Creative ways to trick piggy tenant into keeping the apt. clean
Investor · Berwyn, IL · Member since 2015 · 64 posts · 8 votes
Creative ways to trick piggy tenant into keeping the apt. clean
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Bruce WoodruffPro Member
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votesI disagree with those that say 'if it's inside leave them alone'. A lot of damage can be caused by a messy interior - not even a gross one, just food and dishes left all over, wet towels on the ground, etc....
They'll attract rodents, bugs and more including snakes that want to feed off the rodents.
It is your business when it involves potential damage to your property.
Schedule inspections (legally of course) and note any egregious conditions. Demand that they are made right, and re-inspect in 30 days. If things are not better, then it's time to evict.
If you let this go unchecked for a long time, you will have animals and bugs building nests in your walls and attic, and then it's a huge deal to get them all cleaned out.
Don't mess with this, anyone saying it's no big deal has not been through an infestation.
9 Replies
- Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes4y
It depends on the issue. If it's clutter outside the home/unit I tell them to clean it up.
If it's literally inside their unit I'm not as picky as long as it's within reason.
If they don't want to clean their counters or their toilet - that's on them. As long as it's clean when they move out, else I will hire a cleaner and take it out of their security deposit.
As long as their dirtiness isn't causing any issues (like roaches, animal piss soaking into the floor, tobacco smoke/etc.) and they're not damaging anything I don't really care what the inside of their place looks like.
If your tenants' place reeks you could anonymously mail them some air fresheners with a note that reads For your place, you stinky, gross pig-livin' human. :-)
- Real Estate Agent · Addison, IL · Member since 2015 · 185 posts · 88 votes4y
@Tomas Satas if you ask me it’s really none of our business. If the tenant is messy enough that it’s causing damage to the property then don’t renew the lease.
Telling the tenants to be cleaner is another level of involvement that I shouldn’t need to do if you have a good tenant. Me having to watch them and police then would likely strain me and the relationship with the tenant if they’re naturally messy and you’re the one telling them they have to change that
- Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes4y
If it's just clutter, I don't baby-sit my tenants. If it's the kind of mess that creates an odor or can attract pests (mice, roaches, ants, raccoons, etc.), it may cause damage to the property (e.g. wet items left on a hardwood floor), or it's visible to the community, then I make them clean it up and pass an inspection or I terminate their lease.
You're not being the "bad guy" Landlord. You're protecting your investment. If you can't stand up to the tenant when they destroy your investment, then you're in the wrong business.
The DIY Landlord Book4.7248 Reviews - 4yTheresa HarrisPro MemberMember since 2019 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
If it is outside, then tell him to keep the yard clean. If it is inside and just a smell, leave it. It could be his cooking or something else. Everyone has different standards as long as there are no pests or mold problems...let it go.
- 4yBruce WoodruffPro MemberContractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
I disagree with those that say 'if it's inside leave them alone'. A lot of damage can be caused by a messy interior - not even a gross one, just food and dishes left all over, wet towels on the ground, etc....
They'll attract rodents, bugs and more including snakes that want to feed off the rodents.
It is your business when it involves potential damage to your property.
Schedule inspections (legally of course) and note any egregious conditions. Demand that they are made right, and re-inspect in 30 days. If things are not better, then it's time to evict.
If you let this go unchecked for a long time, you will have animals and bugs building nests in your walls and attic, and then it's a huge deal to get them all cleaned out.
Don't mess with this, anyone saying it's no big deal has not been through an infestation.
- Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes4y
Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:
I disagree with those that say 'if it's inside leave them alone'. A lot of damage can be caused by a messy interior - not even a gross one, just food and dishes left all over, wet towels on the ground, etc....
They'll attract rodents, bugs and more including snakes that want to feed off the rodents.
It is your business when it involves potential damage to your property.
Schedule inspections (legally of course) and note any egregious conditions. Demand that they are made right, and re-inspect in 30 days. If things are not better, then it's time to evict.
If you let this go unchecked for a long time, you will have animals and bugs building nests in your walls and attic, and then it's a huge deal to get them all cleaned out.
Don't mess with this, anyone saying it's no big deal has not been through an infestation.
A lot of the mindset of "just let it be" is from the single-family rental world. Because in that case, an infestation only affects one unit and family, the family responsible for the infestation, and usually ends up becoming part of the vacant turnover cost. Things change once you're talking about duplexes and larger multifamily properties. The infestation affects multiple rentals and families which share no part of the blame for creating it, and all demand, therefore, that you solve it IMMEDIATELY. This can become prohibitively expensive, as you have to try to deal with this in multiple occupied units. Many of these occupied units will have children and small pets, which will further limit your options. We're not just talking about an empty single-family house that you can often just clean out and bugbomb to hell and back.
