Would you evict a 102 year old woman?

Joe A.Business Member

Realtor · Waco, TX · Member since 2018 · 76 posts · 80 votes

https://www.foxnews.com/us/102-year-old-california-woman-evicted-so-landlords-daughter-can-move-in

This guy is evicting a 102 year old woman so his daughter can move in to the apartment. The woman had been living there for 30 years! I know what I’d do. What would you do?

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Nathan GesnerBusiness Member

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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes

I think they're pretty generous giving her 90 days to move.

I think the real crime here is that families no longer take care of their elderly. It's cool she's able to live on her own but that's going to change any day now. If I had a relative that age, I would be encouraging them to move in with me so we could keep an eye on them and help them. I certainly wouldn't leave them out on their own, paying rent and exposed to unscrupulous contractors or landlords or door-knockers or whatever.

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Eva Morel
Essex Junction, VT · Member since 2017 · 30 posts · 14 votes
7y
@Joe Alford if she has been paying on time I would let her stay... we are where we are today because we have built ourselves off of the backs of our older generations.
1 Reply
Lynnette E.
Rental Property Investor · TN · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
7y
Its CA, any deaths on the property MUST be disclosed. In LA, the Asian community will typically not buy a house when a person died in the home.
Both my parents passed away at home under hospice in LA County. When that was disclosed to Asian buyers, they no longer were interested in the property.
Besides, maybe really wanting a home for his daughter, or maybe really wanting to get control over his home, maybe he does not want to loose the value of this asset.
We really do not know why he is not renewing the tenancy, the daughter moving into the house is the legal pathway to get control over the house.
As a daughter, yes, my parents can die wherever they want. As a landlord, I do not want tenants dying in my asset!
2 Reply
Constancia R.
IN · Member since 2017 · 96 posts · 63 votes
7y
@Lynnette E., do those buyers have that much of a stronghold in the market, though? I bought AND LIVED IN a house where the guy before us committed suicide, and never gave it a second thought. If it was a brutal murder, I might think twice....but then again, I don't think I would ever ask if anyone had died in a home, before putting in an offer.....
...and everybody's gotta die somewhere!
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
0 Reply
Marysue Connelly
Member since 2018 · 60 posts · 14 votes
7y
hmmmmm........while its a distant memory (about six month) i congers up memories of the Grinch with a heart 3x too small.
1 Reply
Andre' Arceneaux
Rental Property Investor · Orange County, CA · Member since 2019 · 151 posts · 92 votes
7y
@Anthony Wick that's a lot of assumptions about how people run tejor businesses, which is wrong. Not everyone makes the same decisions. This is greed.
It's happening all over LA ramping up the change to pat for the stadium (Rams) and to have the crowd live around it and populating the area.
90 day notices (so much so moratoriums have been placed because it's affecting GLUTS of people) where rents are jumping from 12-1300 for 2br 1ba apts to 28-3200 .. basically defacto evictions knowing people cannot afford it, specifically those on fixed incomes (this isn't uncommon as of late) .. so much of a jump Bay Area housing takes notice.
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Lynnette E.
Rental Property Investor · TN · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
7y
Originally posted by @Constancia R.:

