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."
Rental Property Investor · Baltimore County Maryland and Tampa Florida · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
10y
I text a tenant to inform them of their eviction date that the constable set and reminded them of the amount due. They text back, "we have to pay all of it by then????" Um...yes. :-)
And this isn't a dumb quote from a tenant, but one my tenants tends to talk a lot and I have to sometimes politely interrupt to get a word in. She says, "I'm sorry, Nicole. Sometimes I don't know when to shut up and let you talk." lol It was kinda funny/cute. At least she realizes. =P
Augusta, GA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
10y
I have a young couple moving out at the end of this month. They've been with me for the past four years and except for a few "glitches" (paying late) early on the rent of $700 has been coming right on time.
In December I learned why. Picking through the "rooms for rent" section on craigslist I saw an ad looking for a roommate for $375 a month with pictures of my living room, bedrooms, kitchen, etc.. The ad said they already had two other roommates and were looking for a third so these geniuses were actually making money on my rental.
My fault for not checking on them more carefully. The times I'd been over there to address repair requests (very rare throughout the years; it's understandable now) bedroom doors were closed and "friends were visiting" that day.
Instead of evicting for breach of lease I decided to raise the rent by $375; they paid but sent a letter of termination with the appropriate timeline (30 days notice).
The letter of termination included a statement that they fully expected to receive all of their security deposit back as they were leaving the house is "excellent" shape. Issues that were not damages but "normal wear and tear" (in their eyes) included:
1.The floor in front of the stove (NOT the sink) mysteriously lifted up, breaking a couple of tiles, then just as mysteriously settled back down again...so no, when we see the broken tiles at their move out it wasn't their fault.
2. The tub in the master bathroom has developed cracks and a hole (!?) all from normal use.
3. The window in the same master bathroom is "missing" and they now claim that they cannot recall it ever being there from the day that they moved in four years ago. Of course no one BROKE the window; it just up and left on vacation on day and never returned.
While the other manager was handymanning at one of our rental SFRs the other night, the residents there, who have given notice that they are not renewing, gave us a handwritten sheet that was similar to the one you received listing out a couple things and saying "we are not responsibile for this". As if that works. As if that's in my 30 page lease and move-in checklist. Also, they had been landlords a couple decades ago themselves, we have to wonder if they accepted notes like that when they were landlords. Early on they were trying to tell us what they did when they were landlords when they didn't like how we were doing things and we politely but firmly shut that down real quick.
Investor · New Orleans, LA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 944 votes
10y
An oldie, but a goodie. My last tenants told me, on multiple occasions, they wanted to use their security deposit as their last month's rent...and all on top of the fact they wanted to break their lease. They acted just flabbergasted that I wouldn't allow this. Because all their previous landlords allowed this...apparently they had already forgotten the excuse they gave me for paying their security deposit late was because they were waiting for their deposit back from their previous landlord. (Yes, I let them move in, paying the security deposit later. They did pay most of it, though never all. I've already stamped a big, red "DUMB" on my forehead).
"Oh, but you know we'll leave the place in great condition." So, their answer to my refusal was to sneak out in the middle of the night. One day after rent was due, which of course hadn't been paid. No notice and breaking their lease. And the place was FILTHY, had 88 nail holes (I counted), and a big hole in one of the walls.
Fishkill, NY · Member since 2013 · 88 posts · 36 votes
10y
Just had a great one yesterday. I just took ownership of an apartment building. The prior owner drove this place into the ground - very poor management, nobody had valid leases, really just a free-for-all. I'm just starting to clean it all up. Anyway, turned out that one tenant moved out the day of the closing, so we had a vacant apartment the fist week. Fine, that's no problem.
I do a walkthrough 3 days later to make a repairs/maintenance list, and I see the woman next door to this vacant apartment moving all of her stuff over!
ME: What's going on? TENANT: I figured since [other tenant] is gone, I could just move over there. ME: Oh really. How did you get the keys? TENANT: She gave them to me when she moved out. ME: --facepalm-- Why are you moving? TENANT: Her apartment is bigger and I like it better. Oh, do you think you can paint the walls before I move in?
Speechless. You just decided that you can move to another apartment in the building without telling anyone?
One week later, I come back for an insurance inspection for our new policy. Walk up to the floor of that same tenant. There are 2x4's and sheets of drywall in the hallway. Strange. Knock on the same tenants door, she lets me in.
She is BUILDING A WALL inside her apartment, floor to ceiling. All framed out, door and everything.
ME: What in the the HELL are you doing? TENANT: Oh, I wanted to make it a 2-bedroom apartment. ME: --Biggest facepalm ever-- You need to contact us before you do any sort of modifications to your apartment. TENANT: Oh, I didn't know that. ME: My manager will contact you on Monday.
Needless to say, she probably won't be staying very long...
First month rent due on a new property I purchased. Tenant on government assistance, known drug dealer and suspected of various crimes including two murders, arson etc (prime suspect never prosecuted). She doesn't pay on time so I send her a eviction notice. She receives the notice and approaches me while I am working at the property.
Waving notice cursing and swearing. What right do I have to serve her. Follows her excuse for not paying rent...... New landlords are obligated to visit each tenant and personally introduce themselves before tenants are required to pay rent.
Every other tenant was scared to death of her so ultimately I evicted.
Investor · Jonesboro, AR · Member since 2016 · 11 posts · 53 votes
10y
we have a tenant who asked if we would owner finance our rental to her. she wanted payments lower than her current rent, no downpayment, and wanted us to build her a master suite on to the house. we politely declined.
First month rent due on a new property I purchased. Tenant on government assistance, known drug dealer and suspected of various crimes including two murders, arson etc (prime suspect never prosecuted). She doesn't pay on time so I send her a eviction notice. She receives the notice and approaches me while I am working at the property.
