Bleeding Heart Syndrome

Investor · Lockport, IL · Member since 2015 · 25 posts · 35 votes

Hi all

Started landlording in 2018 and I have grown to 3 properties since then. I have never evicted anyone, or even terminated a lease, despite a few situations that warranted it.

As you may predict, that is my weakness. I am having issues confronting tenants on issues and putting my foot down, and the thought of handing someone a termination notice gives me an ulcer. I fully realize this is the wrong business for a person with too much compassion. My landlord friend calls it "bleeding heart" syndrome and just shakes his head at me. He's been in the business 30 years and has seen it all. He doesn't bat an eye at evicting people for almost any reason. The way he views people and their issues is quite...desensitized.

I'm looking for any words of wisdom on how to evolve mentally to where I am comfortable doing whats right for my business without losing sleep at night. What do you tell yourself when you are forced to put your bottom line over someone's ability to put a roof over their heads? I imagine its the same for most managers that are tasked with terminating employees. I'm sure they could give me advice as well on how to cope with feeling guilty about this.

I need to learn how to get over this if I am going to be successful. Appreciate your input.

9 Reply

77 views

Most Popular Reply

Joe SplitrockPro Member

Moderator

Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes

@Todd Handriegh the best approach is:

1. Have written rules and procedures for everything. For example, rent is due on the 1st, late fee X on the 5th and notice to vacate on the 8th. Have a clear process and enforce it no matter what the circumstances. Failure to enforce your rules evenly could actually be seen as discriminatory. Letting some follow the rules and others break them is unfair at best.

2. Pretend that you work for your rental company. Your job is to enforce the policies. If your day job had a rule against something, would you just do it anyways? This is where mindset is important. You can even tell tenants, sorry but these are the rules and my partners require me to follow them. That may help so you don't feel like the bad guy. Blame the policy.

3. Stop thinking you are compassionate, because you are not. Your problem is you fear confrontation, which is different than being compassionate. There is nothing compassionate about letting a tenant break the rules and live rent free. People who have trouble managing their lives or finances need consequences, so they learn better behavior. Would you let your child draw all over the wall or sit on their iPad for eight hours a day? They may WANT to do these things, but letting them is irresponsible, NOT compassionate.

4. Separate your business from your personal charity. If you want to help struggling tenants, donate money to rent assistance funds. Donate your time to big brothers or mentoring programs. Being compassionate and helping people is wonderful, but do your good deeds on a personal level separate from your business.

5. Don't listen to the "story" because you don't know if it is true and it is immaterial anyways. Tenants (and people in general) will use emotions to manipulate you. Often it is a lie or a half truth. They may say rent was stolen or their hours at work were cut, but in reality they blew the money. You are not a lie detector and you need to stop trying to figure out who is worthy and who is not. I used to try to figure out who was telling the truth and now I don't care, which is very freeing. Just pay the rent and take care of the property.

6. You can be compassionate to a situation, yet firm in your response. You can show sympathy for their situation and even offer suggestions to help, but still enforce consequences of their actions. "I am sorry to hear your hours were cut. I heard XYZ is hiring part time workers so that may help you. Since rent was late, you will owe a late fee of $XX."

It may be hard to understand, but even eviction can be very helpful to people in the long run. For many people eviction is a "rock bottom" moment in their lives that helps them change their mindset around money management. They learn to control their spending, show up for work, have an emergency fund and pay rent on time. People with money problems are no different than people with drug problems or other addictions. It is not money that solves the problem, it is learning the right behaviors around money. Most tenants who struggle are dealing with their own mindset issues. It could be procrastination, disorganization, depression or any number of issues that get them "stuck" in a bad pattern. Your "compassion" is enabling their bad behavior and this is the key thing you need to understand. Your landlord friend isn't as much "desensitized" as he is "enlightened" to human behavior.

