How to deal with tenant with mental health issues

Question

Has anyone dealt with tenant who is bipolar, off their meds? He’s been fired from his job. Family had him involuntarily committed. Local hospital immediately released him. He gave a handwritten, scribbled notice saying he was leaving by the end of the month. I confirmed the notice in a letter back to him.

He’s very manic, telling me people are breaking in the house, but not stealing anything.

I’ll file if he doesn’t vacate at the end of the month, but curious if someone who’s been through this has other ideas. I’m currently concerned about the tenant and the property.

Jerel Ehlert · Answer

See if family can get a person appointed to work with his needs.  Guardianship is a Major Pain but there are lesser alternatives.  For the estate, there could be a designated payee with a POA for financial transactions.  This helps make sure bills (you) get paid regularly.  If he is a danger to himself or others, talk to family about getting a social worker to do an assessment.  Might be as simple as a nurse visit periodically to help with personal care.

Lots of options.

Only call the cops if there is immediate harm to others.  Call an ambulance if he's likely to hurt himself.

Scott M. · Answer

Yes, we have had similar situations.  In the last case for us (end of last year/first of this year) we were able to work with the family (this is one reason why you get emergency contacts before moving in) listed as emergency contacts.  After contacting the family we told them of our concerns for their mother and they were able to step in an get some care for her and they also took over the finances and everything has been smooth since.

Reaching out to family, emergency contacts and state agencies is always a positive.  We also had a hoarder in the past year and reaching out to the city for a health/safety inspection got the ball moving on that one.  Nice to see you are concerned about both the person and the property.

Nathan Gesner · Answer

Yes, I've had similar situations. The last one was a man in his 80s that was starting to lose his mind. He kept claiming to wake up with someone standing at the foot of his bed, breaking into the apartment and stealing his milk and then returning it, etc. The most dangerous part is that he had a rifle and I didn't want him shooting at someone or painting my walls. We called Adult Protective Services and let them evaluate the situation, then they contacted family members and had him placed in a home.

I also had a woman that was suffering from a brain injury after a car accident. Extremely intelligent and from a very wealthy, politically connected family in Texas. She had pictures posing with many Presidents, Governors, Senators, and media stars, nice antique furnishings, and plenty of money. She would be great one day and then write me a five-page letter the next day. She eventually let slip that she had "family attorneys" and would sue me straight to the grave, so I tracked down her attorney and wrote him a letter to explain what was happening, along with a couple of her letters. He immediately responded, apologized for the situation, and promised to take care of her. She was gone a few weeks later, apparently whisked back to Texas where the family could keep an eye on her.

It's tough. Don't take it personal. Contact the Department of Family Services to see if they can provide you some guidance or investigate the situation.