How much damage can they do in 60 days? Find out!

[Nathan Gesner]

How much damage can a single tenant cause in 60 days? Watch the video below.

Background: tenant was no problem for 18 months but then one of her utility bills reverted to the Landlord due to non-payment. It wasn't much but it's still a red flag. Tenant said she would pay it and put it back in her name but then failed to do so.  Next month, rent was a few days late, utility still not paid, and the tenant wasn't communicating with me. Bigger red flag.

I had a gut feeling something was wrong so I went and inspected the unit. It was spotless. We had painted and put new flooring in right before she moved in and everything still looked new, was neatly decorated, and even smelled nice. No signs of unauthorized tenants or pets. I was happy to see the condition but still didn't feel right based on some of the Tenant's behaviors.

The Tenant was on a month-to-month lease at this point so I recommended giving 30 days notice. Owner wanted to keep the tenant a few more months before selling. I recommended removal several more times and finally got approval two months later. I served a 30-day notice and tenant was supposed to be out June 10th. On June 3rd, I saw the tenant was arrested for breach of peace. In my experience, this usually indicates a domestic situation and someone kicking in a door or punching a hole in the wall. Since the tenant was still in jail, I went up to inspect and was shocked by what I found.

My original video showed much more but I shot this one after emptying the place just to avoid showing any personal effects.

[John Underwood]

It is scary to know something can go south so quick. My utility company offers revert to landlord and I keep telling them no so that I don't potentially get stuck with a tenants electric bill.

Plus if I know utilities are off and I want the tenant out, I can call code enforcement and they will put them out after 24 hours notice because house is not habitable without utilities. This is a short cut I have learned to bypass an eviction and it is legal in my area.