33 Reply

See this reply in the discussion

58 Replies

Jump to latestLatest

Sort by

Bruce WoodruffPro Member
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
4y
Great post @Jim K.
2 Reply
Carol Zeroual
Boxborough, MA · Member since 2014 · 230 posts · 62 votes
4y
What type of properties do you own?
0 Reply
Kar Sun
Member since 2021 · 388 posts · 277 votes
4y
I have very tough screening and contract rules. My security deposit is pretty high. My properties are in great locations, fantastic shape and that includes all stainless steel appliances. I had to wait for my right tenant for almost 6 months. I won't rent to put a person in and then to have a headache. The properties have appreciated and I have no plans to sell them. Not rushing to put the first person in really helps.
1 Reply
Carol Zeroual
Boxborough, MA · Member since 2014 · 230 posts · 62 votes
4y
I agree wholeheartedly with Joe Splitrock. Very sound reasoning and advice.
1 Reply
Todd Rasmussen
Rental Property Investor · Clarksville, TN · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
4y
@Todd Handriegh

It is very very very rare that a tenant has a singular situation that creates an instance of lease violation and it has a chance of permanently resolving.

What are the instances that you had a tenant that was eligible to be evicted and you did not evict?
0 Reply
Derrick E.
Investor · The Creek, WV · Member since 2014 · 890 posts · 1k+ votes
4y
@Todd Handriegh one thing I have done that most would consider crazy. I had a good tenant who was always late. Always paid eventually, but was always late. Kept the place clean though, and never complained about anything/bothered me.
I made the decision to split up her rent payments. She would pay me half on the 1st and half on the 15th. Late payments were due on the 3rd and 18th (three days, in case the 1st and 15th fell on a weekend or something.) She was pumped to do this, but I explained to her that there was no more leniency on this. If she was 5 days late (6th and 20th) then she was going to be served with an eviction notice.
She was NEVER late another time, and I have implemented this strategy with some of my other lower income tenants and it's worked out great for me for multiple reasons. First of all, I rarely have to ask for the rent as they usually have it. I have kept tenants longer as most other landlords won't do this....most importantly, I don't feel bad at all if I have to enforce a late fee or if I have to evict someone. I already know I have given them every way possible to be successful in terms of paying their rent.
Some people just struggle to come up with that much money at once and that's ok. I can manage my money so as long as I know it's being split up then I can account for that.
Other than that, keep on being you man. Just have to stand your ground a little more, but I agree, there is a happy medium here. You can run a business and still be helpful to others. I have a friend who hates confrontation as well. All his tenants think he is the PM. When they make requests he says "I will speak with the owner and get back with you." When he is enforcing the late payment he says "Sorry, you are late and the owner is enforcing the late penalty." Same for evictions, etc. So this is something you could consider in the future. You can still manage the properties yourself, but just create that mental barrier between you and the "owner".
4 Reply
Steve Vaughan
Rental Property Investor · East Wenatchee, WA · Member since 2014 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
4y
I was a softie too for a long time. I still am to a point, but much better.
When people would ask me what I do I would proudly say I am a compassionate landlord! A what? Oh. You're a sucker!
Grow callous or turn it over to a PM. I managed to survive but had to put systems in place.
Here's an exercise for you. When a sob story comes, nod politely, say I hear you, then 1 up them like every other 1 upper we all know. Good luck!
4 Reply
JD MartinBusiness Member
Moderator
Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
4y
Originally posted by @Todd Handriegh:
Hi all

Started landlording in 2018 and I have grown to 3 properties since then. I have never evicted anyone, or even terminated a lease, despite a few situations that warranted it.

As you may predict, that is my weakness. I am having issues confronting tenants on issues and putting my foot down, and the thought of handing someone a termination notice gives me an ulcer. I fully realize this is the wrong business for a person with too much compassion. My landlord friend calls it "bleeding heart" syndrome and just shakes his head at me. He's been in the business 30 years and has seen it all. He doesn't bat an eye at evicting people for almost any reason. The way he views people and their issues is quite...desensitized.

I'm looking for any words of wisdom on how to evolve mentally to where I am comfortable doing whats right for my business without losing sleep at night. What do you tell yourself when you are forced to put your bottom line over someone's ability to put a roof over their heads? I imagine its the same for most managers that are tasked with terminating employees. I'm sure they could give me advice as well on how to cope with feeling guilty about this.

I need to learn how to get over this if I am going to be successful. Appreciate your input.

First, kudos for recognizing it and admitting it. That's pretty tough by itself, especially in a public forum. Lots of people want to come off as having the mettle for this but many take the same tack as you on these issues.

