How to handle problem tenant

How to handle problem tenant

Member since 2023 · 27 posts · 6 votes

I've got these two young kids that moved in and signed a 4 year lease. We had just completely remodeled the unit, new bathrooms, new kitchen cabinets, granite countertop, new microwave and fridge, sinks, faucets, plumbing (left the oven, washer and dryer from previous), new flooring throughout, fresh paint.

It's one thing after another. The disposal kept falling under the sink..I repaired immediately. 

Supposedly the washer went out and the maintenance man came out and said the dryer was on its last leg as well. I replaced them with brand new units. 

There was a smell from the return air that we went round and round about. Finally after 2 service calls and $300 later, it was a stopped up kitchen sink that they didn't tell the A/C guy about the gurgling in the kitchen when the dishwasher ran. 

The ceiling in the garage started sagging and they were afraid it would fall on their car, so I immediately replaced the entire double car garage ceiling.

The knob on the oven popped off and the whole top of the stove shifted somehow and it wouldn't go back on in order to turn off the burner. We had contemplated replacing the oven when we remodeled the house, so I purchased a brand new oven that I let HER pick out!

Then I find out she's running a bakery out of the house. Texas law is a little fuzzy about cottage industries, and the lease isn't specific about running a business from the home. I'm not happy about clients coming to my rent house and increasing my opportunities of liability. 

They never pay their rent on time. One month they were extremely late, past the late payment fee before she told me she had twins and one of them died. I wanted so bad to be compassionate about it saying don't worry, pay when you can, but I knew if I let her get behind, she'd never catch up. 

Then she had ants which she panicked about and called out an exterminator without my knowledge. They turned out to be Carpenter Ants which is my responsibility, but she wanted me to reimburse her for the $200 emergency call, however he did not do a full treatment so I had to have my exterminator come back out for another $300.  

September's rent is still not paid. Last night I got a text that the AC wasn't working. They replaced the filter, but still nothing. I called and made an appointment for today for the maintenance man. She texts 2 hours later and wants to know if they have an emergency number she can call because heat increases the likelihood of SIDS in babies!?!

I told her no, he'll he there in the morning!  AC repair just left and told me the tenants are running a humidifier in the house due to sick baby and the AC unit, which is a complete brand new system right before they moved in 3 years ago, is not made to have a humidifier run and it's freezing up the unit as it is basically working against the AC and clogging the filter.  Cost me $100 service call on a rental unit that runs a very very slim margin of profit to begin with.  I've not turned a profit in the 3 years they've been there. 

What do you do with these types of tenants who pay late and cost you money?  We have 7 rental units on the same street as we live, so they are basically our neighbors, but we strictly don't socialize with any of our tenants. We try to be very good landlords and fix anything that arrises immediately and usually go above and beyond. 

I'm really irritated with them this morning!  Can I legally add this bill to their past due September rent? Ideas or suggestions?

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Bjorn AhlbladPro Member
Investor · Shelton, WA · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 6k+ votes
3y

@Rehj Hoeffner welcome to BP! I'd tell them they are free to go. Why on earth would you sign a 4 year lease!

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  • Bjorn AhlbladPro Member
    Investor · Shelton, WA · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 6k+ votes
    3y

    @Rehj Hoeffner welcome to BP! I'd tell them they are free to go. Why on earth would you sign a 4 year lease!

  • Chicago, IL · Member since 2020 · 184 posts · 182 votes
    3y

    Honestly most of that seems like knee jerk reactions to minor maintenance items. 

    Other than the falling ceiling, i would repair the appliances next time and I  inspect the issues myself and make a determination of what is needed. If you cant repair an appliance, go on craigs list or market place to find a cheap used one. 

    Most of your solutions seem to be over the top.

    An A coil freezing up has nothing to do with a humidifier. The unit is low on refrigerant and needs a competent service tech. 

  • Member since 2023 · 27 posts · 6 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Bjorn Ahlblad:

    @Rehj Hoeffner welcome to BP! I'd tell them they are free to go. Why on earth would you sign a 4 year lease!

    Was that a question for me or the tenant? :)  I used to offer extended leases for a  monthly reduction in rent to cut down on move in and move outs, which is very hard on houses.  Due to inflation, I'm only offering 1 year leases now and increasing my rent by $200 a month.  Next year, if inflation continues to be an issue, I'll up the rent another $100 a month.  I pray people think carefully about who they vote for in 2024, but I'm not the one living paycheck to paycheck so while I don't like it - it's not affecting me the way it affects others.

    I rarely have turn overs, I just had 1 unit turnover, first time in 3 years and it was re-rented within 12 hours of listing it.  I increased the rent by $200 a month and signed for only 1 year.  My units are in a prime location and we are extremely good landlords, but this couple has me really irritated.  

