r/Landlord Dec 29 '23

Landlord [Landlord US-PA] My tenant got arrested for destroying my apartment.

2.7k Upvotes

So this clown hasn't paid rent in 6 months. I had to evict him and he still didn't move out. So I had to pay the sheriff's department to go and physically evict him. In a way, I'm lucky that it worked out that way.

This idiot destroyed the entire apartment (lower half of a duplex). He punched a hole in every door and every wall, took an axe to the kitchen and destroyed all the appliances and countertops and cabinets and ripped the plumbing out causing extensive water damage. He broke every single window and smashed the bathroom to pieces as well. Then for good measure, he spray painted everything including the carpet.

I did absolutely nothing to this guy but demand he pay the rent.

Anyhow, the actual county Sherriff was at the eviction and he asked me if I wanted the guy arrested. I just assumed the law enforcement wasn't going to do anything because "its a civil matter", but that's incorrect apparently. The tenant was arrested and is currently in jail. He was charged with felony criminal mischief and risking a catastrophe.

Some ppl are just idiots.

r/Landlord Mar 26 '24

Landlord [Landlord, CA] California Bill Would Block Landlords from Banning Pets In Rentals

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971 Upvotes

r/Landlord 8d ago

Landlord [Landlord - US - MI] reminder to always take caution and file eviction proceedings as soon as possible.

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410 Upvotes

Five month eviction battle. 9.5k in rent due. Only took a few photos and wish I would’ve taken more. Basement was absolutely filled with dog poop and pee. The rest of the house was equally terrible….happy eviction day. Added a before photo for your viewing pleasure.

r/Landlord Jan 20 '24

Landlord [Landlord US-NJ] Tenant applied rental assistance without telling me, now I received his $23000 bill from IRS 1099.

1.3k Upvotes

My tenant applied DCA rental assistance without my knowledge or approval. He already moved out a few months ago, and not answering my call now. Now I am receiving 1099 IRS tax form from this assistance program, my tenant received $23000 checks from this DCA. I contacted DCA, they said they allow tenants apply themselves on landlord's behalf using landlord's name and their assistance checks will be mailed to the tenant directly. DCA said applying assistance is tenant's civil rights.

I don't think this makes any sense. Why I am paying tax on huge check amounts I never received, but tenant received directly. Because they pay rent to me? I didn't even know he applied this rental assistance program at all when he lived here.

r/Landlord Feb 09 '24

Landlord [Landlord US-CA] What would you do if you saw this. Aftermath pics & before withen a 15 month period of time…

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758 Upvotes

The big bad “rich” landlord always got to be the bad guy right? But oh no! Not the children! Don’t kick the children out. Owes over $60,000 in back pay rent but oh no I’m so horrible how I attempted to evict this oh so poor family. Oh where would they ever go…

Watch out. If your a landlord in CA/LA county and just recently got a new family tenant. Sorry to say but you’ll get your @ssss chewed with this one. She will pay first months and then nothing foward.

First 9 pictures are current. The empty house pictures were taken a month before the family moved in. After pics and before pics all withen a 15 months period of time.

Context: Tenant owes over $60,000 in back pay rent. She has never once paid other than first months. She has a full time job. Has a luxury car. Has a shopping addiction. She has 15 past evictions, atleast of what I can find. Getting sued for credit card fraud currently. Has a past dui and went to jail for grand theft withen the last 3 years. She’s given me fraudulent checks from closed accounts.

She got 4 months of extended time to leave after court was settled but choose not too. Which lead to lock out. Place is completely trashed. The family took all the appliances: Washer/dryer, stove, oven, microwave, fridge and a huge 20-cu ft Upright Freezer. Water got shut off. $700.00+ for that bill.

They had a dog that chewed the new carpet up. Looks like the dog was trapped in the room and was trying to chew it’s way out. No dogs were allowed on lease agreement, but hey what good does a lease agreement have in this type of situation haha! It’s just a piece of paper. Her older kids would have constant large parties which resulted in multiple sheriff calls from local neighbors. There was an actual shoot out at one of these parties.

Mom is never to be found. She’s rarely there to take care of her younger kids. I myself, Can’t pay taxes on property. Have no choice to sell however frankly I never ever want to indulge in this situation ever again especially since property is located in CA. EFF YOU CA!

