Deterring Crime in Neighborhood Rentals

I make light of myself saying I'm the neighborhood informant. Please read what I have to say and you'll see what I mean. I wanted to share information about rental properties that I'm aware of to all my neighbors to "possibly" deter some future or current problems plaguing our wonderful neighborhood. I also wanted to make you aware of your "possible" liabilities if you rent to a known person engaging in criminal activities. Unless you're an experienced Landlord, own apartments or an apartment manager you may not be aware of the following information that could cause you and the neighborhood a lot of grief.

I first want to state that I'm not a lawyer and I'm not giving any kind of legal advice. I am currently a licensed Realtor in the State of Arizona and have been a practicing realtor since 1975 in the Tucson area. I also do not handle rental properties. I work primarily in new & re-sale Residential, land development and re-zoning. In stating that, I am aware of statues that I would like to share with all of you that may help and protect anyone that plans on renting a property they own in this fine city.

Forms called "Crime Free Lease Addendum & Addendum to Rental Application" were supplied to me by Becky Noel, who is in charge of Neighborhood Watch for the Midtown Division of the Tucson Police Department (Becky's direct phone # 791-4806 X1019. Email at Rebecca.Noel at tucsonaz.gov). The forms are meant to be used at the time a potential renter (Lessee/Resident) is filling out the necessary forms for renting the property. This signed addendum gives notice to the potential renter/resident and allows the owner of the property power to evict renters in 24 hours after the home owner has knowledge that the renters are engaging in illegal activities in the premises. Even if you as the owner (Lessor) don't have your renter sign a separate lease agreement to rent your property, you should consider having all parties sign these attached addendums ASAP.

Consider having the document signed even if the tenant is a friend or relative. You could possibly be liable for whom ever you rent or let occupy your property too. The Crime Free Lease Addendum refers to the "Resident, and any member(s) of the resident's household, a guest or any other person affiliated with the resident, at or near the resident premises." Unfortunately, if you ask for this form to be signed after they are already occupying the property they can refuse to sign it.

The city can serve an abatement on your property for renting to a known individual who engages in criminal activities on your property. The abatement could possibly cause your property to be seized. (I encourage anyone interested in this matter to research and verify this information.). If a home owner engages in criminal activities on the property themselves, their property can be seized too.

I'm personally interested in helping out anyway I can to help keep our neighborhood safe and a desirable neighborhood. I also would like to encourage everyone to pay attention to all activities that are going on in your neighborhood. The police need your eyes and ears to inform them of any activities that may seem to be strange or unusual. It's impossible for the police to be in our neighborhood 24/7. If you call enough times about a situation or a particular property that appears to have unusual activity around it the police may deem the property that you're calling on to be a "Public Hazard". This gives the police notice to be more aware of this property. Do not by any means try and handle any problems mentioned in the addendums yourself. You may inadvertently be notifying the criminals and jeopardize a police investigation.

I also encourage you to attend our neighborhood meetings whenever they occur. Participating in our neighborhood meeting helps the safety and well being of our neighborhood. Meeting your neighbors helps everyone know who belongs in the neighborhood. I understand some people like their privacy and may be shy. These meetings are meant to be informative and helpful to the value and safety of the neighborhood. Please don't wait for a problem to happen to participate in these meetings.

Keeping our neighborhood safe helps property values and our home owner's insurance from skyrocketing. When you sell your home, there's a form called a "Clue Report" that's supplied from your Home Owner's Insurance company and must be available to the potential buyer within the time frame of their property inspection period. If your "Clue Report" shows any kind of criminal activity, this information may cause the buyer to not be able to qualify for their loan, because their insurance rates will be very high and/or they may have the option to cancel the purchase contract.

I hope this information helps the neighborhood and prevents some of you from unknowingly causing yourself problems. **Becky Noel also supplied a list of Websites to do free back ground checks on your potential renters and/or guests. I also have other Websites that can help with all kinds of property research. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Julie Pupkoff
[email protected]