Waving notice cursing and swearing. What right do I have to serve her. Follows her excuse for not paying rent...... New landlords are obligated to visit each tenant and personally introduce themselves before tenants are required to pay rent.
Every other tenant was scared to death of her so ultimately I evicted.
I'd be scared to death of her, too...don't like to deal with the murdering kind...
Too be fare, prime suspect but not being charged cant really say she was the murdering kind. Three previous husbands, two mysterious suicides, one rifle shot to head, second one body never found third husband poisoined but survived. Some how mistakenly injested rat poison.
Unless you were married to her you really had nothing to worry about.
Rental Property Investor · Jacksonville, FL · Member since 2015 · 208 posts · 282 votes
10y
Suddenly,rent checks due on the 5th started arriving Florida from Ohio on the 22nd,each one clearly post-marked 5th of the month.So we couldn't charge late fees.
For 8 consecutive months.
After I figured it was either the USPS had been taken over by aliens or there was a boyfriend that worked at the post office,
I changed the lease terms to require only cashier's checks.
All checks have miraculously started arriving on time again since that change was made.
Granted I have not read every post on this topic (which is fantastic by the way) but your story about your tenant asking you to bail him out of jail absolutely wins hands down.
Investor · Henderson, NC · Member since 2016 · 484 posts · 208 votes
10y
I recently leased an industrial unit to a guy who does construction. He wanted to make a lot of upgrades/changes to the unit, so I walked through with him and let him explain what he wanted, and said yes, he could do everything he asked. (Mostly plumbing and electrical changes, including air conditioning)
Then he got all upset when I told him the estimated cost for all these changes. (About $3500) Apparently he took me giving him permission instead to mean that I would just entirely pay for anything he asked for.
About 2 days later I get an email.
"I read my lease. The way this is written if I pay for that stuff then I can't take it with me when I go"
Again, expecting me to pay for it. Normal lease explains anything installed/attached to the building becomes the property of the building owner.
My only answer was yes, that is how leasing works. You probably should have read your lease when you signed it.
Now all the sudden he doesn't want that air conditioning...
She is BUILDING A WALL inside her apartment, floor to ceiling. All framed out, door and everything.
ME: What in the the HELL are you doing? TENANT: Oh, I wanted to make it a 2-bedroom apartment. ME: --Biggest facepalm ever-- You need to contact us before you do any sort of modifications to your apartment. TENANT: Oh, I didn't know that. ME: My manager will contact you on Monday.
Needless to say, she probably won't be staying very long...
You really should let her finish building the wall. Then, next month, send her a notice of increased rent because she is renting one of your units with one more bedroom than she was the month before. More bedrooms can be a good thing for you. What a great opportunity for you to increase rents due to someone else upgrading your property for you. Later, if she moves out, you can go in and make sure the wall makes sense, but in the meantime, make sure she pays you for that extra bedroom your renting her.
She is BUILDING A WALL inside her apartment, floor to ceiling. All framed out, door and everything.
ME: What in the the HELL are you doing? TENANT: Oh, I wanted to make it a 2-bedroom apartment. ME: --Biggest facepalm ever-- You need to contact us before you do any sort of modifications to your apartment. TENANT: Oh, I didn't know that. ME: My manager will contact you on Monday.
Needless to say, she probably won't be staying very long...
You really should let her finish building the wall. Then, next month, send her a notice of increased rent because she is renting one of your units with one more bedroom than she was the month before. More bedrooms can be a good thing for you. What a great opportunity for you to increase rents due to someone else upgrading your property for you. Later, if she moves out, you can go in and make sure the wall makes sense, but in the meantime, make sure she pays you for that extra bedroom your renting her.
Actually, I was just discussing that with my property manager! She's on a month-to-month, so we could (and should) raise her rent moving forward. We're actually going to try to get her on a new 1-year lease with increased rent and damage deposit. We're also making it clear that we're not the prior owner and we do have rules now. She also hasn't paid her March rent yet, go figure...
Investor · Henderson, NC · Member since 2016 · 484 posts · 208 votes
10y
I have another industrial tenant, not happy after I told him I would not be buying extra things for him. He rents 1500 square feet. I'll admit, I never bothered to properly measure the space, so the lease very clearly said "approximately" for square footage. It is not sold by the square foot.
He sent me an email. "I don't think this space is really that big, are you going to adjust the price down?"
Of course the answer would be no, but just to humor him, I went and measured. It is exactly 1542 sq ft.
I told him he needs to have his thinker re-calibrated and yes, I would be happy to adjust the rent up for the additional square feet he has.
If he wants to renew in 6 months, I will charge him extra for those 42 feet I missed.
Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
10y
I invoiced a tenant for a late fee since he paid 12 days late. Tenant says.. I will not pay these late fees. I paid these last three months rent on average 9 days early this makes me your best tenant. Payments as follows: March and April on March 4th, May on May 2nd. Next payment late on the 12th but that doesn't count. Hmm.. try that with your credit card company. (best tenant= not)
Investor · Haverhill, MA · Member since 2015 · 761 posts · 328 votes
10y
purely my fault.
Tenant is short 100 for the rent and says he will have it in 2 days (payday). I figure its 2 days and no big deal. Get a call Friday he has the 100 dollars. I say "great, see you Sunday morning".
I show up Sunday mid-morning and he is confused why I am there. Remind him of the overdue 100.
Tenant looks at me and blurts out "I don't have it and Its your fault !
Me: My fault ?
Tenant: You didn't call me last night to remind me I owe you it"
Investor · Century, FL · Member since 2015 · 950 posts · 603 votes
10y
Actually you made a noob mistake.
If the tenant has $100 on Friday night, if you actually want to see it, collect it there and then. There is no chance that it'll make it through the weekend.