Last Updated: October 5, 2011
Dennis Viney is proof that being a good renter pays.
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After a few minutes of negotiation with Board members at the October 3 meeting, the auto repair shop owner was able to shrug off proposed maintenance responsibilities while cutting his annual rent increase in half to a 2 percent hike annually over three years.
The 2 percent annual increases will begin next June and increase Viney’s rent about $30 each year through the end of the contract on May 31, 2015. The last rent increase this past June brought the total monthly fee to $1,460.17.
The initial deal presented by Town Chairman Kris Hampton was for Viney to see no rent increase over the next three years, but he would have to paint the building, replace the furnace if need be and replace the building's remaining single pane windows. After doing the math, Viney realized that replacing the furnace alone would wipe out any savings he would realize from the zero increase. Public Works Head Jeff Smith said the furnace was operating fine and it is rarely used since Viney heats building mostly oil fueled heating system. But he said that the furnace is about 20 years old which is usually about its life expectancy.
Replacing the windows would have been another expensive task to take on since the last one replaced cost $1,600. The reason for the extraordinary cost being that the jams are encased in the block wall, which requires extra effort to remove and additional framing expense for the replacement. Viney also was concerned that transferring the lease agreement to a new renter if he decided to move on before the three years was up would prove difficult with the maintenance requirements attached to the agreement. “I have to look at if I pull out and someone else comes in is he going to want to get into what I just dealt with,” said Viney.
But it was Viney’s “good renter” reputation that won out in the end. “You rarely see a renter who is willing to contend with maintaining the building other than wear and tear,” said Supervisor Mike Fonger.