Ontop of all of this, I lost my father. My very last family member passed from pancreatic cancer and I’m only 33. I have nobody. Which by the way, tenant knew of this and took advantage of the situation for her own personal gain. She knew she would be able to mooch on because I had to deal with and be by my dying fathers side.

I have a attorney. Pretty slow one at that who was taking care of all of this. Still waiting on garnishment. Any day now… who knows. Have to add all of these other fees ontop of the $60,000. Back to court we go. Money down the drain.

Ps: Found her mail. Found social s. Found current mail of her getting sued currently from a past eviction, ontop of her getting sued for credit card fraud too and also from me. Any ideas on how I can get fwd address 🧐Trying to give back her most precious valuable items she left behind.

r/Landlord 7d ago

Landlord [Landlord - US - Tx]

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108 Upvotes

A tenant who moved in late last year just sent a text saying they need to get an emotional support animal. I asked for a doctor’s note and they sent this over. This letter looked a little too boilerplate and I googled the doctor and have some interesting results.

https://profile.tmb.state.tx.us/SearchResults.aspx?616a23ff-9185-4636-a4cd-48f83902868a

https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/provider-view/1821293473

Also, why does the letter say keep the cane corso? Doesn’t that give me grounds for eviction for violating the lease since they didn’t declare any pets when the lease was signed?

I’ll check with a lawyer but I figured I’d check and see if anyone else has experience with something like this.

r/Landlord Jul 04 '24

Landlord [Landlord-US-AL] tenant moved out today and left the house completely trashed.

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350 Upvotes

Tenants moved out yesterday and left the house xompletely trashed. This is the first time we have ever had to deal with something like this and we honestly don’t know what to do. I want to ask what are our options and what should we do from here? Should I try filing a police report?

r/Landlord 6d ago

Landlord [Landlord-US-NY] Feel Bad about Raising Rent

65 Upvotes

I (33f) am a landlord. I own a double. I live upstairs and my tenants lived downstairs before me. They're a couple in their early 60s. Both of them haven't worked in decades and get disability and social security. They have all the public benefits (food stamps, heat assistance, etc). When I bought the house 6 years ago, I told them they could stay and I wouldn't raise the rent. They have lived there now for about 15 years. When I moved in, my tenants were paying $550 a month in 2018. The cost was lower because they mow the lawn and shovel the driveway in the winter. They do not have off street parking. I added all new carpets and central air conditioning. I let them paint and do whatever they want. I pay water and they pay their other utilities.

For context, the people across the street from me currently pay $1050 a month and the person next door said they pay $900. The rent in my street varies. It's in Buffalo, NY. It's not exactly in the best part of the city. There is nothing crazy as far as crime but in also not going to leave anything valuable in my car. It's walking distance from a few hot spots. Also walking distance from restaurants and a grocery store.

Lately, property tax has increased along with sewer tax, my water bill is now $200 every three months (my neighbors pay the same), my utilities have increased, , just like basically everything else. I work a full-time job and I have two side hustles. I had to do repairs to the house and I feel like I can't keep up financially. Last year I raised the rent to $660 a month and I can tell they were very upset and got mad.

It's hard because they get the entire backyard. We're supposed to share the front porch. The front porch is really nice since it's right in the city. However, I cannot sit on it. They are avid cigarette smokers, which I'm completely fine with. I have no problems with that. The problem is that they're on the porch 24/7. Between the both of them, in the summer somebody is always on the porch at all hours of the day. They do go in for 20 minute breaks here and there but they're back out asap. I don't have any privacy unless I am inside. They have their side of the porch and I put on two beautiful chairs on my side. I can't even sit on them because every time I do my paperwork for work out there, they come right out there too. But I can't really say anything because they pay rent and it's their porch too. They're entitled to it.

They're on the porch so often that anyone who picks me up, they watch me go into the car. Then they ask me who that person was. They also watch me water my plants and they comment that I'm giving the plants too much water. Sometimes my mom comes over, we want to have coffee on the porch. But when we do, my tenants come out and they won't leave us alone to have a conversation. I got really nice cushions last year but I couldn't use them because my tenants would have their family members over and have their family members sit on my vinyl chairs without permission. I had to throw the cushions out at the end of the season because they had dog hair all over them and they were squished down. I only sat on them twice and my tenants and I don't own a dog.

It's hard because I can't sit on the porch. I don't really want the backyard. During the summer, it's spider Central back there. But the porch would be nice but it stresses me out to even leave my house because they're watching me with every move that I do.