    I can tell them they are free to go but why?  They've not asked to go anywhere and in fact, they are signaling they would like to sign another 4 year lease, which of course I will not do anymore. I don't care if they stay or go but I'm not letting them out of their lease, offering a cash out or giving back their deposit in order for them to go.

    In fact, my question was - how to deal with them and if I could legally charge them for the service call since their humidifier was the issue with the AC. I have conditioned them to take advantage of my generous property management style and I need to reset their expectations.  I've never had anyone take advantage of my generosity as they have. 

    Thanks for your response!

  • Member since 2023 · 27 posts · 6 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Danny Polanski:

    Honestly most of that seems like knee jerk reactions to minor maintenance items. 

    Other than the falling ceiling, i would repair the appliances next time and I  inspect the issues myself and make a determination of what is needed. 

    Most of your solutions seem to be over the top.

    An A coil freezing up has nothing to do with a humidifier. The unit is low on refrigerant and needs a competent service tech. 

    We do physically look at each issue. We have high end property in an extremely good area, close to the university and all medical facilities.  Replacing appliances with new ones has gotten to be almost just as cheap as a repair.  The appliance repairman told me $700 to repair both the washer and dryer with no warranty on the work due to age of appliances, so I replaced them with brand new mid-line Samsung's for $1100.  The oven was old but was top of the line when it was installed 20 years ago - so we left it during the remodel.  Being that old, the 3 repairmen that I called said, they weren't interested in even looking at it and if it needed parts, it would take 3 weeks and a starting price was likely around $350 to repair as the cooktop had to be taken off and reset if that was the only thing wrong and none could get out for close to 2 weeks.  I replaced the oven for $500 (delivered and installed in 3 days) - why quibble over such trivial amounts in order to alleviate my stress?  

    I replaced the ceiling in the garage because we know the ceilings were taped and bedded only and were not really sheet rocked correctly.  These are all townhouses with only 3 different floorplans.  We've personally remodeled 6 of them, so we know their weaknesses. 

    Thank you for the alternative view on what's wrong with the AC.  I think I will NOT charge them for the service call in case you are correct and it freezes up again due to low refrigerant!  Apparently they are running this humidifier 24/7 and putting humidity in the air faster than the AC can remove it, as they are both intended to do.  He replaced the filter and said it was full of the crust put out by humidifiers and told the tenant to replace the filter no less than every 3 weeks if he were going to run the humidifier.  I guess time will tell.  But thank you so much for telling me that!

  • Brad LarsenPro Member
    Property Manager · San Antonio and Austin, TX · Member since 2016 · 377 posts · 380 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Rehj Hoeffner:
    Quote from @Bjorn Ahlblad:

    @Rehj Hoeffner welcome to BP! I'd tell them they are free to go. Why on earth would you sign a 4 year lease!

    Was that a question for me or the tenant? :)  I used to offer extended leases for a  monthly reduction in rent to cut down on move in and move outs, which is very hard on houses.  Due to inflation, I'm only offering 1 year leases now and increasing my rent by $200 a month.  Next year, if inflation continues to be an issue, I'll up the rent another $100 a month.  I pray people think carefully about who they vote for in 2024, but I'm not the one living paycheck to paycheck so while I don't like it - it's not affecting me the way it affects others.

    I rarely have turn overs, I just had 1 unit turnover, first time in 3 years and it was re-rented within 12 hours of listing it.  I increased the rent by $200 a month and signed for only 1 year.  My units are in a prime location and we are extremely good landlords, but this couple has me really irritated.  

    I can tell them they are free to go but why?  They've not asked to go anywhere and in fact, they are signaling they would like to sign another 4 year lease, which of course I will not do anymore. I don't care if they stay or go but I'm not letting them out of their lease, offering a cash out or giving back their deposit in order for them to go.

    In fact, my question was - how to deal with them and if I could legally charge them for the service call since their humidifier was the issue with the AC. I have conditioned them to take advantage of my generous property management style and I need to reset their expectations.  I've never had anyone take advantage of my generosity as they have. 

    Thanks for your response!


     Hi Rehj,

    I would never recommend a 4 year, not even a 2 year lease moving forward.  As far as "legally charging them" always refer to your lease agreement.  Does it state (As many do) that there is a service call fee for any maintenance repair requests?  Some will have this in their leases anywhere from $25-$50 and then it would be to your discression to waive it or charge it.  If there is no wording on the lease about a service charge, trip charge, etc, then it would not be legal.   It would not hurt, however, to present said fee and if they disagree, there is nothing you can do about it.

    Hope that helps a little?

    Best,

    Brad

  • Member since 2022 · 75 posts · 73 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Rehj Hoeffner:

    I've got these two young kids that moved in and signed a 4 year lease. We had just completely remodeled the unit, new bathrooms, new kitchen cabinets, granite countertop, new microwave and fridge, sinks, faucets, plumbing (left the oven, washer and dryer from previous), new flooring throughout, fresh paint.

