companies

Applicants must make 2.5x the rent amount monthly

We also will deny an applicant based on non-felonious criminal activity on a case-by-case basis.

No Evictions in the last 7 years

Evictions are a big deal. They are a costly and time consuming process and are generally considered a last resort. Refusal to pay rent, causing excessive damages, or engaging in dangerous or illegal activity are all reasons for an eviction and the reason why many companies won't rent to someone if they have an eviction any time in the past decade! As I said it is a difficult process and everyone involved will definitely want to come up with another solution so if you get evicted, you really messed up. Would you want us to approve a tenant next door to you that just got out of prison for making meth in their apartment, or that destroyed their last unit while blacked-out after drinking 3 FourLokos? Of course you don't. I mean - that's a total of 12 LOKOS!!!

Don't drink this and trash your apartment or we wont rent to you.

No Felonies in the last 7 years

Similar to the evictions rule, this rule is about maintaining the security of our tenants and preserving our investment in the community. Felonies are serious business and one of the (many) reasons why you don't want one is that it will make it difficult to find quality housing.

No money owed to previous landlords or utility companies

The prior evictions and felonies rule is pretty standard across the board but Island Properties stands out a little in the way we approach a prospective tenant's financial history. For example, many property managers will check your credit and may deny or approve you based on your score and how many debts you have. At Island we really aren’t super concerned with your score and we don't really care if you owe $100,000 in medical debts or student loans. We DO care if you owe money to past landlords as that tells us you aren't making rent a priority. We also care if you owe money to previous utility companies as that will prevent you from getting utility service (which is required).

Applicant must make 2.5 times the rent amount every month.

If your rent is $1100/month you will need to earn at least $2750/month. This tells us that you do have the ability to pay your bills AND rent and are less likely to have issues down the road.

So that is the gist of our rental requirements. Not the whole picture but the most important parts. I would also like to take this time to pass on a little extra info about the application process….

HONESTY IS GOOD!

You may not know this but all of us property managers talk. We meet twice a month in a damp, candlelit mausoleum around a giant stone table and we wear dark robes tell our woeful tales over the sound of chanting while drinking goblets of tenant blood. Actually we are just happy to share info with each other regarding previous tenants (when authorized of course) because it protects not just our investment but our renters as well. We also perform background and credit checks as well as look you up on social media (that's correct, I totally FB stalk you). People like to think they are sneaky and try to omit certain material facts in the hopes that we won't find out. We will. We almost always do. It's how we separate the wheat from the chaff

Sometimes people will just lie to us thinking we won't check. They'll tell us they rent an apartment for $2000/month but then we screen them we find out they are just freeloading off of their mother. Freeloading on your parents won't get you denied but lying to us might so be honest.

YOUR DOG MIGHT NOT GET APPROVED EVEN IF YOU DO.

First thing first, dogs are better than people. They just are. However, our insurance company has some issues with certain breeds of dog (because insurance companies are dumb). Dogs like Pitbulls, Dobermans, Direwolves, and three-headed devil-hounds are all on the "restricted breed list" which is imposed by our insurance company. Personally I think that is idiotic but I don't make the rules. I will say this though, if I ask you what kind of dog you have and you say," Oh, he is a mix, some black lab and stuff…." I will know that you have a Pitbull. If you tell me that you have a Staffordshire terrier and an American bulldog I will know that you have two Pitbulls. If I look at your mutt and it is a Pitbull I will call it a Pitbull. There are ways around the breed restrictions so just ask and don't lie to me, people try it all day every day.

So there you have it, the rental requirement breakdown. Hopefully now you begin to appreciate all we do for you! ;-)

Things I learned from video games

I don't really get out a lot so these days so I will write what I know, video games. Video games can teach us a lot about life. Sometimes the whole premise of a game can be one lesson for example:

Pong is a respectful debate between two opposing viewpoints. Point and counterpoint until one side can no longer defend their position from a well-placed and well timed argument.

Tetris is about cascading problems that are in fact opportunities. It's about prioritization and handling problems one at a time. Once everything is in place the problem disappears.

Pitfall Harry is about life and goals. The road is never easy and great rewards call for great risk. You can avoid risk by staying still but you will never get anywhere. Life has pitfalls and predators.

Frogger is about being outgunned and overpowered. A frog out of water if you will. You can't fight the flow of traffic but you can avoid getting killed in it. You can make it home without directly battling every difficulty. Sometimes it is easier to wait your turn and time your moves.

Some of the newer games are far more complex and are able to fill the world they create with all sorts of lessons. For Instance:

1.) If you run into enemies and obstacles, you are going the right way. Meaning your success might be a problem for other people. They will try to retard your progress but you gotta push through. Also, nothing worth having or doing is going to be easy. If it wasn't a challenge you would already have it.