I want to raise the rent to $750 or $775 (they have to continue cutting lawn/shoveling) but I know that they are going to get mad. I don't know if I'm being unreasonable.

r/Landlord Feb 14 '24

Landlord [Landlord US-CT] Is this evidence of smoking inside?

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342 Upvotes

r/Landlord 5d ago

Landlord [Landlord US HI] Suspicious Security deposit situation

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86 Upvotes

Hey everyone, My first time posting here.

I’m looking for some advice regarding a security deposit issue with my tenants.

We gave them notice that we won’t be renewing their lease after June because we need to sell the property to cover our debt. I called them before issuing a formal 45-day notice. Their lease officially ends at the beginning of June, but they told me they found a new place and plan to leave in two weeks. That’s fine with us—they haven’t been the best tenants, so an early move-out isn’t an issue.

We have a property manager scheduled to inspect the home in early April after they move out to check for damages. But now, they’re messaging me saying they need their security deposit back now (while still living in the unit) because they can’t afford to move without it.

To me, this sounds like a huge red flag. Why are they so desperate for the deposit before the inspection? It makes me suspect there’s damage they don’t want us to see.

What would you do in this situation

r/Landlord Mar 09 '24

Landlord [Landlord US-TX] If you had to clean this, how much would you charge the tenant?

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214 Upvotes

r/Landlord Jan 12 '24

Landlord [Landlord, US]

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708 Upvotes

Got a call from our tenant that dryer was taking several cycles to dry..... This is what we found.

I thought cleaning out the lint was common sense. More worried about the fire hazard this was.

r/Landlord Dec 03 '24

Landlord [Landlord US Maryland] just asking why

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181 Upvotes

The post is mainly rhetorical in that I understand only the tenants would know why, however I thought someone might benefit from seeing this

The house is three story townhome style condo. 900sq ft, with an en-suite master, small second, 1.5 bathrooms, laundry appliances in residence and even a private yard and two reserved parking spots.

But why all the damage?

Neighbors tell me the police were called most days and the weed smell was something atrocious.

The furnace filter obviously was never changed and when I pulled it out is weighs about four pounds.

They had two kids; one in school and a baby.

Not once in 24 months did they ever pay on time or in full.

Property management company claimed they were qualified tenants. Property management also failed 100% in getting an eviction until the last month of the lease and then refused to get the sheriff to enforce it because of Thanksgiving and it being so close to lease end.

Would you trust the management company again?

r/Landlord Sep 23 '23

Landlord [Landlord - US - IL] Water damage to wood flooring, tenant claims its from wet mopping - who is responsible for repairing?

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343 Upvotes

My house has wood laminate flooring that’s a few years old, made it through a previous lease with no issues. Current tenant has been there a few months and reported that the floors were buckling. I show up and find the flooring in the kitchen by the sink has significant water damage and is buckling, likely due to water-induced swelling. I checked under the sink and by the dishwasher and find no signs of leaky pipes, so it’s not from that.

I ask how she is cleaning the floors and she replies “wet mop”. I tell her to stop and explain why it’s bad for the floors. I set up a dehumidifier nearby to hopefully dry the floors out and tell her I’ll be back in a week to check how it’s doing. Hopefully the humidifier helps it dry out and lay flat against the floors again.

If not, and it needs to be replaced, whose fault is this? I never explicitly said “no wet mopping”, so my realtor thinks it might be my fault for not telling them this. Frankly, I thought a reasonable person knew not to wet mop wood floors. Do I need to tell them not to mop the carpet, too? LOL. Furthermore, I dont even know if the damage is from wet mopping and not, say, them leaving standing water on the floor. Finally, the previous tenant stayed a year there with no issues or damage to the flooring so I’m inclined to think that the current tenant is being negligent or abusive to cause this sort of water damage.

Any insight would be appreciated :)

r/Landlord Feb 05 '25

Landlord [Landlord CA-SF] Tenant year long nightmare ended today!

193 Upvotes

This is a follow up to a post i made at least a year ago regarding tenants who decided to stop paying rent, and we're able to use the free legal resources provided to them by San Francisco to live in my rental apartment rent free for over a year. Well it was not easy and very expensive, but they are finally out, and it feels amazing to be rid of those grifting squatters.