    It's one thing after another. The disposal kept falling under the sink..I repaired immediately. 

    Supposedly the washer went out and the maintenance man came out and said the dryer was on its last leg as well. I replaced them with brand new units. 

    There was a smell from the return air that we went round and round about. Finally after 2 service calls and $300 later, it was a stopped up kitchen sink that they didn't tell the A/C guy about the gurgling in the kitchen when the dishwasher ran. 

    The ceiling in the garage started sagging and they were afraid it would fall on their car, so I immediately replaced the entire double car garage ceiling.

    The knob on the oven popped off and the whole top of the stove shifted somehow and it wouldn't go back on in order to turn off the burner. We had contemplated replacing the oven when we remodeled the house, so I purchased a brand new oven that I let HER pick out!

    Then I find out she's running a bakery out of the house. Texas law is a little fuzzy about cottage industries, and the lease isn't specific about running a business from the home. I'm not happy about clients coming to my rent house and increasing my opportunities of liability. 

    They never pay their rent on time. One month they were extremely late, past the late payment fee before she told me she had twins and one of them died. I wanted so bad to be compassionate about it saying don't worry, pay when you can, but I knew if I let her get behind, she'd never catch up. 

    Then she had ants which she panicked about and called out an exterminator without my knowledge. They turned out to be Carpenter Ants which is my responsibility, but she wanted me to reimburse her for the $200 emergency call, however he did not do a full treatment so I had to have my exterminator come back out for another $300.  

    September's rent is still not paid. Last night I got a text that the AC wasn't working. They replaced the filter, but still nothing. I called and made an appointment for today for the maintenance man. She texts 2 hours later and wants to know if they have an emergency number she can call because heat increases the likelihood of SIDS in babies!?!

    I told her no, he'll he there in the morning!  AC repair just left and told me the tenants are running a humidifier in the house due to sick baby and the AC unit, which is a complete brand new system right before they moved in 3 years ago, is not made to have a humidifier run and it's freezing up the unit as it is basically working against the AC and clogging the filter.  Cost me $100 service call on a rental unit that runs a very very slim margin of profit to begin with.  I've not turned a profit in the 3 years they've been there. 

    What do you do with these types of tenants who pay late and cost you money?  We have 7 rental units on the same street as we live, so they are basically our neighbors, but we strictly don't socialize with any of our tenants. We try to be very good landlords and fix anything that arrises immediately and usually go above and beyond. 

    I'm really irritated with them this morning!  Can I legally add this bill to their past due September rent? Ideas or suggestions?


     Wowza! That's a lot. First of all I would say that the first lesson is don't ever sign a 4 year lease again. Sounds like some of this is tenant problem and some is just bad timing with Maitenance and Repairs. 

    It seems like the tenants aren't happy or feeling healthy living in the home. Would you be able to work out a deal for them to move? It might even be worth it to you to give them cash for keys. If you offered for them to be able to break their lease and get their security deposit back changing to a different tenant might do the trick. 

  • Mackaylee BeachPro Member
    Real Estate Agent · Kansas City, MO · Member since 2020 · 1k+ posts · 492 votes
    3y

    Why would you let the tenant pick out appliances? That's a definitely NO for me. Hoping you have pictures of the property move in conditions. I would keep a paper trail of all requested maintenance issues and records of how it was resolved. Make sure are issuing reminders of past due balances. If the lease expiration date is approaching, I would verify with your state the required timeframe and provide a notice of non-renewal. Best of luck!

  • Member since 2023 · 27 posts · 6 votes
    3y

    I would never recommend a 4 year, not even a 2 year lease moving forward.  

    Wow - no one likes long leases!  Do you realize the chances of anyone staying that long?  Almost nil.  And if they do, they usually re-sign for another 4 years because they love the house, the neighborhood and the fact that we are great landlords.  I've kept 3 deposits because people move before 4 years and forfeit their deposit.  I love long leases and hate that inflation has put an end to them for me.

    I vet renters extremely well and as I said, it's a high end area and while I really don't have issues with this couple, they are starting to get on my nerves.  I NEVER hear from my other renters (just the way I like it) and it just seems this pair are under the impression I live to make them happy. I've never had renters that don't pay prior to the first or on the first.  This is the FIRST renter ever to pay up to 10 days late.  