2.) Life gets harder as you progress but if you spend your time well you will be prepared for the challenges. Think about it, most kids have it pretty easy and adults not as much but I would rather be an adult.

3.) The age of your character is not as important as your level. If you are willing to grind on minor missions and smaller challenges you will be better prepared. The world is full of level-10 70 year olds and level-70 Ten year olds.

4.) The world is a big beautiful place and you need to explore it. There is fresh new content everywhere you look and you will never see a hero of a video game save the world from his hometown or his sofa. You must explore and assess. You must get out of your comfort zone, no progress was ever made in the comfort zone.

5.) The worst monsters you will ever encounter will be other people. The worst non-human terrors are usually imaginary.

So there you have it. Some life lessons from video games written by a person who literally doesn't leave his house and just plays VGs all day.

Fourth of July Fun (That doesn't involve lighting fireworks)

This week on the Island Properties blog I have some suggestions for a fun fourth o’ July that doesn't involve burning our units down or getting fined hundreds of dollars! As you are no doubt aware, FIREWORKS ARE BANNED BY ISLAND PROPERTIES AND THE CITY OF VANCOUVER! So if you weren’t sure what to do, maybe the answer lies within. On the other hand, maybe not because honestly I wrote this at the last minute and some of the ideas aren’t really that clever like my day drinking idea. Anybody could have thought of that.

FIREWORKS

Good news for dogs, PTSD sufferers, and property managers: fireworks have been banned in Clark County (and Island Properties). If you want to watch some fireworks I suggest going to one of the following fireworks shows.

Fort Vancouver fireworks show,

http://4th.fortvan.org/

City of Ridgefield  fireworks show and parade

http://www.ridgefield4th.com/1852.html

City of Camas Riverside Concert and fireworks

http://www.ridgefield4th.com/1852.html

Look, I get it, you love to blow stuff up but we cannot allow the use of fireworks on Island Properties grounds. The risk of fire and injury is just too high, not to mention it is illegal. Keep in mind that even though fireworks have been banned I am sure we will still hear some so if you do have a skittish dog or some PTSD you might consider getting out of town which brings me to my next 4th of July idea….

CAMPING

Nice tent placement. Wake up and walk into the creek!

The fourth of July is all about America and what better way to celebrate than by getting out in it? Pack up the tent and kids and dogs and beers and dirt bikes and fishing poles and s’mores and hard liquor and just settle in for a few days in the woods. It’s good for the body and good for the soul. Just remember to clean up after yourself, people who don’t clean their campsites deserve to be sterilized.

Camping in the woods is also a great place to try….

DAY DRINKING!

Linus knows what's up.

‘Murica! On the 4th of July it is considered socially acceptable to start drinking during the day. Heck! Why even wait till noon!? I know this isn’t an original idea but it is a really good one because beer.

 

 

 

 

BACKYARD MOTORSPORT

Mad Max Vancouver

The owner of the company has a 4th of July tradition of racing his friends in beat up cars around a dirt track in a field somewhere. I know that isn’t really something you can do because we would evict you in a heartbeat, I just wanted to brag about how cool my boss is. Sorry, not sorry.

STUDY YOUR HISTORY

Who the heck is this Columbus loser?

Did you know that George Washington didn’t actually have wooden teeth? They were made from human teeth pulled from his slaves. I bet they didn’t teach you that in school! Turns out that a lot of stuff they taught us wasn’t exactly accurate like how Columbus discovered America. As it turns out there was a whole bunch of people already living here, seriously they’re still here, ask them!

Fourth of July is an excellent time to teach yourself and your kids a bit about how and why this country was formed. Doesn’t that sound like fun, a history lesson on your vacation!?

What? That doesn’t sound fun? Well maybe you would like to go clean your room or for that matter…

CLEAN YOUR UNIT AND DO YOUR YARD WORK!!

Clean your dang room.

Remember when you would complain to your mom about being bored and she would tell you to clean your room? Well don’t complain to me cuz you prolly ain’t even got your grass cut! Serious it’s the green season and the yards and grounds are rich with new growth, new growth that needs to be killed immediately. Seriously if you people don’t maintain your yards then I have to come and slip notices into your door when you aren’t looking and nobody likes that.

FUN FOR CHEAP! (originally posted 7/17)

“Money can’t buy happiness but it can buy a boat and that is pretty close.”  - Bill Hicks, I think

While it is true that fun is easier had with money it is not impossible to enjoy one’s self without going broke. This week on Tales from the Blog Cabin I will explore and advise on cost efficient methods of recreation. With kids out of school eating all your food and breaking your furniture it is not only desirable but important to minimize the amount of time spent indoors during these warmer months so I have put my considerable intellect to the task of compiling a short list of summertime diversions that are not only fun, but cheap as well. You’re welcome.