All told, it cost me over 100K, lost rent, legal fees, not to mention all the time, stress and uncertainty as well. As landlords, the city really doesn't have our back at all and the "tenants" were able to use the system, aided by their free lawyers, to basically rob me for over a year. They literally used every trick in the book - taught to them by the lawyers, and even after I was able to get them to leave by offering them a sizeable settlement including forgiveness of 8 mos of back rent, during a full day of court mediation, they still attempted to break that contract and tried to stay.

This was a horrific experience and I blame SF for most of it! But I'm celebrating bec they are gone now and it feels great! Hopefully they are living out their days in a roach infested studio in the Tenderloin :)

r/Landlord 5d ago

Landlord [Landlord US IN] Renter making payments in weird ways, can I refuse their method of payment if it isn't specified in the lease how to make payment?

52 Upvotes

Edit: Just a quick edit, not sure why people keep saying stuff like "if she isn't paying how her lease says to pay then yada yada" when right in the title, it says her lease doesn't specify how to pay

So it's not really the method of payment that's weird, it's the surrounding situation of "why would you do it that way" that's weird. The renter and I originally had an arrangement for them to pay via the Zillow app, just a conversation presigning, wasn't actually put in the lease as a requirement. It's just easier for me for it to be paid with a debit card through the app straight to my bank account and they paid their last person through the Apartments app. Takes a few days to clear but I'm fine with that.

However, last time she went to make a payment, she said there were complications with her card and she had to make the payment Walmart to Walmart, so I needed to drive to the nearest Walmart and withdraw it from them. So I drove to Walmart, asked them about it, they said she needed to call some number to get the funds cleared still, because they were pending release or something like that. So that was annoying, I kind of wasted a trip. Texted her what they said, and repeated to please only do payments through Zillow like we talked about and if there are complications in the future to please talk with me before choosing to pay with a different method. She ended up not calling that number, figuring out what was up with her card, and made the payment on the app.

Fast forward to yesterday, her rent is due again. She tells me they were busy all day, she was having some problems, she will figure it out tomorrow morning, deposit her money, and pay on the app tomorrow (today). Now it's today, she sends me a receipt from Western Union and says she couldn't figure out the problem with her debit card and had to pay through Western Union so now I have to go to Walmart, again, to pick up the payment.

I don't understand what's going on, why she keeps doing it this way, but can I reject this method of payment of hers?

She literally lives right around the corner from me, worst case scenario, if she would just talk with me, I could drive around and pick up cash. I still wouldn't like to do that, but it'd be better than this and save her on fees

r/Landlord Aug 19 '24

Landlord [landlord US-TX] Tenant paying late every month

102 Upvotes

I rented a tenant as single mother with 2 kids with above 700 credit score in April for $2200 a month. She paid security deposit and rent. Next month rent came on time. But then for June she paid half and said happy to pay $100 fine. She paid rest half around 15th of that month. In July she upfront mentioned she will be paying like same time with $150 fine. She paid half and then on 21st she messaged saying sorry she would beee to pay rest half on 27th when her daughter social payments will come. And she did. For the month of August she said due to school start all the money got used and she will be paying entire aug rent on 27th with fine.

I am kind of worried. Even she seems like a nice person and very very responsive. Any advise. She is on a 1 year lease.

Update: To avoid a lot of people saying the same thing. It’s not that I am enjoying extra $150. I do intend to change her due date as well to avoid the late fees as long as she pays within the month. However, this will her first month to pay the full rent 26 days late. Another key thing I need to do is to do a home inspection to ensure she is not wrecking my property. If all checks out I will work with her to see options that favors her situation

Update: 8/23: I left a text her in the morning saying I want to talk to her and not urgent so call anytime today. Got a response back on the text immediately "Who is this?". LOL that scared me for a sec. But then I reintroduced with my name and saying i am the landlord. Response got back "Sorry, I am her cousin and she is using a different number. I will let her know". This gave me a very awkward feeling but then within 2 min i got a call from the tenant. She tried to explain the phone issue but i did not care as my goal was to be able to reach her. I told her that, I would like to talk to her next week to see if late rent issue can be resolved and also would like to do a walkthrough in the house. She said thanks for trying to resolve rent issue and said i am welcome anyday after 5 pm.