@Lynnette E., do those buyers have that much of a stronghold in the market, though? I bought AND LIVED IN a house where the guy before us committed suicide, and never gave it a second thought. If it was a brutal murder, I might think twice....but then again, I don't think I would ever ask if anyone had died in a home, before putting in an offer.....
...and everybody's gotta die somewhere!
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Yes, in southern Ca a lot of the real estate market is Asian buyers. Their influence is why its a mandatory disclosure. They come over on a chartered plane, stay at a hotel and are driven around in vans and chartered busses to areas just to buy real estate to then often rent out, but sometimes use as a second home. They come with cash in bags. In some areas, they drive the market. Pushing the prices up, then crashing it when they all sell together.
Personally I do not care about death in the house, especially when its hospice and what the person wanted, but some religions believe that the soul can be trapped if the person dies inside.
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Jonathan W.
Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2019 · 512 posts · 301 votes
7y
@Joe Alford at 102 after 30 years of faithful Rent pay.
I would do whatever I could to get the person out of there without eviction.
Literally the only exception ever...
0 Reply
Kell Caro
Rental Property Investor · Oakland, CA · Member since 2018 · 19 posts · 27 votes
7y
Look I understand people with the "hey, its just business" mindset when it comes to this stuff. We live in a capitalistic society where a competitive marketplace rules the day. That goes for jobs, businesses, all the way to housing. If you're not able to compete, well hey, sorry but I don't make the rules around here.
I live and operate in Oakland, a heavily rent controlled city, where the level of tenant rights are so strong that they literally have more rights as a tenant than you do actually owning the building. The right for an owner or owner's family member to move into a unit is one of the few and only ways to legally end someone's lease and I have and am willing to utilize my legal position to the extent that the law allows.
But would I have done it in this particular instance? Absolutely not. I appreciate @Joe Splitrock for bringing his vantage into this conversation because I couldn't agree more. I also agree that it's a shame that this 100 yr olds family isn't there for them, but that's beside the point. It's a scarcity mindset saying we need to squeeze this lady out. It's an ethical and moral position that we should be respecting and honoring our elders.
The lady doesn't have much time left anyways. She can absolutely stay.
4 Reply
Alan Grobmeier
Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2013 · 919 posts · 911 votes
7y
@Lynnette E., I believe the statute of limitations is 3 yrs for disclosure of death on a property in CA.
0 Reply
Alan Grobmeier
Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2013 · 919 posts · 911 votes
7y
@Lynnette E., see link.
https://losaltoshomes.com/2013/08/08/when-do-home-sellers-need-to-disclose-a-death-on-the-property/
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Sadrud-Din Williams
Specialist · South Bay, CA · Member since 2015 · 132 posts · 34 votes
7y
I would not evict but I would help her to find a place that can care for her needs, only because it is more liability to keep her on the property. I will not stop there though I would reach out to who cares for this women and work with them to find a elderly care facility to put her in if possible. One of the things I do in this industry we call "Real Estate Ministry" because we believe its not just about making but also helping as many people as we can.
1 Reply
James Jackson
Rental Property Investor · Augusta, GA · Member since 2015 · 6 posts · 1 vote
7y
@Crystal Place Great response!!
0 Reply
Joseph ODonovanPro Member
Property Manager · Ridley, PA · Member since 2017 · 427 posts · 449 votes
7y
@Joe Alford She can stay until she passes. This can be my good deed for the day. And the next day. And so on......
1 Reply
Trudy Pachon
Investor · San Diego, CA · Member since 2015 · 90 posts · 89 votes
7y
We deal in a business that by it's very nature is emotional. We deal in people's homes. Their places to live. This business can be tricky, and IMHO, should be dealt with humanely and conscientiously. We are not selling TVs here. We are ****ing with people's lives.
In California, where I am from and run my apartments, landlords are perceived of as being greedy and immoral. (we are about to possibly get statewide rent control) We landlords all need to seriously consider the consequences of these perceptions and our actions. The folks in this business would do well to think about the moral and ethical implications and not just the bottom line.
Imagine the positive story if this was a story about a landlord that helped this 102 year old woman instead of evicting her? I don't know enough about the dynamics of this particular story, but I would love to see some stories of landlords doing positive things. I think everyone would benefit from that!
4 Reply
Ann North
Rental Property Investor · Wayzata · Member since 2019 · 80 posts · 24 votes
7y
@Joe A. No.
No, I would not.
Also, for those who blindly think rent control is bad -- it isn't. In some cities, it's necessary. If you don't want to be a landlord in rent control don't own where there is rent control. I lived through the condo conversion craze in Los Angeles and it wasn't fun. If it goes statewide, that's a different story. I doubt it ever will. Many ppl in California really stretch the ethical boundaries of "normal" interactions.
0 Reply
Account Closed
