LANDLORDS NATIONWIDE! Most frustrating thing about it?

Question

For anyone and everyone who is a landlord, is there something that just pushes you over the edge? Some tenants are absolutely amazing, but we all know that isn't the case all the time. Tenants usually find a way to push just the right buttons. I want to know what the things are that aggravate you most as a landlord.

Some things I can think of are:

- rent not being paid on time - maintenance fixes (AC went out, dishwasher stopped working, etc.) - providing notices for eviction

Whatever it may be, I want to hear it.

And thank you to everyone who shares with me. I know being a landlord is no easy task but can be rewarding also.

JD Martin · Answer

Finding good contractors and repair personnel. The lack of professionalism these days never ceases to astonish me. I have yet to have a decent handyman that lasts more than a job or two. Once they get enough meth cash to last a week or two, away they go. General labor workers suck these days. I'm older (close to 50) but the work ethic today is atrocious. It is no wonder immigrants and foreign workers are kicking our collective asses.

Steve Vaughan · Answer

The apathy for anything that is not theirs or they are not paying for is most frustrating to me.

Appliances are abused, screens and screen doors torn and broken, yards dried up and weed-ridden, washer and dryers killed, dishwashers missing jet thingies, etc.

So now we have a laundry schedule in my multi's, a designated yard guy, designated doggy doo-doo days where all poop is picked up, etc.  It's like babysitting my sister's kids or something.

Catherine Angle · Answer

@Linda D. Hey Linda, I totally agree that being lied to is so aggravating! My opinion on tenants being untruthful is that if they are lying in the application process, they probably will try to be sneaky or deceitful when they become your tenants also. I just don't agree with that kind of thing.

Linda S. · Answer

@Catherine Angle

I'd say my biggest frustration is either being lied to by tenants/contractors/potential tenants..

You clearly state on the application you don't have an eviction, you tell me directly no evictions, but the court system says you have one?!    I also recently had a tenant who told me he would be home to let the pest control in.... in 8 months, he never did  (even though we paid $$$ for the service), so when he moved out.. lots of roaches!   I hate liars!    I actually look at people who admit felonies more over liars with evictions!    Getting lied to, IMO is the worst... oh, you don't have enough money for rent to be paid on time, but I see a new car?   Or I contractor gives me a quote for a full system replacement, when 3 others said it just needs a repair..  can't stand liars!!!

It's my pet peeve!

Jeff G. · Answer

@Patrick M. yeesh rent control, a temporary government program from the Great War (World War ONE) run amok until the present day. Yes, that's how rent control started in the US. I wish it did not exist.

Is cash for keys not an option in a rent controlled market?

Dale T. · Answer

I second JD Martin's post about unreliable Handyman/Contractors.

Jeff G. · Answer

When I was a tenant in a multi-family unit I was on good terms with the landlord. One thing that drove us both crazy was smokers. I get it, if it's your house  and you want to smoke -- smoke away.

The problem is in a multifamily unit the other renters can neither truly consent to second hand smoke exposure or avoid it entirely -- they're sort of captive in the situation. This leads to unhappy non-smoker tenants who move out early because of that one guy who smokes like a chimney. Oh, and landlords hate it because it takes extra effort to get the tobacco tar out of the walls too. Ugh.

Minna Hu · Answer

Tenants that are picky on every single thing, and use f** words when they call you and email you? For the first months when we took over our properties from property manager and started to manage ourselves. There are 3 or 4 tenants like this, I felt stressed and nervous about seeing tenant emails. Later we found that we don't need to suffer when we see their emails, we give their cease and decease notice for harassment, and said it will go into their file, then they stopped.

Tenants who are picky on every small repairs, and called city for inspection, city came in and picked out 20 items for you  to repair, and costed you money for non-sense? one tenant said she has bed bugs, we sent pest control for 3 times, and didn't find any bed bug, he called city, and city said even he caught bed bugs some place else and placed into a jar, and showed to the inspector in the apt, we have to do a bed bug treatment?

Property manager put tenants into your apartment without background check, and we had to evict most of them for non-payment, harassing us, etc.? Property manager did repair for your apt for 10k, and when we took over and saw nothing being done?

Oh, misery likes company, looking forward to all replies.

JD Martin · Answer

I pay all my people good. This is not a unique problem.

Patrick M. · Answer

@Jd Martin I am fortunate to have a great hardware store in town and they have a good bunch of contractors/handymen who they trust enough to recommend to neighbors.

LANDLORDS NATIONWIDE! Most frustrating thing about it?

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