    When we first started this business, we did the whole used appliance thing.  Bad move.  Wow - ended up costing us dearly in the end, and the fact that we would schlep these appliances ourselves, uggghh!  When I came to the realization that I could buy nice, new appliances for just a bit more than used and have them delivered, installed and the old hauled off for free from Samsung - count me IN! Nice deductions as well. Most every tenant that has received new appliances, has re-signed the lease multiple times.  I'll never go back to buying used or even repairing an older appliance.  They simply aren't worth it.  I can have a new one delivered and installed in half the time of waiting on a repairman to arrive, then order parts and come back out to fix. All my tenants work, so I'm stuck spending the day babysitting the repairman.  I have much better things to do than sit at a strangers house and watch someone fiddle around with an old appliance. :)

    Nope - not letting them off the hook for the lease.  That house was in 'like brand new' condition when they moved in.  I personally did every bit of work in that house and did it like I was going to live in it.  I would move in there today, in a heartbeat.  If they want to leave, they are welcome to move out and forfeit their deposit.  I'm betting they aren't going anywhere, but I've been reading on the forum and have come up with some new ideas to reset my landlord relationship with them.

    1. I'm not going to immediately respond to her texts.  I have a specific alert on my phone for every tenant and those texts are priority for me and usually respond immediately and the issue is taken care of within 4 hours.  It's just our personal commitment to our rental properties.  But not for these 2 anymore.  I should have waited till this morning to respond to her and by then the AC would have been working again as it would have thawed overnight.  The issue wouldn't be resolved, but I would have a better idea about why the practically brand new AC wasn't working.

    2. I'm going to start reminding her that if it is a human issue, she will pay for the repairs, and I will be paying ONLY if it is a house issue.

    3. There are no more used appliances in that house - they are all 3 years or newer, but all were brand new in that house now since the remodel.  So there are no more appliances to be replaced!  Thank goodness!

    4. I won't be renewing their lease.  

    Thank you for your responses and ideas!  I feel much better about this situation now.

  • Member since 2023 · 27 posts · 6 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Mackaylee Beach:

    Why would you let the tenant pick out appliances? 

    Because we are very good landlords.  I gave her the options to pick from - I didn't let her buy top of the line.  But if you know what you want to spend and you can give her 3 options and allow her to pick....doesn't that make her feel special and like a happy tenant?  I know it would me!  She actually picked a cheaper one than I was going to buy in the first place.  I was ecstatic with her choice.  That made her happy for about a year.....now she's started in on me again!  She texted that she would be late with her payment.  I said ok.  Then 2 hours later she texted with this AC crap!  She's manipulative.  I'm usually a better judge of character, but these 2 fooled me big time!

    The house was absolutely photographed as those were the photos used to advertise the property for lease.  It was in pristine condition, everything was brand spanking new.  They didn't even leave the property after looking at it - they leased it on the spot because it was basically a brand new home on the inside.  I mean EVERYTHING had been replaced...from all the plumbing down to the baseboards!  I left the oven because it was such a nice oven.  I have no clue what they did to it to make the knob come off, but when it did the whole thing shifted and the knob wouldn't go back on in order to turn off the burner.  We looked the oven up - it was like $2400 brand new.  Couldn't find anyone who wanted to work on it though.

    If you knew you only wanted to spend $500, you wouldn't give your tenant 3 options ranging from $450 to $500 to make them feel like their opinion matters?  What a simple trick to garner goodwill and if you planned to spend the money anyway, didn't cost you a thing.
  • Member since 2023 · 27 posts · 6 votes
    3y

     I finally got the bill in email and here is what the AC tech said.

    "Upon arrival, customer states system was not turning on at all, so they went to get a hotel for last night. Customer states he turn off all the breakers for the condenser and furnace. Reset breakers at 7 o’clock this morning. And system was running. After inspecting filter and customer informing me that they were running a humidifier. There is a lot of calcium buildup on the filter. Possibly causing the unit to freeze up and blow hot air. Advise customer to change the filter at least every two weeks while running humidifier or reduce runtime on humidifier. The supply temperature was 50°. The return temperature was 75°. System is running good at this time. Bill customer."

    I'm pretty sure if the unit was low on freon, it wouldn't be putting out 50°air on a 101°day.

    AND - they can't pay rent but they can pay for a hotel room!  

    Without your suggestion, I wouldn't have even read the AC tech comments.  Thank you again!

  • Member since 2018 · 12 posts · 8 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Rehj Hoeffner:

    I've got these two young kids that moved in and signed a 4 year lease. We had just completely remodeled the unit, new bathrooms, new kitchen cabinets, granite countertop, new microwave and fridge, sinks, faucets, plumbing (left the oven, washer and dryer from previous), new flooring throughout, fresh paint.

    It's one thing after another. The disposal kept falling under the sink..I repaired immediately. 

    Supposedly the washer went out and the maintenance man came out and said the dryer was on its last leg as well. I replaced them with brand new units. 

    There was a smell from the return air that we went round and round about. Finally after 2 service calls and $300 later, it was a stopped up kitchen sink that they didn't tell the A/C guy about the gurgling in the kitchen when the dishwasher ran. 

    The ceiling in the garage started sagging and they were afraid it would fall on their car, so I immediately replaced the entire double car garage ceiling.