Here is how I look at it, and this point of view was sharpened and honed over 25 years in public service in the military and in local government. I provide nice housing to area residents at or slightly below market rates (and sometimes a little more than "slightly below" for long-term tenants). I maintain my properties and keep them nice. I make a nice profit, but I'm not a gouger. If I wasn't making a profit, I wouldn't be able to do it any more and I would then have to either sell my properties, which would likely remove them from the rental market altogether (my properties are all in nice neighborhoods), or I would have to let them become run down since I would lack the capital to keep them up. In either case, all of the rest of my tenants who pay their rent and live up to their obligations would have to suffer for the one or two that can't/won't pay or do right. Thus, 90% or more of my tenants would have to suffer for the actions of a severe minority. That's not right. That is the way I approached it in my public service career - we didn't have a profit margin, so if I let a bare minority get away with not paying their fees, taxes, etc. then I would be hurting the vast majority who were counting on us to take care of their enterprise.

So when a tenant has to go, they have to go for the good of the enterprise and the other tenants who count on me being able to run my business properly. There's nothing personal or mean-spirited about it. If a building was on fire and a bunch of people were locked inside, and one room had one person and one room had 20 people, I would bash down the door of the room with 20 people first even if the other room was a bigshot and the 20 were nobodies. I feel like the moral & ethical thing to do is always the most right by the most people.
Finally, here's a quick story. At the beginning of my career we had a girl that didn't pay her water bill and her water was cut off. She came to the office to speak to the manager (me) and she was in her early 20s with a little baby, probably 3 months old. Told me X and Y and Z was why they got cut off but they'd have the money in 2 weeks. OK, we'll put your water back on and see you in 2 weeks. 2 weeks later, no payment and we were cutting her off again. She came in the next day and said they were on their way to the office and the car broke down and they had to use the money to get towed, could they have 1 more week. OK, we'll give you one more week. A week later the landlord came into the office (this was in Ohio, where utility bills are/were part of the property) to see if they had paid their bill. No, she was supposed to pay by tomorrow. Well, he said, I doubt they're going to because they bailed in the middle of the night yesterday, of course owing rent. Not only did I feel terrible for the landlord, I felt like a total fool for being taken. By letting them run another 3 weeks without being shut off or paying, they were able to milk more time out of the landlord AND hurt our system because that was money that we ended up not getting, which just hurt the other rate payers. It was a hard lesson to learn but one I learned real well and real fast. I thought I was being nice, but I was being foolish and inconsiderate of everyone else who has to pay to maintain that system.
Think of your tenants the same way: they're all part of a system, and everyone needs to do their part to keep it running properly.
Podcast Guest on Show #243
Skyline Properties
View Page
6 Reply
James Wise
Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
4y
Originally posted by @Todd Handriegh:
Hi all

Started landlording in 2018 and I have grown to 3 properties since then. I have never evicted anyone, or even terminated a lease, despite a few situations that warranted it.

As you may predict, that is my weakness. I am having issues confronting tenants on issues and putting my foot down, and the thought of handing someone a termination notice gives me an ulcer. I fully realize this is the wrong business for a person with too much compassion. My landlord friend calls it "bleeding heart" syndrome and just shakes his head at me. He's been in the business 30 years and has seen it all. He doesn't bat an eye at evicting people for almost any reason. The way he views people and their issues is quite...desensitized.

I'm looking for any words of wisdom on how to evolve mentally to where I am comfortable doing whats right for my business without losing sleep at night. What do you tell yourself when you are forced to put your bottom line over someone's ability to put a roof over their heads? I imagine its the same for most managers that are tasked with terminating employees. I'm sure they could give me advice as well on how to cope with feeling guilty about this.

I need to learn how to get over this if I am going to be successful. Appreciate your input.

