no more renting in Petal ?

[onlyme]

We are looking for a rental house for the next two years and were interested in the Petal area. Today a realtor told my husband that the mayor of Petal wants to eliminate rental housing in Petal, only houses for sale will be permitted. What is that about? :confused:

[SouthChic]

I don't know onlyme. I live in Petal and haven't heard that one. :smt102

[Butterball]

Hmmm, they want to limit / control the types of folk allowed in the 'bedroom community', eh?

Sounds like something the Petal Gov't would come up with......

[ynotme297]

thats b.s. pm me and i will try to help you. the fact is, there is very little good rent places left.

[Conveyor Belt]

As a homeowner in Petal, I wish they would eliminate rental houses.

However, there are still rental houses in Petal, they're just inspected now to make sure they meet certain codes.

[onlyme]

thats b.s. pm me and i will try to help you. the fact is, there is very little good rent places left.

Yes, we found that out today :smt118
The houses in question are outside of Petal on Sunrise Road and are new constructions. Hubby is a bit overwhelmed right now, cruising through town and trying to find a suitable house. I guess he didn't pay too much attention to the realtor's remarks and there is not much I can do from here except ask you guys :smt102
Ms.Realtor Lady was supposed to call him back as soon as she found out more about this new regulation, but we have not heard from her since this morning.

[onlyme]

As a homeowner in Petal, I wish they would eliminate rental houses.

I can see how apartment complexes and run down homes might ruin the neighborhood and I do understand the concerns of the homeowners.It just does not make it any easier for us clean, quiet and financially stable renters who just need a home for a couple of years. The house we are renting now looks better than it did when we moved in.

[ynotme297]

all rent properties have to be inspected every 2 years before another rental permit is granted. they must all be up to code or they won't get certified.

[nooskye]

all rent properties have to be inspected every 2 years before another rental permit is granted. they must all be up to code or they won't get certified.


LoL! Why can't they extend that to the other areas???????? Our rental is a POS that we are sinking money into, and in some aspects, it could be pretty dangerous if the conditions were right ... but like most others, we are stuck because of the shortage ... :smt102 ... do what we gotta do, I guess, but I really wish the person who actually owns the home (and gets the tax breaks from the home) would sink his own money into it instead of us :(

[Tully Mars]

LoL! Why can't they extend that to the other areas???????? Our rental is a POS that we are sinking money into, and in some aspects, it could be pretty dangerous if the conditions were right ... but like most others, we are stuck because of the shortage ... :smt102 ... do what we gotta do, I guess, but I really wish the person who actually owns the home (and gets the tax breaks from the home) would sink his own money into it instead of us :(

I think that is exactly the point. The policy is intended to accomplish two things: First and foremost to protect the renter from substandard housing conditions and secondly, to require property owners to properly maintain their rental houses or apartments and not put that burden on the folks that are renting from them. If you take a good hard look around Petal you will see that Petal has quite a bit of rental property. Most of it has historically been poorly maintained.

I really don't think that the administration has a bias against rental property per se. I do think that they want to see standards improved across the board and rentals are one aspect of it. I do know for a fact that the Planning Commission just this week approved a development that will include rental property and approved it overwhelmingly.

[SoMissTV]

For what it's worth, there's a house two doors down from me for sale. It's a nice, quiet neighborhood in south Hattiesburg. PM me for details.

[onlyme]

all rent properties have to be inspected every 2 years before another rental permit is granted. they must all be up to code or they won't get certified.

That makes more sense. However, my husband called yesterday and told me some "horror stories" about rentals he had seen. Those benchmarks must not be set very high :smt119 - or the landlords never inspect the homes while they are rented and don't care that the people they took in destroy the property.

[James Moore]

Onlyme,
The city has no say whether or not an owner of a single family residence chooses to rent his house or occupy it himself. We do require a rental permit for all rental properties. Also, any investor can buy or build single family homes and rent them as long as they obtain a rental permit and have the property pass inspections every two years.

The rental inspection ordinance is taking time to phase in as it can be difficult to determine in some cases if a home is renter or home owner occupied. To date we probably have just under half the rental properties permitted and inspected but are making daily progress. It sounds like your husband may have seen some that have reasons to evade our radar. Thanks for looking at Petal as your choice of residence.

James Moore, Alderman Ward 4, Petal

[onlyme]

Onlyme,
The city has no say whether or not an owner of a single family residence chooses to rent his house or occupy it himself. We do require a rental permit for all rental properties. Also, any investor can buy or build single family homes and rent them as long as they obtain a rental permit and have the property pass inspections every two years.