In any case, @Tomas Satas, you need to stop looking for creative ideas to deal with this issue and find ways to approach it head on with both empathy and honesty. All you really need to do in the conversation is make it clear that you're not judging this person morally. That's pretty easy to do. I know a number of people who pride themselves on their exceptional personal cleanliness yet actually have the morals of a snake. What you need to convey to the tenant is that you have legitimate concerns about their housekeeping based on money, nothing else. - Investor · Colonial Heights, VA · Member since 2014 · 115 posts · 68 votes4y
I had slob tenant once. Kept telling her to clean the place up. Didn't work. Always paid and wasn't a trouble maker. When she moved I kept the deposit to deep clean and fix some broken things. She still continues to call me asking if I have any rentals available 😂
- Investor · Berwyn, IL · Member since 2015 · 64 posts · 8 votes4y
Quote from @Chris Herrera:
@Tomas Satas if you ask me it’s really none of our business. If the tenant is messy enough that it’s causing damage to the property then don’t renew the lease.
Telling the tenants to be cleaner is another level of involvement that I shouldn’t need to do if you have a good tenant. Me having to watch them and police then would likely strain me and the relationship with the tenant if they’re naturally messy and you’re the one telling them they have to change that
- Investor · Berwyn, IL · Member since 2015 · 64 posts · 8 votes4y
Thanks for the insight everybody! I’m definitely not a rookie and have dealt with this sort of thing successfully multiple times. I have ways to deal with this type of tenant which will hopefully work but just wanted additional insight. After all that is why we are all part of the BiggerPockets community right? To learn from each other. There are certain things that I believed I couldn’t get any new insights on but I ALWAYS learn something new from this amazing community. :) This particular tenant has only been renting from me for 6 months. My handyman was in his apartment to change a faucet out and called me up because he said the apartment smells horrible, there’s a pile of what looks like super old dishes in the sink, and all the countertops were super nasty. This building has 22 units so it’s definitely my business! All the things my handyman pointed out will lead to rodents, roaches, etc. All the apartments in this building are beautiful and I did kind of have a small concern when the first thing the tenant told me when he did his final walk thru is how he has never had such a nice apartment before. From my experience when somebody says this it means either: A. They are moving on up and are thankful for such a nice place OR B. They are a piggy and can’t wait to make the beautiful place their new pigsty. I just had a feeling because when I talked to his previous landlord she did comment about how he wasn’t the cleanest person, he had all types Amazon boxes by the door, etc but she did say he always paid on time. So nothing super concerning that would be a big red flag. Later I found out this apartment the previous landlord was renting to him was the landlords mother’s apartment for years. So I just thought she was being overly picky that the apartment didn’t look exactly the way she was used to seeing it when her mother was still alive. When I checked all the tenant’s background everything came back great. High credit score, great income, and he had only lived in 2 apartments the last 10 years. On paper he looked like an excellent renter. Fast forward to my handyman calling me up with the nasty report (this is the first time he had ever made such comments about a tenant) and so I called the tenant immediately, I first apologized for even having to bring it up because I don’t like to be in my tenants business (little sales technique to not upset him), then I reminded him about what I told him when I gave him the keys about how this is an extremely clean building with no rodent or roach issues, and that my handyman was concerned about what he saw inside the apartment. The tenant said he has no idea of what my handyman is talking about, that there were a couple dirty dishes in the sink, and that he did start to small a strange odor from the drain a couple days ago. (Haha Big surprise that there is a strange odor coming from the sink if there is rotting food in there!) So obviously the tenant is in denial that he has cleanliness issues. I even offered to have the lady that cleans the building clean his place once a month for a great deal. But he said there is nothing wrong with his place. So I’m going to go over there this week and see for myself. Though he probably is scrubbing away as we speak. If the place is clean when I stop by I’ll just have to let him know that I’ll be inspecting his place twice a year for maintenance issues just to make sure there are no leaks, etc. and hopefully that will keep him on his toes. I usually inspect the apartments once a year but I doubt he will question me because he hasn’t been there long enough to know my yearly inspection schedule yet. So thanks again for all the insight BP fam! I really appreciate you all. :) Enjoy the rest of your night. :)
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