Tenant sees a ghost. What should my response be?

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Tenant sees a ghost. What should my response be?

John Park
Investor · Lewisville, TX · Member since 2017 · 21 posts · 48 votes

So...one of my tenants is claiming that she and her daughter are seeing a spirit in the house. Did not know how to respond to this. If it was a maintenance item I would send my guy to take a look right away, but what the heck I am I supposed to tell someone who's seeing things? BTW I don't believe in ghosts (although those who do believe in ghosts are free to do so and disagree accordingly), but I don't want to be politically ghost believer insensitive and tell her she's crazy. Any advice would be helpful, Ghostbusters, new or old, need not apply.

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Brian Garlington
Realtor · Oakland, CA and a Real Estate Investor with Multi-Family Units and a Self Storage Facility · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
8y

You can play it one of two ways......

If she is a good tenant, tell her you need to add the ghost as a new tenant on the lease and you will need to now raise her rent.

If she’s been a bad tenant then start the eviction process because she has told you after the fact that she has had someone move in and this wasn’t part of the original lease agreement 

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  • Cliff H.Pro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Nashua, NH · Member since 2014 · 609 posts · 485 votes
    8y

    @John Park had this happen once and thought I would be dialing up Venkman and Spengler. Fortunately tenant called the pastor who stopped by and put him a bit more at ease. Funny that around the same time he had been falling behind in rent so ended up moving anyway but be careful of blowing it completely off, as you see in comments in some cultures these silly ghosts are seemed very real and as crazy as it may seem no one wants to be on the wrong side of discrimimation law. Work with your attorney and ensure you’re following the law as best you can.

    0Reply
  • Glen Parmenter
    Specialist · Arlington, TX · Member since 2018 · 18 posts · 7 votes
    8y
    @John Park In my own opinion to help build the relationship see if you can get a paranormal or spiritualist in there. Talk with the tenant and let them know that if you can help you will help. Maybe even provide them with resources and materials. Your goal is to make them feel at ease as much as possible even if you don't believe in Ghosts yourself.
    1Reply
  • Sisee Adams
    Rental Property Investor · Member since 2018 · 22 posts · 9 votes
    8y
    @Cassi Justiz Make sure to charge the tenant $75 for service fee.
    2Reply
  • David Friedman
    Property Manager · San Bernardino, CA · Member since 2014 · 473 posts · 238 votes
    8y

    You need the ghost realtor!!! The Ghost Realtor - Nathan For You

    1Reply
  • Chris Gordon
    Rental Property Investor · Venetia, PA · Member since 2015 · 107 posts · 47 votes
    8y

    I'm sure someone else has beat me to it....tell her it needs to be on the lease.

    1Reply
  • Danny Maller
    Chicago, IL · Member since 2017 · 30 posts · 49 votes
    8y
    @John Park not sure if related but I read a thread on Reddit one time about a person worried about themselves going crazy, experiencing paranoia I think and some very strange symptoms, turns out there was a carbon monoxide problem in their house and it was co2 poisoning. I'll see if I can find it.
    0Reply
  • Eric Ingram
    Developer · Durham, NC · Member since 2018 · 64 posts · 47 votes
    8y
    @Noreen Eddy love it. These comments are better than watching funny videos on Facebook. LOL!
    2Reply
  • Danny Maller
    Chicago, IL · Member since 2017 · 30 posts · 49 votes
    8y
    @John Park https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/34l7vo/ma_postit_notes_left_in_apartment/ https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/34m92h/update_ma_postit_notes_left_in_apartment/
    1Reply
  • Tom Kaser
    Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2017 · 37 posts · 23 votes
    8y
    @John Park Call Ghost Busters
    0Reply
  • JD MartinBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    8y

    LOL at some of the responses here. Don't know if anyone else mentioned it, but you should definitely be adding said ghost to the lease.

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    0Reply
  • Kyle Davis
    Ellicott City, MD · Member since 2016 · 16 posts · 5 votes
    8y
    Let them know to keep paying their rent
    1Reply
  • Cal Ali
    Northern Virginia · Member since 2018 · 1 post · 0 votes
    8y

    It all depends. Hopefully you know her well enough, while keeping a professional distance. If she's serious, I would be respectfully tactful yet considerate; I'd take her @ her word, but I'd still leave the final resolution up to her... maybe just help draw whatever that is out of her.

    0Reply
  • Bola A.
    Rental Property Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2014 · 146 posts · 35 votes
    8y

    I can help it but laughed so hard.

    0Reply
  • Ronald Starusnak
    Property Manager · Syracuse, NY · Member since 2016 · 601 posts · 384 votes
    8y

    Send her the number for a psychiatrist. 

    0Reply
  • Abas Ali
    Flipper/Rehabber · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2018 · 13 posts · 3 votes
    8y
    Let her know that you are the real ghost jk.. she’s probably looking for a excuse to get her payments lowered I don’t personally believe in ghosts when people bring that up to me I usually make a fool out of them lol.
    0Reply
  • Khloe Croswell
    Member since 2018 · 4 posts · 7 votes
    8y

    Of course, you could use it as a selling point to raise the rent because of your exclusive luxury spiritual embedded housing feature. 