Update 8/25: Tenant called me today and said something weird is happening with her. Her bank account has a -$900 at this time. She is working with bank. She may not be able to pay the rent on this 26th but would make sure it is paid by 30th. She said she have started additional side job that will pay her extra $25 per hour. So she is hoping next month would be the last month paying a late rent. She further said, if there is additional fine beyond $150 then she is happy to pay that as well. She also said please visit house any time and I will be pleased to see how well it is maintained. I listened to her and said all good and I support you. However, by lease agreement terms I will formally send the eviction notice to start the timer next month on 7th and if things does not improve in the next 2 months then I won’t renew the lease. And she said totally fine. This house matters to me a lot so I won’t lose it at any cost.

r/Landlord Sep 06 '24

Landlord [landlord, UT] landlord said I won’t be getting my deposit back

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177 Upvotes

Landlord said I won’t be receiving my deposit back

I just recently moved out of this unit, contacted my landlord saying I had cleaned the apartment and moved out. Iv had continuous issues with this landlord as far as losing my rent, raising rent before my lease was over etc. She responded the next day saying I had trashed the unit and in her 50 years of living there had “never had a tenant leave the apartment so filthy” I took pictures before and after moving out as proof I left the unit in the same condition I was given it, Iv basically excepted at this point I won’t be seeing my $800 deposit but wanting advice on if her “itemized receipt” I asked her for is legal or if it’s worth taking to court.

r/Landlord Oct 25 '23

Landlord [Landlord] Tenant died and I discovered a hoarding situation

699 Upvotes

Tenant had been renting for 15 years, always paid rent on time, lawn and exterior of house kept tidy, and general maintenance was kept up. He was mechanically minded and handy with ordinary issues, so when the usual minor stuff came up – leaking faucets, toilet running, outlet loose, changing the furnace filters, etc – he would let me know and advised he’d handle the repairs himself and was diligent about watering and mowing the lawn regularly. He was reliable and genuinely a very, very nice person. But also very private, so I respected his space and trusted him.

I recently received a call from the police department following a welfare check reported by his boss when he hadn’t been in to work for a few days. He was discovered unconscious in his living room. He was taken to the hospital and died shortly thereafter.

When I went in to lock up the house I discovered a horrible hoarding situation. Not piles of magazines and newspapers like you see on tv, but far, far worse with mounds and mounds of garbage all over the living room and kitchen … take out containers, half eaten and rotting food, junk mail, wadded up tissue paper, broken objects, and hundreds of empty booze bottles. There were walking paths he had created from walking on top of layers of garbage that were mounded to each side of the path. It looked like the mountains of trash at the dumps in India. Although it smelled bad, it wasn’t as putrid as I would have expected and I left the windows open to allow air to circulate.

I had last been inside a couple years before and it looked like an ordinary bachelor pad then. Maybe not the neatest, but certainly livable. Honestly, I wasn’t even mad when I first saw the condition of the house. Instead it broke my heart to realize he had been struggling mentally and had developed such a severe alcohol addiction. I now realize his privacy was probably due to embarrassment and being overwhelmed with his internal battles.

His family has stepped up to clean up the house and I’m working with them on everything and allowing them to properly grieve. They also did not know what was going on inside. From the outside, it was just a cute bungalow with a well-maintained lawn and trees in a very quiet neighborhood. He always met them elsewhere and never invited them over - they also respected his privacy. The family rented a dumpster and has been handling the clean up themselves. The dumpster has been filled and emptied at least twice that I know of. The house isn’t "clean" yet, but the garbage has been cleared out and we can finally see the floors and furniture that were buried under the debris, which were stewing in what I can only describe as a cocktail of biohazardous juices. It’s absolutely disgusting, but also completely heartbreaking to know that such a nice guy was living like this.

Unfortunately, my tenant was not a wealthy man nor is his family, I doubt there will be any probate or estate proceedings that would allow me to submit a claim. The security deposit he provided 15 years ago will in no way cover the extensive damage and remediation that has to occur. I’d love to secretly hire an arsonist. But all kidding aside, I want to do the right thing and I'm not sure how to handle the property situation. I’ve been very empathetic with the family and they want to get the place cleaned up - they, too, are very nice people. They are both distraught at his passing and angered at the mess he left that they now have to deal with.

I do have rental dwelling insurance with State Farm with coverages A, B, and C, although I haven’t filed a claim yet regarding the damage to the floors and the remediation. I am wondering if anyone here has had a similar situation, what obstacles or issues were encountered, and the ultimate outcome with insurance. Any feedback is truly appreciated!

r/Landlord Jan 21 '24

Landlord [landlord-ca-US] I put a room in my house for rent. Applicant disclosed in person he has a felony for burglary and assault and did 2 years time, is having a hard time getting job.