If you can't separate the emotion from the business I'd agree that this is not the business for you. It's not a character flaw, so don't take it as an attack. Simply put, landlording is definitely not for everyone. Sell your houses and move on to something more in line with your skillset or hire a property manager to make the tough calls for you.
2 Reply
Bud Gaffney
Rental Property Investor · Boston, MA · Member since 2019 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
4y
@Ted Hendry I love that you have a big heart. I think society lacks that as a whole. With that being said, this is business! You need to either hire a property manager, or toughen up, and realize it’s all business and not personal.
1 Reply
Tom DegroodtPro Member
Evans, GA · Member since 2016 · 121 posts · 65 votes
4y
I had a mentor tell me one time that your #1 job is to the asset (the house)
#2 is to the owner
#3 is to the tenant
He also said that no matter what the tenant WILL pay what is owed. They can pay on time, or they can pay the collection company later. He will make sure to keep the judgement going until at some point they will want a car loan... That is when they realize they need to pay the collection company.
With that being said, the most humane thing you can do is get them out of the house with them owing as little as they have to. If they are late with 1 months rent, the chances of them catching up 2 months will be impossible. When they go to get the car it is better that they only have a judgement of $2,000 on their credit report that one for $4,000 or $6,000. He also said to write off the loss in your head and your books so you don’t lose sleep. If the money comes back it will likely come back in a long time or in spurts. Run the business like it is not coming back.
2 Reply
Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
4y
Originally posted by @Joe Splitrock:
@Todd Handriegh the best approach is:
1. Have written rules and procedures for everything. For example, rent is due on the 1st, late fee X on the 5th and notice to vacate on the 8th. Have a clear process and enforce it no matter what the circumstances. Failure to enforce your rules evenly could actually be seen as discriminatory. Letting some follow the rules and others break them is unfair at best.
2. Pretend that you work for your rental company. Your job is to enforce the policies. If your day job had a rule against something, would you just do it anyways? This is where mindset is important. You can even tell tenants, sorry but these are the rules and my partners require me to follow them. That may help so you don't feel like the bad guy. Blame the policy.
3. Stop thinking you are compassionate, because you are not. Your problem is you fear confrontation, which is different than being compassionate. There is nothing compassionate about letting a tenant break the rules and live rent free. People who have trouble managing their lives or finances need consequences, so they learn better behavior. Would you let your child draw all over the wall or sit on their iPad for eight hours a day? They may WANT to do these things, but letting them is irresponsible, NOT compassionate.
4. Separate your business from your personal charity. If you want to help struggling tenants, donate money to rent assistance funds. Donate your time to big brothers or mentoring programs. Being compassionate and helping people is wonderful, but do your good deeds on a personal level separate from your business.
5. Don't listen to the "story" because you don't know if it is true and it is immaterial anyways. Tenants (and people in general) will use emotions to manipulate you. Often it is a lie or a half truth. They may say rent was stolen or their hours at work were cut, but in reality they blew the money. You are not a lie detector and you need to stop trying to figure out who is worthy and who is not. I used to try to figure out who was telling the truth and now I don't care, which is very freeing. Just pay the rent and take care of the property.
6. You can be compassionate to a situation, yet firm in your response. You can show sympathy for their situation and even offer suggestions to help, but still enforce consequences of their actions. "I am sorry to hear your hours were cut. I heard XYZ is hiring part time workers so that may help you. Since rent was late, you will owe a late fee of $XX."
It may be hard to understand, but even eviction can be very helpful to people in the long run. For many people eviction is a "rock bottom" moment in their lives that helps them change their mindset around money management. They learn to control their spending, show up for work, have an emergency fund and pay rent on time. People with money problems are no different than people with drug problems or other addictions. It is not money that solves the problem, it is learning the right behaviors around money. Most tenants who struggle are dealing with their own mindset issues. It could be procrastination, disorganization, depression or any number of issues that get them "stuck" in a bad pattern. Your "compassion" is enabling their bad behavior and this is the key thing you need to understand. Your landlord friend isn't as much "desensitized" as he is "enlightened" to human behavior.
Joe good thoughts.. I know when I did foreclosure rescue ( now basically illegal on the West Coast) I would sit with folks who were losing their home.. And many would just say they could not figure out how they got there.. but then there was an RV in the driveway new cars maybe a boat or jet ski.. it comes down to money management skills.. tenants are no different in many instances. Although in the landlord business of course your tenants are on a razor edge more than most home owners.. with lower rent areas of say 600 to 800 a month and 3X rent to qualify pretty tough to live on 1800 to 2400 a month for most folks and one little upset and boom