The rental inspection ordinance is taking time to phase in as it can be difficult to determine in some cases if a home is renter or home owner occupied. To date we probably have just under half the rental properties permitted and inspected but are making daily progress. It sounds like your husband may have seen some that have reasons to evade our radar. Thanks for looking at Petal as your choice of residence.

James Moore, Alderman Ward 4, Petal

Thank you, that makes sense. We have not given up hope yet :)

[pEtAl mIsFiT]

Don't give up Petal has wonderful schools for you kids to attend. It is a smaller city that is growing fast. I think you and your family will be happy in Petal. The Sunrise/Macedonia area is nice and out of the city limits. I live off of 42 and like the location on this side of town.
I will be glad to help if you need anything.
How was your hubbys visit.
Don't know if you know our schools website www.petalschools.com

[selmore]

We are looking for a rental house for the next two years and were interested in the Petal area. Today a realtor told my husband that the mayor of Petal wants to eliminate rental housing in Petal, only houses for sale will be permitted. What is that about? :confused:

It sounds like the Realtor wants to sell you a house.

[Conveyor Belt]

BTW, which realtor are you using???

[onlyme]

BTW, which realtor are you using???

I think we contacted just about every realtor in town, LOL. I know he spoke to ReMax, London and Stetelman, Shoemaker Properties, Best Realty and at least one other that I cannot remember, somewhere in Oak Grove. At this point we are just looking for houses to rent, so we are not stuck with any one realtor.

[jmb]

Have you talked to 543Listguy? He's a member here and is a realtor...a real nice guy.

[nthemedia]

I used to rent in petal. You cna get a much bigger house for less than hattiesburg (apartments too)

However, Ishee realty are scumbags. They took me to court because I havent moved out by August 31 2005. (as I was scheduled)

Needless to say they didnt win, and the judge himself called them scumbags.

[Conveyor Belt]

I was just asking, onlyme...

I had a bad experience with one realtor, so we switched to another, at random, and found someone we really liked... Glad we made the switch. The realtor we ended up with showed us the homes WE wanted to look at, not the homes THEY were listing, or the homes their son was building... in a strange twist, we ended up buying a home the other realtor's son was building... had to laugh at that one...

[onlyme]

Have you talked to 543Listguy? He's a member here and is a realtor...a real nice guy.

No, I have not yet. My better ( debatable :) ) half is coming back tomorrow and we plan another house hunting trip in about 4-6 weeks. At least he has an idea of the area now and knows his way around.

[onlyme]

I used to rent in petal. You cna get a much bigger house for less than hattiesburg (apartments too)

However, Ishee realty are scumbags. They took me to court because I havent moved out by August 31 2005. (as I was scheduled)

Needless to say they didnt win, and the judge himself called them scumbags.

Ooops, that is one of the realtors he is talking to :smt118 . She showed him some new construction outside of Petal that may or may not be for rent. She was going to talk to the owner/builder today. Thanks for the warning.

[drew t]

I rented from Ishee Realty for 5 years and have always found them to be very fair and great landlords. I bought a house from them last year. Don't believe everything you read on this forum.

[Conveyor Belt]

Use realtor.com... my wife and I used it exclusivley. We'd look up houses, then go drive by them. If it was new construction and the locks weren't on the doors, we'd go look around by ourselves and see if we liked the layout, etc. If it already had the locks, that's when the realtor came into play. Linda from Delois smith helped us find a lender and walked us through the steps since we were first time home buyers...

[SoMissTV]

I was very happy with Sandy Wright at REMAX.

[Maggie-Doodle]

Have you talked to 543Listguy? He's a member here and is a realtor...a real nice guy.


I agree with jmb, you can't do better than 543listguy. By the way, he is also in the military..he has been deployed several times...he will treat you right. He is also ex-HPD.

[onlyme]

Use realtor.com... my wife and I used it exclusivley. We'd look up houses, then go drive by them. If it was new construction and the locks weren't on the doors, we'd go look around by ourselves and see if we liked the layout, etc. If it already had the locks, that's when the realtor came into play. Linda from Delois smith helped us find a lender and walked us through the steps since we were first time home buyers...

I love realtor.com, but at this point we are only looking for rental houses.
Thanks anyway :)

[onlyme]

I agree with jmb, you can't do better than 543listguy. By the way, he is also in the military..he has been deployed several times...he will treat you right. He is also ex-HPD.

I just checked the member list and my husband did get in contact with the person that listguy is recommending for rental homes.
It'll all work out. Not this time, but I am confident that we will find a suitable home before we invade the South this summer :)

[pEtAl mIsFiT]

I wish you all the best of luck.