    The knob on the oven popped off and the whole top of the stove shifted somehow and it wouldn't go back on in order to turn off the burner. We had contemplated replacing the oven when we remodeled the house, so I purchased a brand new oven that I let HER pick out!

    Then I find out she's running a bakery out of the house. Texas law is a little fuzzy about cottage industries, and the lease isn't specific about running a business from the home. I'm not happy about clients coming to my rent house and increasing my opportunities of liability. 

    They never pay their rent on time. One month they were extremely late, past the late payment fee before she told me she had twins and one of them died. I wanted so bad to be compassionate about it saying don't worry, pay when you can, but I knew if I let her get behind, she'd never catch up. 

    Then she had ants which she panicked about and called out an exterminator without my knowledge. They turned out to be Carpenter Ants which is my responsibility, but she wanted me to reimburse her for the $200 emergency call, however he did not do a full treatment so I had to have my exterminator come back out for another $300.  

    September's rent is still not paid. Last night I got a text that the AC wasn't working. They replaced the filter, but still nothing. I called and made an appointment for today for the maintenance man. She texts 2 hours later and wants to know if they have an emergency number she can call because heat increases the likelihood of SIDS in babies!?!

    I told her no, he'll he there in the morning!  AC repair just left and told me the tenants are running a humidifier in the house due to sick baby and the AC unit, which is a complete brand new system right before they moved in 3 years ago, is not made to have a humidifier run and it's freezing up the unit as it is basically working against the AC and clogging the filter.  Cost me $100 service call on a rental unit that runs a very very slim margin of profit to begin with.  I've not turned a profit in the 3 years they've been there. 

    What do you do with these types of tenants who pay late and cost you money?  We have 7 rental units on the same street as we live, so they are basically our neighbors, but we strictly don't socialize with any of our tenants. We try to be very good landlords and fix anything that arrises immediately and usually go above and beyond. 

    I'm really irritated with them this morning!  Can I legally add this bill to their past due September rent? Ideas or suggestions?


     So the tenants lost one child and you are complaining about them running a humidifier for their other sick child?  I really hope this post is fake.  

  • Member since 2023 · 27 posts · 6 votes
    3y
    I'm thinking you are failing to take into consideration they have been living there 3 years of the 4 on the lease.  The twins were born over a year ago.  I told her not to worry about the late fee and to pay that month when she could.  But if you let someone go past the next month, how do they ever get caught up?  If they both or even one of them had a real job outside of the home - rather than this home based "bakery" of which they didn't have permission to have, that would be different.  But just how much of a chump do you want me to be and how much rent should I be out?

    The child is at least 1, not an infant.  I don't know that she is sick, this woman is a bit neurotic.  She texted me and wanted the emergency number for my A/C company as she wanted them to come right NOW, because heat can possibly cause SIDS in babies.  A one year old is NOT considered a baby anymore for SIDS purposes.  She was trying to get pregnant when they moved in - so she told me - I've learned to never believe a word they tell you anymore.  I think they experienced great difficulties having children and must of used some sort of fertilization program and that's why she had twins.  I felt awful when she told me why she was late with the payment, but didn't get around to telling me until she was 20 days late.  I NEVER berate my tenants for the rent - I don't have to.  They ALL pay before or on the 1st - without fail.  She is the only tenant I've ever had that has been late.  I have never once texted her about being late or asking when she could pay.  I told her when she moved in, it was her responsibility to let me know if/when she would be late. I don't send reminders or duns.  They know they owe it, they don't need to be reminded of the fact - and especially when you're having a hard time making the payment.  I've been a renter and been where she is with a disabled daughter - so no, this is no joke, but paying what you owe is also important.  If she had been up front with me on day 1 of the month, I likely would have forgiven the whole month, but when I've told you and told you that communication is key and you refuse to inform me of the issue - I can't help with what I don't know about.  I deserve respect too, she doesn't get off Scott free just because of her unfortunate circumstances. People need to learn to take responsibility for themselves.

    If it is the humidifier affecting the A/C that way - and it's causing the coils to freeze up - that is NOT good for the A/C and could possibly put more stress on the motor/condenser than would be considered normal wear and tear...and I guess you think I should just let her destroy the A/C because a 1 year old MIGHT be sick?  If he/she is that sick - take them to the damn hospital!  And if you can't make your rent for the month tell your landlord on DAY 1!!!


  • Theresa HarrisPro Member
    Member since 2019 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
    3y

    Give them notice as they are late on rent (again) and next time start the eviction process.  If she had twins-wouldn't you have known about that?  Do NOT renew their lease and if they are month to month, give them notice as per your lease that they need to move in 60 days.  You clearly do not want them to stay as they are costing you money and causing you unnecessary stress. They are taking you for a ride. When their lease it up (well prior to it) tell them that you are not renewing the lease.

