Scumbag Tenants

[chefchris401]

so after a nice 10 hour day of working in the kitchen i went over my girls house to find that bathroom ceiling was dripping right onto the toilet and cabinet.

Called the landlord and he told her " its no big deal just use an umbrella when you have to go to the bathroom" and "ill get someone there tomorrow by noon"

well after about ten minutes the drop ceiling tile gave way and about 3 gallons of water came with it, went every where.

I decided to try and see what the problem was, looked like water was coming from the second floor apartment and leaking threw the beams.

After my girl blew top and went crazy italian attitude on him he came down.

The second floor tenants were just evicted for non payment of rent for 5 months and when the moved out they decided to jam the toilet and sink with rags and leave it on a slow drip.

Guess they were trying to get back at him, but it ruined my night and my girl was really upset.

Anyone here who is a landlord, I feel your pain, some people.

Her landlord is pretty good for the most part and he apologized for being rude about it.

Heres some pics of the make shift canopy I had to make so we could use the bathroom.

[FishnGrega]

That sucks!!! She going to be living with you till it gets fixed?

[tysdad115]

I've heard horror shows of people adding cement to the pipes before an eviction/foreclosure. Needless to say the extent of damage was done and extent of repairs to remedy it. As if the landlord hadn't lost enough from non-payment.

[FishermanTim]

Maybe he could track them down (on the hush-hush) and return the favor if they have a car that just "happened" to get something in it's gas tank, or some sort of "super" adhesive somehow gets into the door locks.
I know, retaliation isn't the answer, but it's a lot faster, cheaper and more satisfactory than any legal recourse.

I feel for the landlord, particularly if he has been a decent one.
I rented an apartment in Everett years ago, and the upstairs tenents (they couldn't verify just how many) had "built" walls to create individual rooms for each person, they cut holes between these rooms and had phone lines installed for each person.
When they left, it took the phone company months to fix the phone line for that apartment.
The owners were shocked at the conditions they created.
Besides the holes in the walls, they also erected a shrine with animal bones in one room.

This was back in the early 90's, so it didn't strike me as odd, but in hindsight, it struke me that since they were all middle-eastern men, and they ALWAYS kept the shades drawn and would peek out whenever I left or someone came by, that who knows what they were truly up to?

[O.D. Mike]

Chris that sucks!!!!

I'd be thankful that they didn't leave an upper decker.....

[HugeDinghy]

it should not only be legal, but encouraged, to beat the sht out of some people.

[Hookedagain]

That sucks Chris. At least she wasn't on the hopper when the ceiling fell. Were they Americans??

[chefchris401]

Ok as far as there car, they got that repo'd a couple months back!!

They always made sure my girl or i wasn't blocking them in, then one day they were like we want the inside spot and it's ok if you park at the end of the driveway.

I thought they were just being nice.

Then one day a tow truck shows up and backs into driveway and hooks it up. Which is tough cause the driveway is super narrow.

The repo guy was cool about it and let them get there stuff out of the car.

The girl is an x stripper and has two kids, 3 yrs old and 10 months. The 3 yr old can barely speak and gets no attention.

There not American, She's Cambodian and he's some kind of Spanish.

Like I said before I feel for anyone who's a stand up landlord, it's unfortunate that renters have more rights that the landlords in RI.
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[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by chefchris401

...and he's some kind of Spanish.

I'm hoping this was an intentional Family Guy reference because I laughed my ass off.

[chefchris401]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

I'm hoping this was an intentional Family Guy reference because I laughed my ass off.

of course it was johnny! at least one family guy reference a day at work or in general, its hard not to.

[Duke41]

I am a lanlord. You have to be very careful who you rent to. Sometimes the #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&s get through. I have a had a couple with a baby that paid their rent by doing b and e's. Their criminal career peaked (imploded) when they robbed a jewelry store and gun point. A real Bonnie and Clyde deal. Also had a tenant refuse to move out, just becuase she was dead. Died of a perscription Pill OD. I saw she as still there and I was pissed. Went into the apartment with the new tenants and she was lying on the couch dead. You have to laugh.

[JohnnyD]

Owning a two or three family home is on the investment plan (hopefully) and the above stories are exactly the reason why I'd never try to get approved as Sec. 8. If I had to for some reason, I wouldn't even bother buying the house.

[fishbones]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

Owning a two or three family home is on the investment plan (hopefully) and the above stories are exactly the reason why I'd never try to get approved as Sec. 8. If I had to for some reason, I wouldn't even bother buying the house.

My understanding is that it's only worthwhile if you do get approved for section 8. At least that way, you're getting a prtion of the rent check each month sent directly from HUD. I may be wrong but I thought that's what I was told once.

