Most would say I had lost my mind and did something very stupid

[Nancy Carr]

I did something that most everyone would say was stupid crazy. They are probably right, but it turned out better than I could have ever hoped.

We bought our first rental, a duplex which was foreclosed. We had to do a lot of work to get it to a decent rentable state.

After about 2 months of part-time rehab, we were finally ready for our very first tenant. We put a sign out front and surprisingly, had a few people stop to inquire about the property. Apparently, people driving by had been watching us working on it.

We took an application from a single mom with a young daughter who worked at the local gas station. All looked good from researching her credit, previous landlord, etc. So we signed a lease.

Every now and then, she would be a little late on rent, but no big deal. She was very mature about paying late fees when applicable. She kept the place up and was a great tenant. I could tell that she was trying hard to make it on her own, and was a hard worker.

The duplex has gas heat, and the local gas company requires a $250.00 deposit to turn on the gas. We noticed one day that the gas meter was not on the house during the winter in December. Meaning, she never turned the gas on. Well, that can’t be good so I asked her about it. Flat-out, she said I can’t afford the deposit.  Yes, this is Alabama but it still gets cold at night.

Well, that really bothered me. This is a person who has been a great tenant and I hated to think she was using space heaters to heat the place with a little girl. It really bugged me because I knew she was trying hard, so I fronted the money to turn on the gas. I figured I’d take it out of her deposit.

A year or so later, she lost her job and phoned me to let me know she had to move out. No problem. I understood. I was sorry to see her go.

As expected the place was immaculate when she moved out, but she owed a month of rent and there was a couple small things broken. I sent her an invoice for everything owed, and forgot about it. I knew I took a risk providing the money for the gas deposit, and was willing to eat the cost to know that they had a warm house.

About a year later, I get a phone call from this tenant. She tells me she got a great job at a local factory and had the money to pay me. I was completely shocked. I had forgotten about it by that time. She met me and paid the full amount in cash. Wow.

Fast forward another two years, we had just purchased our second duplex and was about finished working on it. I get a phone call from our original tenant. She wanted to know if we had a place to rent. Well, actually, we do! One of the units from the first duplex was available and we one of the units from the new duplex was available too, but a higher price because it was a much nicer place. She decided to take the nicer unit. She said she wanted to rent from us because we were so good to her.

She has now been with me another 2 ½ years. What a great tenant! Pays rent every month on time, sometimes a day or two early and keeps the place as nice as I would.

I know that there are tons and tons of horrible tenant stories on here and we certainly have had some duds, but there are great tenants out there too. I’m glad I trusted my judgement and we both have mutual respect towards one another.  

[Sam White]

I think this is a great story. Some people are really bad judges of character and they should just stick to the numbers. But if you can read people and feel in your gut that you are making the right decision, give people a chance. It also helps to be in a landlord friendly state. In case you turn out to be wrong you can evict them. My best tenant ever had a felony on their record.