    Tell them the humidifier and the AC are not compatible and if they use both, there will be more repairs and they will need to pay for those.

  • Member since 2023 · 27 posts · 6 votes
    3y

    To be honest, I did not know she was even pregnant.  My husband went to view the "sagging" ceiling in the garage and said she didn't look pregnant at all.  That's when we found out about the in home "bakery" and that her husband had quit his job to help her - so no real income in that family any more.  We make it a point NOT to socialize with our tenants.  We live in a unit at the end of the street and the other 7 units are strung up and down the street at different points, with rear entry garages.  It's relatively easy to ignore everyone!  I didn't know about the twins until she texted 20 days into that month to tell me they were having problems getting the money together for the rent because....the twins and one still in the NICU and the other passed away.  I felt absolutely terrible.  But I was also irritated that she hadn't let me know up front, as I had asked her and asked her to do.  I waived the late fee and told her to pay as she could, but didn't wave that month's rent as I would have if she had contacted me on day 1.  I'm not heartless but these 2 have given me a run for my money!  During covid I waved several months of rent for several tenants when they couldn't work.  I truly am not a heartless landlord.

    I'll tell you what - you've made me question if there is any baby at all!  When I went down to check the oven that the knob somehow mysteriously came off of, I saw no baby, heard no baby and didn't even see evidence there was a baby in that house!

    I'm in agreement - they will get a notice 60 days in advance that we will not be renewing their lease.  And I will take your advice about letting them know the issue with running the humidifier and the A/C and being responsible for further repairs.

    Thank you for opening my eyes even further!

  • Alecia LovelessPro Member
    Member since 2019 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    3y

    @Rehj Hoeffner I inherited a tenant who has become my “problem” tenant. She thinks nothing of starting a text thread on 3 days of the week and calling me when I don’t respond immediately. If the slightest situation at the building annoys her she perseverances over it for several days or up to a week sometimes.

    I have finally given her instructions that she is only allowed to speak with my general contractor or myself, not to any of the other contractors, and the next issue that arises that is not a real problem I am going to tell her politely that it just doesn’t seem like she’s happy with me as the owner and perhaps she should think about moving somewhere else.

    If your tenants issues were legitimate maintenance issues then perhaps the only real problem you have is the late rent and the air conditioner issue. I’ve been given a couple of sob stories for why rent hasn’t been paid and one tenant got their act together when I worked with him and is now a model tenant and another simply skipped a month and now 7 months later has made 1 $50 payment towards the back rent and I have sent them an ultimatum and a repayment schedule and if they don’t meet it I’m starting eviction proceedings. If she legitimately lied about having children to try to get out of paying rent that’s pretty low.

  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    3y
    Quote from @Rehj Hoeffner:

    You are hurting yourself.

    1. An average home in Lubbock would have rented for $1400 three years ago. You rented $200 below market, which means $1,200 a month. The average rent for that same home is now $1,800. That means you've lost over $15,000 in rent in the past three years. If I'm wrong, please share the numbers.

    2. Most professionals will not sign a lease longer than one year because we know Tenants are more likely to break them. Why are your tenants staying so long? Because you are way below market and you let your tenants walk all over you.

    3. Tenants should be held responsible when they misuse, abuse, or neglect the property.

    4. Late rent gets a late fee. Repeated late rent should be given a termination notice. You are under no obligation to allow repeated lease violations.

    I could go on but I think you should really consider a professional property manager that can protect your property, income, time, and sanity. You could pay a professional to handle everythingn for you and still end up with more money in your pocket. At a bare minimum you should consider buying "Every Landlord's Legal Guide" by NOLO and start learning how to better manage your property.

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  • Colleen F.Pro Member
    Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    3y

    @Rehj Hoeffner You completely remodeled the unit 3 years ago.  The things you didn't do are now breaking.  -The disposal, garage ceiling, carpenter ants and washer are on you.  The clogged sink drain and probably AC is on them.  It happens.

    What is really bothering you is late rent, a bakery business, and communication from the tenant. Start delivering pay or quit notices and filing for eviction.  There are some tenants worth losing. 

    I am also in the camp that would not do a 4 year lease. Think about if she started irritating you in year one, you would be stuck for 3 more years.

  • Member since 2023 · 27 posts · 6 votes
    3y
    Three fourths of the townhouses on this street are rentals. I watch every rental that comes available and what they rent for. My houses rent for the most because they are the nicest and I usually rent within 24 hours of listing after an average of 2 showings. The garden home one street over can only rent for $1800, and it's empty right now, and has been for 6 months. My houses are all free and clear, I don't understand how ppl with payments can deal with 6 months of an empty rental. The market is very soft, there are 8 empty rentals on my street right now. I like being very picky about my renters. I like them to stay so the homes aren't taking the wear and tear of moving in and out. I never wanted to be a landlord and therefore the least amount of time devoted to this business the better! I have far better things to do, like play tea party with my granddaughter!

