BiggerPockets Founder · HI · Member since 2008 · 16k+ posts · 5k+ votes
I just finished reading one of the most incredible and shocking articles for the real estate investing industry. It is about a "professional tenant" (read: dirtbag) who may just be the worst there is.
If you are a current landlord or are thinking about it, please take the 5-10 minutes it'll take you to read this article.
We've had many great posts on our blog and the forums about how to deal with tenants set on ripping you off, but I think we must discuss this particular case.
Be sure to read the comments below the article as well . . . (most disturbing, IMO)
Residential Lender · Irvine, CA · Member since 2011 · 56 posts · 34 votes
15y
Wow, that's pretty scary. I hope other would-be professional tenants don't get any ideas. One way to defend yourself against the "deplorable conditions" issue is to photograph your unit before the tenant moves in and have them sign off on a document that everything is in working order.
Beverly Hills, CA · Member since 2016 · 2 posts · 0 votes
9y
I just spoke with a total dick head attorney, Fred Szkolnik. Not an attorney who knows anything useful and won't help you in these tenuous situations. Most Landlord attorneys in Los Angeles regarding these situations have No idea what this Grand theft aspect does to Landlords, have no empathy and are just out to make a buck. I'm moving onto attorneys who handle fraud.
Beverly Hills, CA · Member since 2016 · 2 posts · 0 votes
9y
We need to file something with the states and cities to change these laws. Of course, it's corrupt bc, as a lawyer explained it to me, confidentially, at least in Los Angeles, the lawyers are paying off the congressmen during elections to keep the laws the same. They are collecting such Huge fees for a half an hour in court- each time a "professional tenant" files a case. Would the DA hear this? What about a change.org? Maybe we can make it a national change.org since it is happening in So many states? Feel free to reach out to me if you want to band together and make a difference. If I end up filing suit myself, I'm also going to list the crap attorneys who are likely a part of the corruption.
Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
9y
Incredible article and he's feeding this information up the line to anyone else that thinks they want to live rent free. That's why as landlords we need to be informed, know what our state landlord tenant laws are and make sure when we do file for eviction we are not wasting the courts time. and we have our paperwork in order and have done what it takes to try and reason with the tenants prior to filing.
We had a nightmare tenant about 20 years ago, lived on 3rd floor, his favorite method was to overfill the bathtub, my dad camped out in the hallway after the sheriff served him,so he could shut off the water main and be next to the fire extinguisher if needed, was well before he had a cell phone and he had a emergency phone installed in basement just because of this guy so he could call for assistance if needed.
Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2016 · 156 posts · 113 votes
9y
What a freaking nightmare!!! He could've spent that time building a real career in the legal or some other professional field but yet he chooses to be a professional nuisance and squatter.
Investor · Valparaiso, IN · Member since 2011 · 103 posts · 65 votes
9y
Just curious... anyone know what happened to this guy? This article is several years old now, and Google isn't finding me many follow-ups. The most recent it found me was a 2016 court case against the newspaper for publishing these articles...
Carolina · Member since 2017 · 519 posts · 222 votes
9y
$40,000 - $60,000 in attorney fees?! I would be sunk. What is wrong with people?! @Joshua D., thanks for this share. It was very eye opening and very frightening, yet something we all need to read. I hope none of us have to deal with anyone like this. Doesn't sound like any of his landlords did any screening or pre-rental inspection photos.
Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2017 · 39 posts · 12 votes
9y
@Joshua D., thank you for sharing this story. I have had PMs from the beginning and perhaps this saved me from a horrible tenant like this. The first PM that I eventually ended up firing had a new tenant in my house each year. I definitely learned some important lessons regarding PMs from the first mistake.