    If the current tenant stays and accepts the ghosts into their lives, then you have a haunted house inhabitant by brave souls who would not get out in the face of ethereal risks. And that's a powerful story for the future. 

     And if the current tenant can't afford it, they move out 'because of the ghosts'.  And then you have a legendary house.  And legends, are very easy to monetize.   

    Either way, That's gotta be worth a few grand a month to the right 'ghost hunter' tenants who either enjoy them personally or exploit them professionally. or both. 

    Congratulations!  You just won the equivalent of a spiritual real estate lottery. 

    Now if you wouldn't mind sharing ... how did you land such a tenant and where can we find similar people to rent to?! :)

    1Reply
  • Account Closed
    Member since 2018 · 5 posts · 0 votes
    8y

    Lol 

    0Reply
  • Kambon Kali
    Flipper/Rehabber · Columbus, OH · Member since 2016 · 12 posts · 0 votes
    8y
    @John Park does the unit have an old wood door if do change it.
    0Reply
  • Michael Holmes
    Residential Real Estate Agent · Germantown, TN · Member since 2011 · 7 posts · 2 votes
    8y

    I sold real estate for 14 years and on three occasions I had a paranormal experience that were validated by the seller.  Just because you don't believe doesn't mean they are not there.  There are many skeptics who became believers after an occasion.  I am a rational person  and it happened to me.  Ain't sayin' just sayin...

    2Reply
  • Heather Swope
    Rental Property Investor · Plainfield, IN · Member since 2018 · 17 posts · 8 votes
    8y

    There could  be an actual reason why she thinks she is seeing ghosts. Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) are given  off  by electrical  devices. If the EMF level is extremely high, it can actually make people have visual  and  auditory hallucinations. High EMF readings could be given off  by electrical  boxes (in or outside the house),cell  towers, and other kinds  of electrical objects.  If you are inclined to do anything, you could get an EMF reader and just  check if something like that is going on. If it turns out something in the house is giving off high EMF readings, you might be able to do  something about it. Cable boxes or cell towers outside you obviously can't fix, but  it could show a possible  non-paranormal source of the situation which might put the tenant  at ease.  You could then show the tenant that  you're at least looking into it.

    Otherwise, I agree with @Johann Jells

    1Reply
  • Chinmay J.
    Investor · Northern, VA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 904 votes
    8y
    Originally posted by @John Park:

    So...one of my tenants is claiming that she and her daughter are seeing a spirit in the house. Did not know how to respond to this. If it was a maintenance item I would send my guy to take a look right away, but what the heck I am I supposed to tell someone who's seeing things? BTW I don't believe in ghosts (although those who do believe in ghosts are free to do so and disagree accordingly), but I don't want to be politically ghost believer insensitive and tell her she's crazy. Any advice would be helpful, Ghostbusters, new or old, need not apply.

     I would ask her to call the cops next time she sees one, so they can arrest and prosecute the ghost for trespassing.  To avoid all the drama with cops, I would urge you to put  "Trespassers will be prosecuted" notice on the front door.  LMAO..

    0Reply
  • Yukiko Nakayama
    Real Estate Professional · Ashburn, VA · Member since 2014 · 29 posts · 15 votes
    8y

    I will ask her what they want you to do.  Probably nothing that you can do to help with the ghost.  If they are trying to get out the lease, I will consult with T&L lawyer in the area. 

    0Reply
  • JD MartinBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    8y
    Originally posted by @Michael Holmes:

    I sold real estate for 14 years and on three occasions I had a paranormal experience that were validated by the seller.  Just because you don't believe doesn't mean they are not there.  There are many skeptics who became believers after an occasion.  I am a rational person  and it happened to me.  Ain't sayin' just sayin...

     Without discounting your personal experiences, there's nothing rational about equating an unexplained event/phenomenon with "it must be a ghost". Science cannot disprove negatives, but it is incumbent upon the claimant to provide proof of a positive, not the other way around. There may in fact be "ghosts", in the sense that people think of them, but there's no scientific proof anywhere that I'm aware of that proves the existence of poltergeists or alternatively-alive beings. A rational response to a paranormal experience is "Something odd happened to me that I cannot reasonably explain." So until a tenant could produce scientific evidence of something otherworldly in their apartment, I would consider things business as usual. 

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    1Reply
  • Dennis Rodriguez
    Wholesaler · Katy, TX · Member since 2013 · 213 posts · 109 votes
    8y
    @John Park I would find information about people in your area that can do house cleansing services. A spritual guide or pastor/priest that can go in and move entities out. We flip a lot of houses and we hire a lady every now and then to go in and clean our houses with incense and she does her thing/prayers to keep bad spirits out. I get all the jokes but I do believe you should be serious about her concerns. Dennis
    0Reply
  • Rodney Sums
    Laveen, AZ · Member since 2016 · 584 posts · 528 votes
    8y

    @John Park

    Remind her she bet not pay that rent late or the ghost gonna get her.  "Rooooooooo!"

    But seriously, has any other tenant made similar complaints in case this is really happening?

    0Reply
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