Washington State Discover Pass (Annual)

Head on over to http://www.discoverpass.wa.gov/133/Where-to-Buy to purchase an Annual Discover Pass. For $30-$35 the Discover Pass allows you to enjoy millions of acres of Washington state-managed recreation lands – including state parks, water-access points, heritage sites, wildlife and natural areas, trails and trailheads for the entire year! That will give the little monsters a place to run wild and you a chance to sit down. By the water. With a fishing pole.

Get outside and enjoy it before they all get sold off.

 

Drink at Home!

It’s only lame if you are. Instead of going out with friends to a bar, buying food and drinks, calling an Uber, etc. why not just buy booze and mixer at the store, invite your friends by and have an old school soiree in the yard? Shall we do a comparison? At the bar you can spend too much money for bottom-shelf, watered-down drinks while getting jostled by frat boys who don’t know how hats work or you can have a classy evening engagement with your finest friends while getting trashed in your own yard! See!? I told you it was a good idea.

These bros want to buy you a Jaeger and show you their frat house.

Play Video Games

I know you are thinking I am crazy and video games aren’t cheap but you are wrong and I am right and I will explain why. You either already have a video game system or you don’t. If you have one you only need to buy a few games which, if carefully chosen, will give you MANY hours of entertainment from the safety and comfort of your own home. If you do not NOT own a system already then you certainly don’t need to buy the newest thing on the market. You probably have 30 years’ worth of catching up to do. Go buy a used Xbox for $50 bucks and a fistful of games and you will have endless hours of fun. By the time you have played all those the newest systems will be old and cheap. Boom.

Good Weather = Fun

This is a classic poor person trick from my childhood and I have spent many a fine summer hour in the halcyon days of my bucolic Idaho childhood enjoying this relaxing activity. All you need to know is that when the weather is nice, sitting outside is considered an acceptable activity. That’s it. Just take a chair outside and then sit in it. Try not to stare directly at the sun.

This is the basest and one the most satisfying forms of entertainment.

I hope you have a lot of fun with this and are able to pay your rent on time with all the money I just saved you. Like I said before, you’re welcome.

A Blog for Dad

In honor of father's day, this week's blog is dedicated to all things dad, all the daddest things I can think of compiled here for your education and enjoyment. We shall cover such topics as BBQ'ing, dad-fashion, lawn maintenance, and how to perfectly pack a cooler for optimum functionality and coldness distribution.

First off, if you are a dad let's get you comfortable. That means it's time to kick off your shoes and go sit in…DAD'S CHAIR! You know the one, it's a little older but incredibly comfy. The kids can sit in it but their little butts better clear out when dad rolls up.

Now that you have your feet up let's get a cold one in ya.

That hits the spot, proper dad fuel. You earned it after all that mowing you just did. BTW, excellent job with the lawn pattern, very pro.

Ya know, now that the lawn looks so good maybe we should fire up the ol' grill and cook some brats, eh? Slow down, tiger! First we need to pack the cooler!

A perfectly packed cooler is truly a thing of beauty and every dad know this. It start with drinks, beer on one side a sodas on the other. The drink should be spaced approx. ½" apart to allow ice flow. On top of the cans go the ice. Not too much ice because you still need room for the food which will only be half covered in ice to prevent soggy buns. Condiments off to the side.

Brings a tear to the eye, doesn't it.

Allright! The lawn looks great, the cooler is packed, you have some James Tayler playing on the boombox, and you are ready to light the grill but first let's talk dad fashion. Here is what you will need:

Baggy cargo short

Sandals with socks

Hawaiian tee or comfy cotton tee that you have had since high school

Ragged ball cap

Sunglasses

Comical apron

That's It! You are dressed for success, your yard looks great, the cooler is cold, the grill is hot, and the world is your oyster. Congrats, you are the daddest dad who ever dadded. Let's cook some brats, eh?

Why You Shouldn't Smoke (In Your Apartment)

                Hello My Pretties, Today I will be talking about smoking in your unit and why, if you do it, you are gross and a jerk.

Obviously you don't need me to tell you that smoking is bad for you. You know that. You also know how cool smoking makes you look and you figure it's worth it but I got news for you: as a fellow smoker I can tell you conclusively that it doesn't make you look cool. I've never looked cool in my entire life. This post is mostly about smoking in your unit but I think I can squeeze in some health lessons as well. Perhaps I'm just trying to convince myself to quit at this point. Anyways, why would I tell you when I can show you?

                First off, below you will find a photo of what smoking in your house does to your walls. It coats them in brown, stinky, sticky nicotine and tar. Do you see those spots on the walls where there was art hanging? Well the art is ruined now as well, as is all the furniture, bedding, carpets, and everything else in your home.

Now think about what your lungs look like? I'll give you a hint, they look like this.

Here is what your deposit will look like

So, in closing, don't smoke at all because it's gross and we will take all your money. You may think it isn't doing anything or that we won't notice but trust me, it does and we will.