Investor · Maui, HI · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 3k+ votes
13y
I have a tenant that continually complains of being cold, and I need to do a better job of sealing her doors (which they are sealed fine.) I go over there- and her heat is off. "Well, I don't wan to pay for all that electricity! I just run it once in a while."
Investor · Columbia, TN · Member since 2015 · 21 posts · 7 votes
10y
No rental properties yet, but this thread might just put me off.
When I rented the condo we now own, I would never think of calling my landlord, I just fixed the problem, actually I did not know I could call and complain, or ask for upgrades. We never used the disposal in the sink, it rusted solid and I had to replace it because it would back up with water when the dishwasher would run. Our AC in the middle of the summer quit working and the landlord was slow to get it fixed, actually took a week and three phone calls in the middle of a TN summer. I knew what was wrong with the unit, the fan on the coil would not run, so I hooked up an external fan on top of the unit to pull air through the coil and we had AC. The springs on the garage door where weak and the door would not open and close correctly, I just lived with it and fixed it. I was so stupid, after reading this thread, all the things I could have got for free :-)
Now I will say I was never on time with my rent, I hate to write checks so I would send her two checks, each for two months rent, so a total of four months rent. Landlord would have to send a text occasionally to remind me to send two more checks, which I never post dated.
I can see when I do rent out property I need the CYA paper work, along with a CSI crime scene kit to document the before and after.
Investor, Entrepreneur · Greenville, WI · Member since 2015 · 138 posts · 27 votes
10y
Hehehe :D
I got a couple laughs out of this thread, so I'll contribute.
Story #1: Showed a unit to a couple that was a bit desperate, had a sob story... I made the mistake of empathizing, let them have keys before the full security deposit was paid. Couple days later the security deposit wasn't paid but the woman felt she deserved better and called the building inspector to complain that the apartment wasn't up to her living standards. I realized my mistake and evicted, but before they were out she filed a complaint with the BBB. LOL! Dumb***** are now one less positive reference on their record and won't be getting further rental assistance from one of their only options because they didn't leave the property clean and lost security deposit.
Moral of the story... screw sob stories. This is a business, and my lenders don't care about why or whatnot. Rents need to be paid, and I'm not paying rent for strangers.
Story #2: On a rented property that I purchased, I learned that a tenant had a leaky sink. I scheduled 2 appointments with my plumber to evaluate/fix it, but both times tenant didn't show. A month later, I get an email: "Good news! I found a plumber to fix the problem so I will take it off next month's rent!"
L.O.L. Rent check comes, deducting the "$220 plumbing bill" with an invoice for $220 from "Tony's Plumbing" with no phone number, address, or anything else. We Google the "company" name in our area and no such company seems to exist.
At this point my wife and I, along with my office manager, are just laughing... this is just silly. Sent a letter to tenant stating that "fake invoice is obviously fake", rent is underpaid, late charges are piling up, etc... no word from the tenant. Eviction process begins.
lol! Why didn't I think of that? I'll just leave out the detail that Lily reminds me of the Cowardly Lion from Wizard of Oz. Just let them assume the worst. ;-)
Real Estate Investor · Westminster, CO · Member since 2012 · 25 posts · 18 votes
10y
My rentals are all town homes. I always introduce myself to the neighbors, let them know how to get in touch with me if there are ever problems with my tenants. Little did I know I'd purchased a place right next to a crazy lady. For a while, she was calling me every week to tell me that, "Your tenant is using all of the electricity and it's making my lights flicker. You've got to make him stop!"
Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
10y
Tenant in her mid-50's texts me : the toilets not working right. Me: what's wrong with it? Tenant: It doesn't flush right.... I call because I see this is going nowhere fast. Me: hi, What is wrong with the toilet, is it overflowing? Tenant: No. Me: well can you tell me what is happening...Pause no answer...is it not filling? Tenant: It's going really high. Me: so its clogged? Tenant: Maybe. Me: did you try a plunger? Tenant: No. Me: can you try a plunger? (after several more painful back and forths about her not having one, I tell her where there is a plunger she says I don't know how to use one........ my landlord used to come over at my last rental..... so basically you are telling me your last landlord helped you use a plunger and you still don't know how...