[FishermanTim]

Although it doesn't apply to all in this category, most "section 8" renters don't take care of the apartment as a renter should.
Along with the hard-working, good, reliably honest renters you get the "let's see how many of my relatives and their families we can cram into this apartment without getting caught" crowd, and the "I'll pay my rent 'IF' I have money left after the new clothes (for a job they don't have), lease of a luxury car (so they can look good for
their street brethren) and something vaguely resembling child-support (for the kids they know about) crowd. Then there's the deadbeat drug crowd that remain straight and sober just long enough to get their sorry a$$es into the apartment.
Did I leave anyone out?

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by fishbones

My understanding is that it's only worthwhile if you do get approved for section 8. At least that way, you're getting a prtion of the rent check each month sent directly from HUD. I may be wrong but I thought that's what I was told once.

Hopefully 2na will pop in here and comment...

Having lived in a few apartments that had a fair portion of "Reduced Rent" units, I wouldn't want the people I was living around to be anywhere near property I owned. No respect for the people around them, lots of damage to their apartment and, like FishermanTim mentioned, about 6-8 "relatives" often living in the same 2 bedroom apartment.

You'll never be able to cull out all the incompetent pieces of trash but I'd think that a thorough background and credit check should give you a good idea of whom you're renting to.

[fishbones]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

Hopefully 2na will pop in here and comment...

Having lived in a few apartments that had a fair portion of "Reduced Rent" units, I wouldn't want the people I was living around to be anywhere near property I owned. No respect for the people around them, lots of damage to their apartment and, like FishermanTim mentioned, about 6-8 "relatives" often living in the same 2 bedroom apartment.

You'll never be able to cull out all the incompetent pieces of trash but I'd think that a thorough background and credit check should give you a good idea of whom you're renting to.

I would only rent to attractive single moms with low self-esteem. That way, if they couldn't pay the rent we'd have to work something out.

[chefchris401]

Yeah it's a tough thing to be a landlord.

Even the guy I bought my house from went thru the same deal.

He renovated the house and had it on the market, I made an offer he turned it down. No biggie.

Decided to rent it out, kid was a heroin dealer and using the house as a drop off and pick up point, driving a brand new escalade.

The guy (35 yrs old) decides he's making too much money to pay the rent, so stops paying, 4 months of no rent. Legal issues etc.

Finally gets the guy and "friends" evicted.

When he starts cleaning the house he finds 16 one gallon plastic laundry jugs full of used syringes.

The water heater and heat room was stuff floor to ceiling with dirty clothes and used needles and drug products.

After he threw them out he had to replace all the carpets and have the whole house repainted cause of smoke damage and the smell.

Guy has been a friend of the family for 30 plus years, one of the nicest guys I've ever met. He was just trying to better his families life with an investment opportunity.

He ended up accepting my offer for the house. All worked out in the end.

The x tentant has since been arrested numerous times for drug charges and been in jail in and out since.
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[2na]

uhgg - work related topic. I come here to be free of this.

I've been running my family apartment business since 1985 and I've been involved in it since I was 5, big enough to vacuum the halls, rake the leaves and shovel the snow. I could go on and on re: horror stories; fortunately mine have not been this bad. Let it suffice to say that the single most important thing that anyone who thinks of buying an income property had best be prepared to do is to qualify a prospective tenant properly and not even think of 'taking a chance', giving someone a chance because 'they seemed ok', etc. Emotion can not play any part in your decision - it must be strickly an informed business decision. The odds have to be in your favor in order to go through with it.

Rule #1: do not ever let someone take control of an asset of yours worth $100k+ unless they have good credit. Read this sentence over a couple of times, especially the part about 'an asset of yours worth $100k+'. Look what has happened to Chef's girl's landlord because he did not properly vet a prospect (and, with all due respect, renting to an ex stripper with kids and a car on the way to repo? are you kidding me?). People with good credit have established a proven track record of showing respect for their debts and obligations to others. A prospect such as this is almost a lead pipe cinch to take care of your place, less occasional bouts of unintended ignorance. It is also highly doubtful that someone with good credit will drive out your existing good tenants by having crack parties, etc. - the two character traits (good credit/crackhead) are incompatible.

Do not trust references, either landlord or employer. How do you know that the prospect hasn't just given out his friends # to you saying that 'this my landlord'? and how stupid would one have to be to give you the info on someone who they have burned? They can not f with a credit report. It does not lie. It is an impartial assesment of a prospect's creditworthiness.

