Horrible tenant - what can I do?

Question

Hello fellow landlords, I desperately need some advice and wisdom from more experienced landlords.

I bought my first duplex last year and have self managed it. I’m renting by the room all 6 bedrooms. Things were going really well until my most recent tenant moved in. She passed all of my screening tests, background check, rental history check, good credit score, 3x monthly income of rent, and all of her references had only glowing things to say about her.

Fast forward a couple months, one tenant has already moved out because of her, and a second one has just informed me that she will also be moving out.

The tenant of concern is very kind to me upfront, pays on time and keeps the house clean, but I can tell she’s extremely manipulative and inconsiderate of others. My issue is that she hasn’t done anything deserving of an eviction, but all the **** has hit all of the fans ever since she moved in, in more ways than one. I’ve gotten a call or a text just about every day with more and more complaints.

What are my options? I want her out before I lose all my other tenets. But I live in Denver, where the housing market is extremely difficult and expensive, and it takes longer than a couple weeks or months to find a place to live.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks and Merry Christmas,

Ryan

Kevin Sobilo · Answer

@Ryan Russell, I think you need to expect greater turnover renting by the room over renting a whole unit on 1 year leases.

What specific complaints do you have this this problem tenant? Maybe there are ways to manage the situation back into a better place. What kind of agreement do you have with your tenants? Month to month?

Do you have any house rules that these tenants need to follow?

Eliott Elias · Answer

Not sure what your landlord/tenant laws look like over there. If tenant is disturbing the peace that is grounds for eviction.

Henry T. · Answer

Nuisance. (this term should be in your contract).Ask this nuisance to go, or does she prefer an eviction on her record?

Kevin Smith · Answer

Hey @Ryan Russell,Probably not the response you're looking for, but I do know a PM in Denver that handles rooming houses and deals with these sorts of scenarios.  Happy to pass along their info if it's of any interest to you.Best,Kevin

Nathan Gesner · Answer

It's hard to give advice without knowing specifics. If she hasn't violated the lease, then it sounds like there's just a personality conflict and your Tenants need to work through their drama. The other option is to approach her with the concerns and suggest she find another place to live.

You shouldn't let tenants out of their lease just because they are annoyed by her. If she's truly bullying, annoying, or otherwise exacerbating the issue, then you need to get tough with her and clean it up.

Mark Cruse · Answer

The best advice would be to stop renting rooms and either do STR or LTR. The scenario you are describing is just one of dozens you will continue to encounter over and over and over again. People are attracted to the high cash flow but dont understand the chaotic dynamics that go with it. Most people would be doing room rentals if it was reasonable. If you resolve this one, you will be on BP next week with a list of other issues. Too many moving parts in conjunction with multiple adult personalities integrated into a ball of pandemonium. Some eventually decide the effort and labor involved is not worth the compensation. May be a little easier if the are all senior citizens or nuns.

Matt M. · Answer

Have you asked her to move? What does your lease say? Maybe offer her cash to leave or say you're moving in with family, etc. Does she have friends that would move in that she might get along with better? Talk to her and see what's up.

Ned J. · Answer

How is your lease structured?

Its a HUGE challenge renting out that many individual rooms..... you are basically trying to find 6 compatible room mates. The rental criteria is the easy part... the personalities are the challenge. You are going to have more turnover trying to get 6 people to live with each other, so you better have your lease structured in a way that allows you to make changes quickly. Best option is likely doing a month to month from day 1.

At this point the new one has to go..... if the others leave due to that tenant, you will likely have any new ones not stay long since the culprit will just do the same with the new ones. You have to get the "bad apple" out.

This is all going to depend on your lease and your state laws..... long term vs short term.... contingency for making the unit "uninhabitable" for other tenants Post up any detail about your lease since those detail are going to be important to consider your options

Horrible tenant - what can I do?

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