    I treat my renters as I would want to be treated. You know, not every endeavor in life must be about screwing ppl to the wall. In that we manage our own properties, it's not about how much money we can squeeze from every individual that we rent to. Sometimes, late in life, you just realize how important it is to be a good person and community member.

    We treat our tenants exceptionally well, and we're fine with the amount we make. I will not be renewing this couples lease and mostly my question was how do I deal with someone who is taking advantage of my goodwill. The question wasn't, how can I be a cutthroat landlord. It's passive income and I want to be a passive participant!

    Thank you for your analysis, but I am only interested in dealing with my problem renter at this time. 
  • Real Estate Consultant · Cleveland · Member since 2020 · 6k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    3y
    Quote from @Rehj Hoeffner:

    I've got these two young kids that moved in and signed a 4 year lease. We had just completely remodeled the unit, new bathrooms, new kitchen cabinets, granite countertop, new microwave and fridge, sinks, faucets, plumbing (left the oven, washer and dryer from previous), new flooring throughout, fresh paint.

    It's one thing after another. The disposal kept falling under the sink..I repaired immediately. 

    Supposedly the washer went out and the maintenance man came out and said the dryer was on its last leg as well. I replaced them with brand new units. 

    There was a smell from the return air that we went round and round about. Finally after 2 service calls and $300 later, it was a stopped up kitchen sink that they didn't tell the A/C guy about the gurgling in the kitchen when the dishwasher ran. 

    The ceiling in the garage started sagging and they were afraid it would fall on their car, so I immediately replaced the entire double car garage ceiling.

    The knob on the oven popped off and the whole top of the stove shifted somehow and it wouldn't go back on in order to turn off the burner. We had contemplated replacing the oven when we remodeled the house, so I purchased a brand new oven that I let HER pick out!

    Then I find out she's running a bakery out of the house. Texas law is a little fuzzy about cottage industries, and the lease isn't specific about running a business from the home. I'm not happy about clients coming to my rent house and increasing my opportunities of liability. 

    They never pay their rent on time. One month they were extremely late, past the late payment fee before she told me she had twins and one of them died. I wanted so bad to be compassionate about it saying don't worry, pay when you can, but I knew if I let her get behind, she'd never catch up. 

    Then she had ants which she panicked about and called out an exterminator without my knowledge. They turned out to be Carpenter Ants which is my responsibility, but she wanted me to reimburse her for the $200 emergency call, however he did not do a full treatment so I had to have my exterminator come back out for another $300.  

    September's rent is still not paid. Last night I got a text that the AC wasn't working. They replaced the filter, but still nothing. I called and made an appointment for today for the maintenance man. She texts 2 hours later and wants to know if they have an emergency number she can call because heat increases the likelihood of SIDS in babies!?!

    I told her no, he'll he there in the morning!  AC repair just left and told me the tenants are running a humidifier in the house due to sick baby and the AC unit, which is a complete brand new system right before they moved in 3 years ago, is not made to have a humidifier run and it's freezing up the unit as it is basically working against the AC and clogging the filter.  Cost me $100 service call on a rental unit that runs a very very slim margin of profit to begin with.  I've not turned a profit in the 3 years they've been there. 

    What do you do with these types of tenants who pay late and cost you money?  We have 7 rental units on the same street as we live, so they are basically our neighbors, but we strictly don't socialize with any of our tenants. We try to be very good landlords and fix anything that arrises immediately and usually go above and beyond. 

    I'm really irritated with them this morning!  Can I legally add this bill to their past due September rent? Ideas or suggestions?


     This is all on you, you're the one who put them in, terrible job, , So now you have to evict, and go through big headaches, NEXT TIME HIRE A PM CO, 

  • Honolulu, HI · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    3y
    Quote from @Rehj Hoeffner:

    I would never recommend a 4 year, not even a 2 year lease moving forward.  

    Wow - no one likes long leases!  Do you realize the chances of anyone staying that long?  Almost nil. 


    Aloha,

    That is purely rubbish. I've been managing over 120 units for at least the past 20 years, and my AVERAGE turnover has been over three years the entire time. I currently have Tenants that I placed over 10 years ago. In all of those years, I have only offered a multi-year term twice...and both times were at the insistence of the property Owner.

    Offer a fully functional, safe, secure, clean, and relatively attractive property at a fair price, with reasonable terms, and most importantly, properly screen all applicants. Address service calls promptly and with minimum contact. Moving is a PITA, no one "chooses" to do so if they are reasonably satisfied and stable. Sure, a job or other life change can create a reason to move, nothing can be done about that.
  • Member since 2023 · 27 posts · 6 votes
    3y

    Oh my goodness...I hope your a better business man than you are at giving advice. 