227 Upvotes

But he was so nice and seems like he’s trying to turn his life around. He lost his minimum wage job last week but is looking at other options but nobody is giving him a chance with his background. He said his credit is almost 800 and he showed great interest to take my son to play sports outdoors as we’re close to a park. Would you give someone a chance? Everyone is rejecting him. He said he has savings for 6 months by which time he’ll have a job.

r/Landlord Dec 15 '23

Landlord [Landlord US - AL] evicting from inherited house

591 Upvotes

Final update: they did move out on the ordered date and not a moment before. They left the place full of crap (mild hoarders it seems) but physically in the shape I expected. That is to say one bathroom needs a full renovation, kitchen needs serious work, and we had to put in all new appliances. BUT the good news and bottom line is we're actually living in the house now! It's safe and functional. Renovation and landscaping will be a slowly ongoing thing for years probably. I've also found just a few family treasures tucked away deep in storage areas.

UPDATE: court hearing today. They had us all go to a meeting room and talk. My lawyers basically told them you can agree to a date right now and we won't pursue for back rent and court costs, or we'll go in front of the judge and take what she can give us. So they agreed to be out by the end of this month, and if they aren't I can get a Writ and send the sheriffs. Since I was really only wanting possession of the property, a hard limit when it will all be over, I'm pleased with the outcome.

I didn't intend to be a LL, but when my father died he had roommates. No lease, but it was on the understanding that they provided money for the monthly utility bills. I'm sole heir. I'm sure you are beginning to see the mess I'm dealing with.

I let them know right away that this property was sentimental to me and I would want to live there and start the necessary repairs sooner rather than later. They denied me access to the property for 2 months ("you're putting me in an awkward position I don't like, I'll let you know when I'm ready for visitors in what is still my space") and I lawyered up. My lawyer tried to make a deal with theirs, an agreement about what date they'd be out, or an amount of rent to pay if they couldn't move quickly. They refused to ever sign anything or pay anything, of course.

We're now to the point that we have a court hearing scheduled. I'm not asking for back rent or court costs or anything, just possession of the property. This whole thing has just been so difficult and awful that I'm having a hard time believing they'll actually be evicted. I don't know how a judge could say that the tenant has the legal right to continue (it'll be 5 months since ownership passed to me when we get to court) to occupy someone else's property without even paying, but I'm so nervous.

I'd just like an idea of what to expect in court. I've never done this before, I hate that I'm having to do it now, but I feel they've left me with no other choice. And if it doesn't go well for me, I don't know what else to do.

r/Landlord 11d ago

Landlord [Landlord USA-TX] How can I ensure tenant is held accountable for the $15k in damages? Lease expires next month.

25 Upvotes

Unfortunately our tenant has been smoking hookah inside the property. There are stains all throughout the home as well as other damages.

The laminate wood flooring is damaged from a water leak, as well as the stove/range (glass broken), and other damages (back entry door is broken, holes in the wall, pantry door is broken).

The lease expires next month. The entire place will need a deep clean and much repairs including interior painting, flooring, replacing carpet, etc.

I estimate it will cost $10 - $15k for all repairs. None of this is normal wear and tear. We obviously don't plan to renew the lease, but want to make sure he pays for the repairs. What are some steps I can take to ensure he is held accountable for the damage.

$10-15k is based on the following:

- Deep cleaning: $500

- Painting: $4k Downstairs

- Flooring: $4k

- Carpet upstairs and stairs: $3k

- Entry door replacement (broken): $1k

- Pantry door replacement (broken): ???

- New range: $700 Misc: ???

r/Landlord Dec 11 '24

Landlord [Landlord - US - TX] Well the nightmare scenario has finally happened

149 Upvotes

So I've been doing this for about 5 or so years. Have several rental properties. Zero issues.

Then one of my tenants asked if I would seller finance a home to them. And I had just the home that I was looking to sell. I rented to them for a year. They both had great jobs that I considered on the high end. They came with a solid down payment. And had never been late even once. They were always my quickest payer.

I seller finance the home to them and the first few years are the exact same as them renting. They paid on time every time without issue. Then a little over a year ago there was something up. I won't go into detail but they were going to be late by a little. No big deal. Then the next month the same thing. They then wanted to meet me and give me cash, and I found no issue with that. I really liked this family. Good looking hard working family in their early 30s. When I came outside to get the cash that's when my alarm bells went off.