Investor · Brentwood, CA · Member since 2013 · 195 posts · 52 votes
10y
Just read this incredible headline
WOMAN APOLOGIZES FOR FIRE STARTED BY EFFORTS TO KILL BEDBUGS
Monday, November 09, 2015 11:00AM
DETROIT, MI --
A Detroit woman has apologized for a massive fire that she and authorities said was accidentally started by her efforts to eradicate bedbugs from her apartment.
Tuesday's fire tore through Ramblewood Apartments, destroying the 48-unit complex. Sherry Young was injured along with four others, including three firefighters, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Young told the newspaper she had doused herself with rubbing alcohol before it was ignited by a stove and oven. She said she had turned on the stove and oven the previous day to heat up her apartment, on advice from a neighbor, as part of the effort to kill the bedbugs.
"I didn't know that the fumes were so ignitable," she said. "Had I known that, I would not have doused myself before going into the apartment."
Henderson, KY · Member since 2015 · 66 posts · 26 votes
10y
I just made a noob mistake. Tenant called and said he had a new washer/dryer delivered and the delivery guy said the cold water valve was corroded and leaking badly. Instead of looking at myself (since I was at work) I called in a trusted plumber and expected to be out some money for them to cut the wall and replace the valve.
Plumber gets there and tightens up the new washer hose just a smidge and all was well.
Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 59 posts · 17 votes
10y
I had a tenant move in (he was my best friend from high school). About 6 months into the lease, he thinks he smells smoke and climbs in the attic and searches for 3 hours for "hot spots" using a thermal imaging camera (keep in mind he is the town fire marshall), finally after not finding any hot spots in the attic he goes to the back yard and discovers the neighbor is BBQing. He also asked me to replace all the plugs and light switches in the house because if it catches on fire, it will look bad for him as the fire marshall. I told him he was more than welcome to replace them, but I would not be paying for them. He has been there for 8 years, and I don't see him moving any time soon!
Rental Property Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 6k+ posts · 4k+ votes
10y
Tenant paid their rent in cash because they don't have a car right now. So this is one of the bills I was handed (separate from the other) with her saying "sorry my daughter got a hold of this one".
So this is one of the bills I was handed (separate from the other) with her saying "sorry my daughter got a hold of this one".
Trivia: In the US, as long as you have more than 50% of a banknote, you can trade it in at any bank for a new one of the same value. If you're not sure if you have more than 50% of it, you can mail it to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and they will figure it out.
In Australia, if you have half of a banknote, you get paid half of the face value. If you have 25 percent of a banknote, you get paid 25 percent of the face value. In theory, you could "make change" with a pair of scissors. :)
Just a random thing I discovered when planning a vacation several years ago.
Investor · New York City, NY · Member since 2014 · 289 posts · 374 votes
10y
We stopped by one of our houses the other day to check smoke detectors and asked if anything was giving them issues. "well the dryer has been making a strange sound lately". Ok lets go take a look. I go to turn it on and nothing happens. I just replaced this a year ago, but it was used so who knows. I open it up and there was a solid wall of laundry packed into it. So much that it couldn't turn on. So I explained that it wouldn't work if it was stuffed full like that. Lo and behold it turned on after they emptied half of it out.
Investor · Orange County, CA · Member since 2015 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
10y
My friends rented a room in their house. Their tenant stopped paying rent the second month she lived there. When they asked when she was going to pay, her response was "but I paid you last month!"