Podcast Guest on Show #222
JLH Capital Partners51 Review
Website View Page
2 Reply
Daniel SmythPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Rockford, IL · Member since 2019 · 471 posts · 342 votes
4y
@Ted Hendry
This is when I meet the tenant as soon as possible and convenient for me. If I need to adjust my day to meet the tenant as he gets hone from work, or just wait in the driveway, I would need that face to face chat with proper paperwork in my hand.
When it's time, it's time. Seems like this is the time for you, so let's get this hard thing done.
I have had this issue and feeling as well.
2 of 4 times the handing of the eviction paperwork was enough to resolve the situation.
Each time the tenant was glad I did so in person, and asked if there was a way to stop the process. The other 2 times was not so great, but bad tenants need to be bad somewhere else. Not personal, business.
I talk pretty hard, but am softer than some may think.
Good luck. The first time really hurts!
[email protected]
0 Reply
Justin Sullivan
Real Estate Agent · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2019 · 158 posts · 140 votes
4y
@Ted Hendry
I used to have an issue with arguing with subs about payment and finishing there job. They would want payment early or tell me they will come back to finish. It got to the point where I had to finish things myself or pay someone else to come fix it. At that point in time the pain of fixing there mistakes out weighed the pain of arguing over payment. I think if you suffer enough this will change you. If you don’t want to change then hire a PM right now. As for me I spent 30 mins arguing with a guy who told me he knew what he was doing but actually didn’t becAuse of my past pain. Now I don’t care nobody gets paid until I say so!
1 Reply
Marina Loos
Papillion, NE · Member since 2016 · 54 posts · 42 votes
4y
A good property management company is worth it's weight in gold. When I first started, I had no doubt knew that I would be one of those people who could be overly sympathetic at times even though I have successfully struggled through hard times in the past (so if I can do it you can too). If people had kids, medical bills, etc. I knew they would be able to pull at my heartstrings and many times I don't have a good poker face. At the same time, their bad life decisions shouldn't direct my business or life at all. If I can't control anyone's lifestyle then their negative decisions are their consequences.
My property manager does an excellent job and allows me to separate myself from any personal relationships with a tenant which is something I personally think is mandatory for all landlords.
Don't beat yourself up for having a good heart and since you know this about yourself, put things in place to manage your business affairs. Hire a good PM and that will not only handle this issue but will free up so much of your time to concentrate on furthering your business. Good luck to you.
1 Reply
Marc RiceBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Columbus Cleveland Dayton, OH · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
4y
You should outsource what you feel uncomfortable with to an experienced professional such as a property manager.
[email protected]614-363-2787
Marc Rice | Investor Friendly Agent at Reafco Tailwind Team574 Reviews
Website View Page
0 Reply
Rob Lee
Real Estate Broker · Dallas, TX · Member since 2016 · 248 posts · 240 votes
4y
Hire a property manager. Consider it a matter of cost vs. value. It's worth it to pay someone else to help your business run efficiently and protect your mental health. The last 3 years have given you the insight needed to know what to look for when hiring the right resource. We've had the best luck hiring property managers who are also investors. Start looking ASAP.
0 Reply
Chad McMahan
Residential Real Estate Broker · Sedona, AZ · Member since 2017 · 751 posts · 504 votes
4y
Originally posted by @Todd Handriegh:
Hi all

Started landlording in 2018 and I have grown to 3 properties since then. I have never evicted anyone, or even terminated a lease, despite a few situations that warranted it.

As you may predict, that is my weakness. I am having issues confronting tenants on issues and putting my foot down, and the thought of handing someone a termination notice gives me an ulcer. I fully realize this is the wrong business for a person with too much compassion. My landlord friend calls it "bleeding heart" syndrome and just shakes his head at me. He's been in the business 30 years and has seen it all. He doesn't bat an eye at evicting people for almost any reason. The way he views people and their issues is quite...desensitized.

I'm looking for any words of wisdom on how to evolve mentally to where I am comfortable doing whats right for my business without losing sleep at night. What do you tell yourself when you are forced to put your bottom line over someone's ability to put a roof over their heads? I imagine its the same for most managers that are tasked with terminating employees. I'm sure they could give me advice as well on how to cope with feeling guilty about this.

I need to learn how to get over this if I am going to be successful. Appreciate your input.