A word about section 8 - there are many fine section 8 prospects. LISTEN UP! It is against the law, and can get you sued up the ying yang, to discriminate against a Sec 8. Just think of some sharp lawyer slurping your hard earned equity out of your house, and more. You can not refuse a prospect based on their Sec 8 status. But there is always rule #1 (hint hint).

Rule #2: Never ever rent to friends, family or acquaintances. Better off having someone pissed at you for a couple of years than permanently when you discover their character flaws or they decide that you are an hole because you expect the rent on time, won't let them do whatever they want 'because we're cool, right?'. Remember that these type of prospects know a lot about you - your friends, family, hangouts, etc., and if things sour everyone is going to be informed about what a wonderful human being you are. The downside to this type of business arrangement far outweighs any upside. You run a business to make money - don't let a friendship cloud your decisions. As a landlord expect to be placed in the position that you are going to have to make a lot of hard decisions that someone isn't going to like. It is your job to look out for yourself, because no one else is getting paid to do it. Violate this rule at your peril.

I could go on and on. I'll stop here. Anyone thinking of dipping their toes into the rental waters feel free to pm me.

[2na]

by the way Chris, thank you for the daily themes -

[saltfly]

AAAAAHHHHHH the Golden Rules....Thanks Mikey.

[FishermanTim]

These "rules" could even qualify when looking for roommates.

[Fishoholic]

I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum.. I have a sucmbag slum lord that never does #^&#^&#^&#^&! How is literally falling apart, most of the plumbing in the basement leaks, I have to use a toilet plunger to get the bathtub to drain(last tenants were scum and poured kitty litter down the drains) . I see him one day a month..the first saturday.. Also aren't landlords responsible for snow removal? . I'd love to move out but it's just not possible.. yet.

[fishaholic18]

Originally Posted by Duke41

I am a lanlord. You have to be very careful who you rent to. Sometimes the #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&s get through. I have a had a couple with a baby that paid their rent by doing b and e's. Their criminal career peaked (imploded) when they robbed a jewelry store and gun point. A real Bonnie and Clyde deal. Also had a tenant refuse to move out, just becuase she was dead. Died of a perscription Pill OD. I saw she as still there and I was pissed. Went into the apartment with the new tenants and she was lying on the couch dead. You have to laugh.

Laugh over a dead person? You are a #^&#^&#^&#^&...
We all have our issues dude...have some respect.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by fishaholic18

Laugh over a dead person? You are a #^&#^&#^&#^&...
We all have our issues dude...have some respect.

I don't think any angels are shedding a tear when a pill popping criminal dies of an OD.

[chefchris401]

It gets worse, on my end! I'll post more pics and the story tomorrow after work.

Now the land lord is POS too.

More to come.
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[fishaholic18]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

I don't think any angels are shedding a tear when a pill popping criminal dies of an OD.

I recently lost a daughter same way in recovery, almost 20 years old.

[Slingah]

Originally Posted by fishaholic18

I recently lost a daughter same way in recovery, almost 20 years old.

I am not sure if I read this correctly, but if I think it says what I think it does.. having a 21 y.o. daughter I cannot begin to understand what you must be going through and I am so very sorry Dave...

[chefchris401]

Originally Posted by fishaholic18

I recently lost a daughter same way in recovery, almost 20 years old.

Sorry for your lost.

I'll be 30 this year and my mom has been dealing with drug addiction since I was 14, it's an awful thing to go thru and a tough thing to beat. It effects all walks of life and all ages, once it gets a hold of you it's very difficult to get clean.
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[2na]

Chris, if the landlord is being a db I would inform him, in writing, that unless he makes an immediate serious good faith effort to remedy the unsanitary and health threatening issues that exist in the apartment that come the 1st you/she will put the rent in escrow in addition to calling the board of health and calling a lawyer. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of an escrow account, it is an account you set up on behalf of a 3rd party (the landlord) to place his rent is a secure place until the problems are remedied (the bank will know what to do). The lawyer threat is pretty effective too. On the 1st you send him a letter telling him that the rent has been placed there along with the bank name and the account # (so he knows that you are not blowing smoke). That way he can't start eviction procedures for non-payment (but he doesn't seem to be they type). (He actually can, but if you escrow the rent your butt is covered, and the money can always be pulled out to pay the rent once he has effected repairs.)

These actions are all serious stuff and not to be used for minor issues. It sounds to me that something is called for here. Going to the board of health is probably the quickest way to get real action and the easiest path – the board will do much of the work.

All of these tactics are bridge-burning actions, so plan on finding a new place. That said, why in god's name is she still there? Vote with your feet - you can't do much worse.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by fishaholic18

I recently lost a daughter same way in recovery, almost 20 years old.

I'm sorry for your loss and no disrespect to you was intended.