Rental Property Investor · Tampa, FL · Member since 2018 · 15 posts · 10 votes
7y
@Joe Alford
If I could I would eat the cost and let her stay.
1 Reply
James Wise
Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 31k+ posts · 20k+ votes
7y
Originally posted by @Joe A.:
https://www.foxnews.com/us/102-year-old-california-woman-evicted-so-landlords-daughter-can-move-in
This guy is evicting a 102 year old woman so his daughter can move in to the apartment. The woman had been living there for 30 years! I know what I’d do. What would you do?
If it's a non payment of rent issue; Yup, sure would. Wouldn't even give her age a 2nd thought. If she was paying on time & not a problem na, probably not. Would just let her ride things out.
1 Reply
Andrew Cornstubble
Rental Property Investor · Sedan, KS · Member since 2016 · 125 posts · 92 votes
7y
@Joe Alford what a mess. Personally if she is a good tennant i would try and find a suitable property that is more affordable if i were to evict her. I'd also have a buddy come help move all of her stuff and get her settled.
Business and ethics seem to but heads sometimes but I somewhat believe in the golden rule or karma. You bet if you boot her she will tell everyone she knows and they will hate you. But if you handle it properly or cut her a break you never know. Maybe she tells a friend or family memeber what a fantastic landlord you are. 1 or 2 tennants would be a pretty good bonus just for being empathetic.
I rented a house to a buddy one time (i know i know) and surprise "ahh man I'll get squared up soon as i can. Just give me a month or two." I then doubled down and let him work some of it off painting. Needless to say i learned some lessons quick.
But, in doing so i was able to learn a little more about handling tennants. We are in a small community so only my wife knew about this. We met up at a rock festival not long after. He of course never brought up the fact that he owed me $800. But he did introduce me to some of his friends and we hung out for 4 days drinking beer and rocking out. One of them wound up being the golden goose of tenants. The house wound up being in better shape after he moved than when i rented it out to him. And that guy in turn recommended the next tenant (a friend of his) so i didn't even have to clean it or miss a day of rent.
I could have threw a fit and probably still never got paid. But I consider it an $800 lesson that could have been a lot worse. I got to keep a buddy that i like hanging out with. And i wound up with the best 2 tenants i could ask for.
2 Reply
Anthony Wick
Rental Property Investor · Ankeny, IA · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
7y
@Ann North
I do not like rent control. It’s the government setting the market. It is not free trade. Not everybody is supposed to afford to live anywhere they want. If a landlord can get $2k for a small apt, then that is the market rate. Nobody is forced to live in a neighborhood, city, or state. I lived in Cali for a while. Didn’t like the prices. I moved back to the Midwest. Should the govt have intervened and lowered the cost so I would stay? No.
2 Reply
Jesse Whitmore
Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 35 posts · 18 votes
7y
I think the real discussion begins when she can’t figure it out. Then I would ask myself if morally I can legally force this person out, and how much am I willing to accommodate for the person. It says she’s relying on friends and family, so if she can figure it out, she can figure it out. I don’t think because you’ve rented for 30 years gives you the same right to live there as the owner. On the other hand, if this lady is about to be on the curb, I’m asking the church or some social workers what kind of options this woman has, if she doesn’t have the ability to find them for herself. No matter what though, I’m not going to own property and my daughter needs a place to stay and I tell her she has to figure something else out because this tenant has been here 30 years.
0 Reply
James Wise
Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 31k+ posts · 20k+ votes
7y
Originally posted by @Ann North:
@Joe A. No.
No, I would not.
Also, for those who blindly think rent control is bad -- it isn't. In some cities, it's necessary. If you don't want to be a landlord in rent control don't own where there is rent control. I lived through the condo conversion craze in Los Angeles and it wasn't fun. If it goes statewide, that's a different story. I doubt it ever will. Many ppl in California really stretch the ethical boundaries of "normal" interactions.
I see no situation where rent control & the stripping of our rights by the government is ever good.
2 Reply
Reggie Maggard
Blue Springs, MO · Member since 2014 · 353 posts · 52 votes
7y
@Joe Alford onlyif she isn’t paying
0 Reply
Anthony Rosa
Rental Property Investor · New York City · Member since 2019 · 703 posts · 538 votes
7y
It is every landlords wish to have a 30 year tenant and now they don't want it. Hopefully, my daughter would have the heart to say dad "I can't do that to this woman". If my kid needs financial help, my kid can live with me until she gets on her feet.
0 Reply
Casey Powers
Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2018 · 405 posts · 474 votes
7y
The woman is not being evicted, unless of course she refuses to move. It is the owner exercising their right to terminate the rental agreement. The tenant has the same right. The owner gave her a 90 day notice. That's plenty fair. The owner has every right to use their property as they see fit.
1 Reply
Albert Ng
Rental Property Investor · San Jose, CA · Member since 2015 · 401 posts · 221 votes
7y
@Joe Alford
The law prohibits age discrimination! A tenant is a tenant, and a 30 years rental is still a rental.
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