Hi Ted.
You either need to have established policy and be 100% firm, or hire a property manager and have them do it. You can be a nice guy AND do business like a boss. You don't have to sacrifice integrity to be nice. It's a tough lesson to learn. I went through the same thing, and realized I had to change some philosophies- then everything improved.
You've got this!
2 Reply
Joan MacDonald
Member since 2019 · 15 posts · 15 votes
4y
I had this mindset many years ago too.
1. From a practical standpoint, my wise Mom (a landlord/investor for many decades) said this to me: You're the one taking all the risk to hold this property. You're the one who sacrificed, saved, and forewent other opportunities that might've been more fun so you could rehab a kitchen, etc. You're the one managing all of the details, committing your discretionary cash to keep up with taxes, insurance, etc. You're the one putting parts of your life on hold to build this investment. This is not about who deserves good things (everybody does). It's about who's actually doing the work for this dream (you!)
2. From a spiritual standpoint, it's a disservice to them to enable non-paying renters. They can't continue to live in the town they're living in now if they get used to paying less in rent each month. They'll try to move and can't find another place for the price they're used to. Then that becomes your problem too, except that now it's a problem that you can't solve for them. They have to solve it buuuttt they've complacently decided that they don't need to solve the problem of paying rent because you let them get away with it. Put up the boundary and allow them to find their way. It's better for everyone if you have faith that they can do it.
2 Reply
Cletus Ketter
Member since 2020 · 1 post · 0 votes
4y
@Ted Hendry hire a high performing property manager that has seen everything before and will make these calls for you. The 10% you pay them will be offset by the extra revenue they assure you.
0 Reply
Keonnee Linnell
Realtor · Tracy, CA · Member since 2021 · 34 posts · 13 votes
4y
@Ted Hendry
Being compassionate in of itself isn’t a weakness, however it can be considered naive in some instances. Being naive can lead to many business owner’s downfall, so how do you combat this?
Be courageous enough to trust your tenants to make the right decision, lay down the ground rules and implement them. Be wise enough to know that they will falter at times. Be compassionate enough to forgive them on late payments and other rules they may break. Be strong enough to take the necessary action when a tenant takes advantage of your kindness.
You got this.
1 Reply
Bruce WoodruffPro Member
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
4y
Originally posted by @Chad McMahan:
I would go further and add that having integrity/morals/honor is the nicest thing you can do for the world around you. Spread these virtues as much as you can because they are sorely lacking in today's world.
It is easy to be a 'nice guy', really easy......it is sometimes a coward's way out for people that don't want to take a stand.
Make sure that your attempts to be a 'nice guy' are not just because it's easier...... :-)

2 Reply
Linda S.
Investor · Richmond, VA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
4y
@Todd Handriegh,
It's not fun, and it's the dark side of the business. A lot of landlords take pride in how quickly they are to pull out the eviction card... it's not about being hard/soft, it's about what works for you. Landlord/tenant relationships are built on trust.    If they are late, talk to them-- maybe they had unexpected medical bills, maybe a funeral, maybe a car accident/problems?   TALK TO THE TENANT. Were they planning on paying you next week?   Can you take $200 now, and say $800 next week or in 2 weeks on their next pay check? -- This is where the TRUST comes in.
If they got laid off, but got a new job starting next week-- can you pro-rate this month's rent over the next 3-4 months?      Does your state have rent relief programs you can apply for?     Sure, some people can say "it's just part of the business" but you know what-- this might be your house, but it's THEIR HOME-- respect that.
That being said, yes-- I have kicked out people and they remind you "i have no where to go" and yes, it feels ugly-- but this is only after exhausting all your options discussed above.   Remember-- people have choices, choices have consequences.   They chose to pay their cell phone bill over you, they chose to pay Netflix over you, they CHOSE this scenario.
3 Reply
Robert Edwards
Specialist · Butte, MT · Member since 2021 · 27 posts · 17 votes
4y
One way to think about it, is that you are enabling them to be irresponsible. And you aren't helping anybody by enabling them to do things they should not be doing. They have to take responsibility for their actions, that is part of being an adult.
1 Reply
Alex Zipeto
Member since 2018 · 13 posts · 4 votes
4y
@Ted Hendry
I was and still am the same way. I had to hire someone to help. Not a property management company. Almost like a personal assistant. Helps me a lot to separate and make rational business decisions while not having to be the bad guy all the time. Working really well. Maybe you can find someone even a family member to help you out.
1 Reply

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.