Is there anyone who would like to share any horror stories of dealing with bad tenants who seemed like trustworthy and upstanding citizens at first, but then eventually proceeded to avoid paying rent and/or causing malicious damage to the property they were renting? How did you deal with them? What lessons did you learn?

You don't renew their lease and get rid of them as soon as possible.

@Theresa Harris Care to elaborate on that? It sounds like you’ve had some experience in dealing with bad tenants. Have you ever had to go through an eviction process with any tenants?

I've had two evictions-both this year.  One was a longer term tenant who stopped paying.  The other was during covid and again they stopped paying part way through.  I evicted them as soon as I could.  Neither mentioned problems before, just stopped paying.  Clean up from both took a few weeks, but it was mostly hauling away trash and cleaning.  The second one was the worst.

We're in final communications right now prior to filing an eviction on a long term tenant. They've had paying issues for a long time and we're done messing with them. I just wrote a "last chance" email this evening and we'll be filing with the court next week if something isn't worked out. During this past year we've probably posted 6 or 7 pay/quit notices. (on two different properties.) That has always resulted in payment but not this last time. We've never done an eviction prior to now. (we screen rigorously)

@John Teachout Oh wow! I can’t imagine that’s a pleasant experience for you or them. It sounds like they tried the last ounce of patience you may have had for them. Do you have an extensive screening process for tenants in place to avoid situations like this?

@Zachary Cura Whoops! Didn’t see that last sentence in your comment where you said that you screen tenants rigorously. What do you do exactly to make it rigorous?

@John Teachout What do you do exactly to screen tenants rigorously?

@Theresa Harris What made the second one the worst?

Originally posted by @Zachary Cura :

@Theresa Harris What made the second one the worst?

 The condition of the place.  The first left some stuff behind, but it was just stuff (furniture, boxes of things). It was more volume.  The second was a total pig sty.  Bags of garbage, gum on the floor, literally filthy.  These are the only two evictions I've had to do.

@Theresa Harris That’s really unpleasant. You should have made them clean up after themselves before evicting them. I can’t say I’m a fan of people who don’t clean up after themselves either.

@Zachary Cura do you have a screening process?

@Zachary Cura - I currently have a nurse whose working two jobs stiffing me on rent.   I use to get really upset by it, but I've learned that it's a cost of doing business unfortunately.  It's going to happen from time to time.

The best thing to do in these situations is offer them cash for keys.  Otherwise you're stuck with them for months + lawyer costs.

There's usually no reasoning with people who don't care about their credit or the morals behind paying your bills.  Just go through the motions and try to stop the bleeding as quickly as you can

@Zachary Cura

On our first rental, we inherited one non paying tenant and 1 bad section 8 tenant. The place was newly renovated, after 6 months, she trash the place, pest was uncontrollable and water bills surge but we dont have any comparison. Section 8, The housing failed the unit and tenant decided to move out while i was transitioning manament to Property management (PM), PM send notice to non paying tenant and he left. So far its been 5 years that all tenants are paying, one was delayed for two months during the covid but updated her payments. It’s not easy but part of the business.

I am in contract with 8 plex that will close 2nd week of January. It has 3 that are behind in rents so i didnt qualify for conventional loan, i have to use hard money lender. The owner is tired in dealing with tenants. In the records one tenant started not paying anything at all since May, the other one since July and the last one started in September. I might have to deal with evictions when available.

@Zachary Cura

3 years ago, I had my first tenent unexpectedly move out of my first rental house. B+ remodeled 1000 sq ft 2/2 in a small town) I only had a few months of reserve cash and a new (3rd) baby at home. I took the first bite I got: a 35-40 year old couple with two kids under 10. Here were my red flags that I rationalized because coming out of pocket would have dipped into my family’s already tight budget:

They had an eviction on their record that they did not disclose when asked on the application. (I was new to researching court records and the legal terms but figured it out).

They had both “been clean” for I don’t remember how much time. They had both had drug problems at some point. That’s about as much as I knew.

They said they could move in within a few weeks, that they’d be able to get out of their lease at the apartment complex in Springfield, Illinois. (The 120,000 population city 15 min from our small town) They wanted to get their kids into a safer area and better school district.

They paid security deposit and first month’s in cash. Often left cash rent or a money order in an envelope in my mailbox.

They started to fall behind in rent maybe 3-4 months in. Started to be a few days late (with the $25 late fee), then it was short. Then it was short and late. This was my first and only property and I was so scared of the financial hit to evict them and then maybe not collect the month or do they got behind.

I was trying to be a nice guy and help them elevate their situation a little bit.

They stopped returning my calls and texts for a few days. I checked the utility companies to see if they’d ended service. They were a few hundred behind on electric and trash had stopped a few months back). Then the wife calls me to tell me they’re both in rehab in a town an hour away. I told them I was putting a five-day notice on their door and she said her family was moving their stuff out that weekend.

When I showed up I found most of their kitchen drawers and cabinets contents still there, trashed carpets with motor oils (tracked in from working on his car in the garage), half of a 2 car garage full of trash bags, a broken window, lots of stuffed animals and art supplies, and about 150 empty 12 pack cardboard containers of Keystone Light and as many cans. I through out a 10 yard dumpster of junk and trash. I saved a few bags of their kids stuffed animals but they wouldn’t meet up to get them.

I found out from neighbors that the she broke their bedroom window breaking in after he locked her out, the county cops came and removed their two children, and they were increasingly ****ed up. Pills I think but I don’t know more than that.

I signed a lease with the first person to not be out about $450/month for a few months and instead I was out $4k of lost rent and cleanup costs.

THERE ARE SO MANY LESSONS IN THIS STORY. *facepalm* It started slow then totally fell apart. I just had to learn the hard way to respect the red flags.

@Zachary Cura

Evict them as soon as you have a good reason. Any reason. Just get them out ASAP. Don’t mess around. I’ve had a few of these that I tried to “work with.” The first one cost me 7k. The second one cost me 10k and one this year cost me 24k (due to the eviction moratorium). Long stories for each of them but they all started like yours and it just kept going south for each case. Now I don’t mess around. I learned the hard way and this is a tough business if you fall for their bs. And some are really sincere and honest, but just don’t have plan B or C with their finances. They never have and probably never will. Almost all my tenants are like this. Lol. Paycheck to paycheck tenants is what a lot of us get! Good luck!

Create a methodical & logical process to address nonpaying tenants to remove all emotion these types of tenants will want to use against you to live for free.

You can check out an overview of our process at our website.

Originally posted by @Zachary Cura :

Is there anyone who would like to share any horror stories of dealing with bad tenants who seemed like trustworthy and upstanding citizens at first, but then eventually proceeded to avoid paying rent and/or causing malicious damage to the property they were renting? How did you deal with them? What lessons did you learn?

Contact an eviction Atty and have them evicted