[firefly]

We sold our house out in rural Jones Co. through Ishee & they found us our home that we have been living in for almost 8 years here in Petal & they were the BEST!:smt102

[mac]

The realtor just wants to sell you a house instead of find a rental. There's a rental available in my neighborhood (in Petal). PM me and I'll give you the address and the phone number to call. Would love to have more good folks move in.

[onlyme]

The realtor just wants to sell you a house instead of find a rental. There's a rental available in my neighborhood (in Petal). PM me and I'll give you the address and the phone number to call. Would love to have more good folks move in.

Thanks for the offer. We found in house in Hattiesburg last month :clap:

[jmb]

Thanks for the offer. We found in house in Hattiesburg last month :clap: That's great! When will you be moving?

[onlyme]

That's great! When will you be moving?

We plan to leave here around June 27th and - according to my husband - it should not take us more than 3 days to make it to Hattiesburg ( but he isn't the one driving the loaded van with two whiny kids and a carsick dog ).

[jmb]

We plan to leave here around June 27th and - according to my husband - it should not take us more than 3 days to make it to Hattiesburg ( but he isn't the one driving the loaded van with two whiny kids and a carsick dog ).

I'll be back up here by the time you get down. Stuck in a moving van for 3 days doesn't sound like fun. We'll have to get the MH welcome wagon on the ball! You'll be ready for a MH get-together! :)

[No-Halo]

We could all chip in and buy Noway a oneway ticket up there, he could drive the moving van down here with the kids and dog...it's the least we could do for another MH member. :smt023

[onlyme]

There is something to be said for Southern Hospitality :clap:
I didn't mean to imply that I am in the actual moving van, I meant my own, personal minivan which will be packed to the gills. The Army will pack us up, at least I don't have to worry about that part.
I am definitely looking forward to meeting MH members :cheers:

[No-Halo]

Either way we'll still welcome the chance to send Noway up there with a oneway ticket. :smt118

[cdodson]

Does anyone know of any FSBOs in the Petal area? I plan to relocate from Columbus in a month.

[petalmom]

You wouldn't be interested in a 3/2 mobile home would you? My daughter and family are about to move in to their new house and theirs is for sale. It was purchased new and is about 4 years old. Other than some minor wear and tear (primarily carpets need to be cleaned) it's in very good condition. It is currently located in one of the few but nicest mobile home parks in Petal.

[mac]

RR-- They came out here to approve our sewer tie in (which was screwed up in the first place partly because of them) and told my husband we have to put the house number ON THE HOUSE. Having it on the mailbox is not good enough. That seems nit picky to me. I am all about getting rid of dilapidated buildings and enforcing codes, but putting numbers ON my house would be ugly, in my opinion.

[ynotme297]

`well, i want house numbers on my house. my mail box sits beside two other boxes on a common stand and the numbers are small and hard to see at night. my wife has serious health problems and i have some heart problems, sooooo, i don't want emergency folks spending a lot of time looking for me. the uglier the better. just come get when i call.

[dollfus46]

We have been renting the house we are in for 3 years. The inspector came recently, and I was a bit put off that he seemed more interested in aesthetics than function. I expected him to check the electrical (which he did not), check that all the plumbing works (which he did not), etc. He seemed more interested in the fact that the roof on the storage shed wayyyyy in the back was not sound (you can't see it from the street), and the water heater ... which actually does need replacing. He checked all the smoke detectors ... good practice also. I don't feel like its any business of the city as to what the interior of your house looks like ... not that ours is bad by any means. If it looks bad .. just don't rent it ... hello?

I'm wondering if the city even has the right to tell you you can't rent out a house you own. Seems to me to be overstepping a property owner's rights. I don't know. I'd really get bent if they tried to tell me I couldn't rent to someone.

[ynotme297]

you can rent to whom ever you want. you must get a rental permit and have the property inspected every two years. no problem. this hopefully will stop slumlords from ripping folks off by renting substandard housing. about 33% of all the housing in petal is rental properties.

[carsalesguy]

is the other 66% crap then?

[ynotme297]

no car, there are quite a lot of really nice older homes for sale and rent. a lot of building contractors are buying them, fixing them up and selling them.

[Maggie-Doodle]

RR-- They came out here to approve our sewer tie in (which was screwed up in the first place partly because of them) and told my husband we have to put the house number ON THE HOUSE. Having it on the mailbox is not good enough. That seems nit picky to me. I am all about getting rid of dilapidated buildings and enforcing codes, but putting numbers ON my house would be ugly, in my opinion.