    These houses WERE managed by a PM before we took them over. They were a mess! One was 5 months late on rent. Two had been empty for 3 months and the electricity had been off and the houses weren't fit to live in!  No thank you to a PM.  No one is going to look out for your properties the way you do. They are all within walking distance, I have my eyes on them daily, I watch the comings and goings. That's a BIG NO to a PM.

    I'm not sure what you think was a terrible job. The most she's ever been late was 20 days. Most months I get payment by the 5th.  I'm just not used to that, as all my renters that I've placed, pay before or on the first.  Yes, I misjudged this one, but their circumstances changed drastically from when I first rented to them. The first year, they were on time, only after he quit his job have things gone down hill. You seem to think a PM would have had a crystal ball to see the future and have avoided this. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

    There will be no evictions. I don't do that sort of thing and how do you evict when they aren't behind?  It's not even the 10th of the month yet!  My God, I'm glad you were never my landlord!

  • Member since 2023 · 27 posts · 6 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Richard F.:
    Quote from @Rehj Hoeffner:

    I would never recommend a 4 year, not even a 2 year lease moving forward.  

    Wow - no one likes long leases!  Do you realize the chances of anyone staying that long?  Almost nil. 


    Aloha,

    That is purely rubbish. I've been managing over 120 units for at least the past 20 years, and my AVERAGE turnover has been over three years the entire time. I currently have Tenants that I placed over 10 years ago. In all of those years, I have only offered a multi-year term twice...and both times were at the insistence of the property Owner.

    Offer a fully functional, safe, secure, clean, and relatively attractive property at a fair price, with reasonable terms, and most importantly, properly screen all applicants. Address service calls promptly and with minimum contact. Moving is a PITA, no one "chooses" to do so if they are reasonably satisfied and stable. Sure, a job or other life change can create a reason to move, nothing can be done about that.

    Each to his own. I love long leases. Inflation has pushed me to a 1 year lease, but if it is ever under control, I'll most certainly go back to long leases. They work VERY VERY well for me.

    I asked for advice on how to deal with a renter who has started taking advantage of my goodwill..... Not about the length of leases.  While I appreciate your well intended advice, I do hope you listen to your renters and respond more appropriately to them than you have here.  

  • Member since 2019 · 63 posts · 60 votes
    3y

    Ask for advice. Then proceed to combat every simple piece of advice given. SMH. 

  • Member since 2023 · 27 posts · 6 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Colleen F.:

    @Rehj Hoeffner You completely remodeled the unit 3 years ago.  The things you didn't do are now breaking.  -The disposal, garage ceiling, carpenter ants and washer are on you.  The clogged sink drain and probably AC is on them.  It happens.

    What is really bothering you is late rent, a bakery business, and communication from the tenant. Start delivering pay or quit notices and filing for eviction.  There are some tenants worth losing. 

    Actually, the disposal was brand new, I'm not sure how the plumber didn't install it properly... It was an easy fix, but you know, it just adds to the list. 

    The ceiling in the garage was fine. We know they slightly sag from experience, but they were still new renters and we were trying to head off problems. I had a contractor I wanted to help out with some work, so I gave him that job. Right place, right time sort of thing.

    I'm not sure how to anticipate carpenter ants. They march up and down this street like a patrol. That's absurd to think I didn't prepare properly for them. 

    The washer and dryer are still a mystery to me. I used them the entire time we were remodeling and they worked like a charm. In fact, they were mine at one time and I kept thinking, why did I get rid of these..they are wonderful! Two weeks into their lease and they go out. You sometimes just have to wonder what in the hell do these ppl do to these appliances! 🤣 At the time, I was happy to replace them...I would handle that differently now... Depending on the price to repair. For some reason repairing appliances has become VERY expensive in this area ($700 was the estimate.. With no warranty) and there are only a few ppl doing it, so the wait times are several weeks to just get them looked at. I've had terrible luck on Craigslist and Facebook, so I've sworn them off as well.  If I had it to do over, I'd move the ones from another unit to her and buy the other good tenants new ones!!

    The first year went ok I guess. Barely heard from them the second year, but last year, since the baby/babies or whatever is going on down there, has just been pinching my ***.  After reading other posts, I have some new ideas on how to reset the relationship, so I'm excited to try these out on her.  I will not be evicting her. They always pay and are never more than 20 days late. No reason to be Aholes to them. They are just trying to make a life for themselves and a few days late here and there is not the end of the world. 

    I won't be renewing their lease.

  • Member since 2023 · 27 posts · 6 votes
    3y
    Quote from @Alex Kreeger:

    Ask for advice. Then proceed to combat every simple piece of advice given. SMH. 


    You mean how l thanked those that gave the advice I actually asked for, but politely declined the unsolicited advice?

    🤔

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