Brooklyn, NY · Member since 2014 · 174 posts · 23 votes
10y
One of the issues my tenant had, who called me at 11pm, was to tell me that he never changed the HVAC filter, because it is always clean. Cursing at me that the air quality in the house is poor because the filter is not filtering anything. When they moved in I showed them how to change the filter and he was told he is responsible for changing it and its in the lease. I told him he could use a higher rated filter like a MERV 11. He continued to repeat the same thing about 5 times, that the filter is clean why should I change it, each time I told him there are better filters that will filter more and get dirty faster. Couldn't get through to him on that issue. He did mention that because of the air quality his health is effected and he will sue me, and how would I like it if my daughter lived in that house with bad air. Ohh well, his security deposit will pay for coil cleaning.
Residential Real Estate Broker · Chicago Suburbs, IL · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 594 votes
10y
@Martin S. I had a similar conversation with a tenant, complaining to me that his allergies were worse...I was like, well, this house had brand new carpeting throughout when you moved in, but most people with allergies don't chose a house that is carpet throughout, and live with 2 dogs who shed so much they will clog the air filter in a month, and told him about plug-in air purifiers, since the furnace isn't designed to clean the air, only to heat it, and those high rated filters are bad for HVAC systems according to any HVAC guy you talk to. This same guy wanted to argue with me about how he can't control his guests flushing wipes down the toilet...
Property Manager · Livonia, MI · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
10y
tenant texted today and said....
"Hey sorry to bother you but the upstairs bathroom toilet acts like it doesn't want to flush , we have plunged it and its just not acting like it wants to flush "
I am thinking... really? what acting school did it go to?
of course, there was a toy stuck in there. guess who'll pay for the service call...
Investor · Titusville, PA · Member since 2015 · 298 posts · 150 votes
10y
Winter is so much fun. My tenant called me to say that the furnace is not working and the apartment is absolutely freezing. After some questions, he told me that it is actually working non stop and that the air coming from it is warm but his place is still cold.
I should have known better but I went over to check it out anyway. The first thing I noticed is that his dining room window was wide open and his curtain was blowing from the outside wind. "Why is this window open?", I asked. "Oh, I opened that a few days ago to get some fresh air because it was too hot and stuffy."
I ACTUALLY had to explain it to him! His response? "Really?? I didn't think one window would make that big of a difference." Sometimes ya just wanna ring necks...
Flipper · Hagerstown, MD · Member since 2015 · 51 posts · 16 votes
10y
My favorite I have encountered so far is the past due tenant. Upon reaching out to her to try to figure out what is going on, I get a long drawn out Facebook message (yes Facebook!!) about how I have no right to ask about her rent. Um. Then it was I had no right to judge her I don't walk in her shoes. After that it was she has other things to take care of. Since when did having a roof over your head become an option?? Especially when you have kids! I really like the ones that blame me for them being late. Sorry. I forgot I hold your purse strings!
I had another one that refused to pay her rent. Called the office and told me she wasn't paying a dime until an electric issue was fixed. Mind you we've had the electrician there several times. She was well aware that we were ordering a part. She started talking about withholding rent. I told her she simply couldn't do that, that if she wanted to she could go to the court house and set up escrow to deposit there until her electrical issue was resolved. I gave her the address and phone number for the local court. She seemed a bit flabbergasted that I actually told her to do that. Needless to say she came in and paid rent the next day.
Rental Property Investor · Baltimore County Maryland and Tampa Florida · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
10y
@Krystal Grubbs It's funny how many people hear about this "withholding rent" option and figure it just means "don't pay rent at all." And they're always so adamant that they "know the law!" I love it.
Investor · Newberg, OR · Member since 2015 · 34 posts · 18 votes
10y
I rent a downtown unit to several college boys. They are great, always pay on time and are actually quite respectful to neighbors. However, we don't have dedicated parking and they have to park on public streets. There are a couple of spots very close to the unit that are only for 2 hour parking. They called me to see if there was anything I could do about all the parking tickets they were getting for parking in the short term parking spots.
I am not sure what they wanted- my only answer was- "stop parking there".