All Forum Posts by: Enyi Ajoku

So, let me put it another way. If a shed burnt down on my property, I would be all over that property, all tenants, any neighbors who might offer information, police, fire and anyone who might have some knowledge to get to the bottom of what happened. If I found out kids that were invited by my tenants had come to the property, then were left unsupervised by the tenants that invited them, went ahead and burned down a shed, I would evict the tenants for gross negligence and see if I could prosecute the neighborhood kids for arson. Selling dope to the kids is just the final icing on the **** cake and really the catalyst for why the kids were hanging out in the first place.

Month to Month. Fools go live elsewhere.

Finally you've actually said something that actually makes some sense and i thank you for that. Yes, there are neighbors who say and saw high school kids come to the property but i dont have actual proof that they are responsible, at the moment the fire department is investigating.

 So did the fire department tell you that the fire was set by someone smoking in the shed? If not, your note about them smoking (anything) on the property is about as relevant as the brand of cereal that they feed their children in the morning. There is always that one neighbor who is a problem - they have too much time on their hands, bored sitting around home on disability or retirement, and always trying to rile up problems for lack of any other activity in their lives.

As such, when a neighbor calls me about "fighting couples" or "drug dealing" or "too many people coming through late at night", I then ask them, "So you called the cops, right?". Response is almost always, "Well, no, but I wanted to give you a heads up". Same thing with nosy tenants. If there is something illegal going on, give me a police report and I can take action based on that (and at my discretion). Otherwise, my company isn't a police department and I'm not going to interrupt my PAYING tenants based on a HUNCH from an unrelated 3rd party.

My advice - investigate the shed fire, determine if the tenant is at fault based on the HARD FACTS. If no firm determination can be made, you have to eat that cost. The drug dealing - tell the reporting neighbors to call the cops. Its their job to investigate, and you can then act based upon the results of their professional investigation.

It has not been proven that these tenants sell drugs. It also hasn't been proven that these tenants burned down the shed. You can't evict paying tenants in this country because you have a feeling that they are doing something. They have rights. The legal system doesn't work that way. If you don't want to take my word for it here you'll have to take the judges word for it after setting some of your money on fire.

The fire department notified the owner of the duplex about the fire.

The owner contacted the tenants on both sides of the duplex and inquired about what happened.

One tenant from the first unit (Mr C) told the owner there were kids on the property and a neighbor (not clear which neighbor) called the police about it. A fire broke out and the police and fire department responded.

One tenant from the second unit (Miss B - the woman with the 10 year old daughter) told the owner that the three tenants in the first unit (Mr A, Mr B, Mr C) smoke and sell marijuana to those kids.

The tenants in both units of this duplex have a right to peaceful enjoyment of their home. They are all PAYING tenants. They have all agreed to the terms of the rental agreement. Neither the tenants from the first unit nor the second unit contacted the owner about the fire. The owner reached out to the tenants of both units to collect more information. It's in the best interest of the owner to followup on the information he received from both Mr C and Miss B.  He certainly needs to find out more about what is happening at his property and investigate the matter of the fire. In the course of following up on what he was told (the impressions of both Mr C and Miss B) he finds evidence of lease violations, then he must respond appropriately and issue proper legal notices. It appears from the most recent post from the owner, he is doing that.

@Michael Olszack...   This has nothing to do with the type of neighbors you talk about in your post. As a residential rental property owner myself, who manages 17 units of our own, I've found neighbors can be quite helpful in alerting me to problems at our properties or in the neighborhood. I don't negatively stereotype neighbors. Instead, I reach out to neighbors and give them our contact information. I ask them to contact me if any problems arise at our property.  I'd much rather get a heads up about a perceived problem, than deal with the fall out after things have gotten out of hand. A few times when neighbors have called me, I've been able to get to the property and witness the disturbance and take care of the matter without police involvement.  We've developed a reputation for being good neighbors and community players. When it's warranted for the police to respond, they readily do. I believe we have a civic duty to effectively manage our properties and reduce the number of calls to 911.

So, with all due respect, you have not yet figured out how to be a landlord/property manager. Maybe after the entire building is set ablaze, instead of just the shed, you might get around to evicting the arsonist living in your property. Maybe after attending the funeral of the 10 year old kid who lives in the building, you might decide to not live in perpetual fear and prejudice and take some action.

This business is NOT for everyone. If you do not know how to be assertive, you need to learn how to be so like yesterday. OMG - you think dope smoking is the issue at hand here...dude. The problem is you.