The numbers are there so the emergency personnel can find your house if need be. I can't tell you how many calls I went on when I worked the streets and I couldn't find the house because there were no numbers. Many a times your life may depend on either the p.d., f.d. or e.m.s. finding you in a timely manner.

If you only have several numbered mailboxes in a row by the steet, how do you know exactly which house the box goes to? Lowe's has an assortment of really nice numbers for sale, wooden ones and brass too...I am sure you could find something that would look good either on your house or on a sign close to your front door.

[mac]

The numbers are there so the emergency personnel can find your house if need be. I can't tell you how many calls I went on when I worked the streets and I couldn't find the house because there were no numbers. Many a times your life may depend on either the p.d., f.d. or e.m.s. finding you in a timely manner.

If you only have several numbered mailboxes in a row by the steet, how do you know exactly which house the box goes to? Lowe's has an assortment of really nice numbers for sale, wooden ones and brass too...I am sure you could find something that would look good either on your house or on a sign close to your front door.


Well, that makes sense. It's crystal clear in our case, but I could see how it could get confusing. I delivered pizzas one summer years ago, and hated trying to find houses that had nothing to show which was which. I wouldn't mind putting one of those stakes in the ground near the front porch with the number on it; I just don't want anything ON the house. (The first thing that popped into my mind was those vinyl sticker numbers.)

[Imapepper]

I can't tell you how many calls I went on when I worked the streets and......

Oh maggie-do, say it ain't so???? :laugh::laugh::laugh:


Just fooling wit cha, girl. I agree there are some ways to put numbers on the house that will look attractive. It really is essential for the emergency services people to know where to go when they are called!

[Maggie-Doodle]

Oh maggie-do, say it ain't so???? :laugh::laugh::laugh:


Just fooling wit cha, girl. I agree there are some ways to put numbers on the house that will look attractive. It really is essential for the emergency services people to know where to go when they are called!



DUH! WRONG word to use I suppose! :-D Maybe I should have said "when I was on street patrol" Teach me to read what I write BEFORE I hit the send button. :smt105

[cyc46]

For what it's worth, there's a house two doors down from me for sale. It's a nice, quiet neighborhood in south Hattiesburg. PM me for details.

hey I'd like some details on that house.

[SoMissTV]

hey I'd like some details on that house.

That post was made in March. The house is no longer available.

[dollfus46]

you can rent to whom ever you want. you must get a rental permit and have the property inspected every two years. no problem. this hopefully will stop slumlords from ripping folks off by renting substandard housing. about 33% of all the housing in petal is rental properties.

Now I think that's the way every city in the U.S. should be. Good for Petal.:clap::clap:

[kevin]

Ishee cost me over a thousand bucks. They don't take care of their properties I had to pay for everything in need of repair. I have friends in Ishee but they really let me down. As far as someone with rental houses I know a lady that has plenty there just not that nice. I'll move back in a few years and buy outside town. Oh is it true have they gotten rid of the trailor parks in town I heard they were. I haven't been back to Petal in a while now!

[Fish-Bait]

No, I am pretty sure the trailer parks are still there. I think the ordinance says if they were there before the ord. signing date they can remain. The admin over in Petal has done alot of stuff, but they are not gonna lay their cahunas out on the choppin' blocks and try to rid the city of trailer parks. All hell will break loose if they do. It wont' be just Petalites either. They will come from the outside of town too.

[petalgirl00]

the one on hillcrest is gone.

[Fish-Bait]

If they are kicking people out of their homes I am calling FOX. Give me proof. I got e-mail and all that stuff I'll call em'. When you wrong people you wrong em'. Unless the city gives em' all the taxpayer's cash. James????? 'splain to us please.

[James Moore]

The trailer park on Hillcrest is no more due to a decision made by the owner of the park.

When it came time for his trailers to be inspected I think he made a financial decision in his best interest and closed the park and removed the trailers.

Once the park was vacated the land was rezoned to R-1 (single family residential) and now is not zoned as a trailer park.

I did not personally visit the mobile homes in the park but did hear first hand descriptions by those who did. You would not want your mother or even your pet living in the conditions I heard described.

If you are the type of person who wishes to invest the bare minimum in a piece of run down property and then turn around and collect someones monthly social security check as rent and do no upkeep in exchange, then Petal is not the place for you to become 'land lord'.

James Moore

[mybabysmomma]

I've rented from Ishee for a little while now. I haven't really had any troubles with them. The only drama that has happened since I rented from them was more the fault of the owner of the building than Ishee's. They've always been really prompt about getting someone out to fix whatever needed fixing (in my experience).

[Fish-Bait]

I knew we could depend on you for an explanation of the facts Mr. Moore.

[BlueDogDemocrat]

Great way to keep the Mexicans at bay, but no doubt there are some good people that will be adversely affected by this.

[James Moore]

Great way to keep the Mexicans at bay, but no doubt there are some good people that will be adversely affected by this.


???

Are you implying that good people have not been adversely affected by slum lords for decades? Or that it's OK to adversely affect some ethnic groups but not other ethnic groups?

James Moore

[sugarnspice]

Well, just my opinion, but it seems to me that the current Petal government is trying to get rid of the low to middle income folks, and that means those that can't afford to buy. There are so many rules and regulations that a landlord would have to charge ridiculous rents to break even. This city has traditionally been hard working middle class folks, but it seems that there isn't going to be much to keep them here long. And some people will probably be happy to see that. God forbid the rednecks and poor old people should get a break.

[Maggie-Doodle]

Well, just my opinion, but it seems to me that the current Petal government is trying to get rid of the low to middle income folks, and that means those that can't afford to buy. There are so many rules and regulations that a landlord would have to charge ridiculous rents to break even. This city has traditionally been hard working middle class folks, but it seems that there isn't going to be much to keep them here long. And some people will probably be happy to see that. God forbid the rednecks and poor old people should get a break.

IF the landlords would do routine maintainence along on their properties it would not cost them an arm and a leg to fix all at once. It is a shame the way some property owners let their property get and expect someone to live in it! Not only can it look bad BUT it CAN be dangerous for those living in such places!

I doubt THEY (landlords) would want to live in such squalor, why do they expect others to? Why should neighbors have to have their property values be lower because the landlord is too damn cheap to keep their property kept up?

[petalgirl00]

You can buy a house in Petal for under 80k. That mortgage payment would equal or be less than your rent payment. People need to learn how to manage their money better if they can't afford to buy a place in Petal.

[Imapepper]

Well, just my opinion, but it seems to me that the current Petal government is trying to get rid of the low to middle income folks, and that means those that can't afford to buy. There are so many rules and regulations that a landlord would have to charge ridiculous rents to break even. This city has traditionally been hard working middle class folks, but it seems that there isn't going to be much to keep them here long. And some people will probably be happy to see that. God forbid the rednecks and poor old people should get a break.

I have to disagree. Rules and regulations are in place to protect the renter, not to harm the landlord so as to require him to charge higher rent. If the landlord would keep his property in good condition in the first place, he would not have to put out "an arm and a leg" to fix it up according to code. As for charging high rents, just check around....the market is the thing that is commanding higher rents these days. Also, if renters would take better care of the property while they are renting, then it would not make the neighbors values go down.

[onlyme]

You can buy a house in Petal for under 80k. That mortgage payment would equal or be less than your rent payment. People need to learn how to manage their money better if they can't afford to buy a place in Petal.

Not everybody who is looking to rent cannot afford to buy a house. We could certainly afford a nice, big house here but we chose to rent a small, so-so house because we know that we will move again in 2 years. The plan is to move to Colorado and build our "dreamhouse" there and I am not about to be stuck with a house in MS that I cannot sell . Ergo, we sacrifice a bit now and pay a bit more but we have peace of mind, knowing that we can just "up and leave" in 2 years without having to worry about two mortgages. Don't be so quick to judge people.

[petalgirl00]

I know that. We are a military family so most of the time we rent. However, the pp was saying this rule was pricing out most of the people in Petal. In reality, it shouldnt.
I am buying a house here but its not a "nice, big" house either. It's a small one we are remodeling. It's all about what you want out of life. I just think most people COULD afford a place if they wanted to make it their priority.

[onlyme]

I know that. We are a military family so most of the time we rent. However, the pp was saying this rule was pricing out most of the people in Petal. In reality, it shouldnt.
I am buying a house here but its not a "nice, big" house either. It's a small one we are remodeling. It's all about what you want out of life. I just think most people COULD afford a place if they wanted to make it their priority.

True, especially if they are not trying to "keep up with the neighbors" and borrow boatloads more than they will ever be able to pay off.
Good luck with the remodeling :smt023

[James Moore]

... There are so many rules and regulations that a landlord would have to charge ridiculous rents to break even. ...

Sugarnspice,
All of the regulations that I'm aware of are in place to protect the renter from the potential abuse of landlords who fail to provide humane living accommodations.

Please list any regulations you feel are overly burdensome and explain how their enforcement would impact reasonable rent.

James Moore