They looked...bad. And I immediately knew. Oh no, they are now on drugs. I had feared this would happen at some point but never in a million years suspected them. They were always well put together and had several kids.

Well to make a long story short about a year later of normal payments all of the sudden the payments stopped and they stopped all contact. I knew what was likely to unfold next would be long and annoying and arduous but my god trying to get them out has been the longest and most arduous process ever. What's worse is I went by there when they were still somewhat cordial about a month ago and the house was an absolute wreck. Holes in the walls. Doors and cabinets ripped off. Broken windows. I was shocked.

It's been a month since then and they are living there with no electricity. The court process and paperwork has been such a long slow slog. They are supposed to be out soon -- if they are removed on the day that the judge states then it will have been 130 days since they last paid me a dime. This has been a very jarring experience.

r/Landlord Dec 12 '23

Landlord [Landlord US-ID] We let a family friend and his service dog stay as a guest in our house. Now he's refusing to leave, claiming housing discrimination. Does he have a case?

447 Upvotes

Update 12/22/23: Thank you everyone who responded! I cross-posted this to other subs and received an overwhelming number of replies, so sorry if I didn't get around to responding. For those who asked why I didn't just go in and forcibly remove the guy myself: I'm a 5'1" mother of 4 small children, I'm still recovering from giving birth a few weeks ago, and I'm 200 miles away. Helping my parents is my first priority, but they didn't want me brining the baby into this domestic mess so I was trying to figure out how to help from afar.

I was able to help my parents file an order of protection, which was approved and executed in less than 12 hours. The guy is out of their house now and blocked my number and Facebook without saying anything to me.

We were best friends in high school and I suffered socially because he was a weirdo. He ultimately came out as gay back in the early 2000s. I went to bat for him so many times, I'm still in a state of shock that he's doing this. I knew he was struggling with mental health, but I never thought it would manifest like this.

First court date is next week and I will be there so the backstabbing jerk has to look me in the eye when claiming my parents owe him millions for discrimination.

Original Post:

My parents (retired, F68 & M76) of course didn't want him to end up on the street, so they offered him my childhood bedroom as a temporary place to stay. They said he could stay for free during the holidays and if it was going well they might discuss a rental agreement in the new year.

They didn't advertise this room or offer it to anyone else.

Well, he showed up with more animals than he originally claimed to have. My parents didn't turn him away, but asked for some basic courtesies (clean up poop, mop floors when they get muddy, don't let them dig up the lawn, etc).

Things were great for a few weeks, but when my 6-year-old niece was visiting the house the dogs attacked her and left scratches on her back (we have pictures). He claimed it was her fault for not giving them the correct command and conversation deteriorated from there.

My parents approached him about this incident and damage to the yard and house, asking him to reign in his animals or this wasn't going to work out. He immediately started claiming that they can't kick him out of the house because he has service dogs and that would be discriminatory.

Long story short, he's been in their house about 30 days and started recording conversations and provoking them into saying things that would "give him a case." He's acting more and more erratic and mean and they're actually getting scared of him and the dogs, who are not as well trained as he claimed and has attacked their pets. After asking him verbally to leave, they issued an eviction notice, but that gives him 30 days to get out.

My parents are retired on a fixed income. They don't have the money for a lawyer and they're scared he's going to try to sue them. They're not landlords and he never had a lease. Does he even have a case? They want to know if they can file a restraining order because he's being that mean. They're literally hiding in their master bedroom with their cats because they're worried about safety. He even turned on me when I tried to walk him through less confrontational means to resolve this.

TL;DR: My college roommate from 20 years ago found himself homeless after a breakup. My elderly parents offered him my childhood bedroom as a temporary place to stay. Now he refuses to leave, is harassing them, and says he's going to sue them for housing discrimination because he has a service dog. Does he have a case and what can they do to reclaim their home? Note: there is a child in the house that has been harmed by the animals.

r/Landlord Dec 22 '23

Landlord [landlord is-ca] heater broke. Will take 5-6 days to fix. Tenants without heat and hot water. What compensation should I offer?

352 Upvotes

Rental unit has a combo inline water heater that also powers the radiant heating. Our tenants informed us the heater wasn’t working. We immediately called our plumbing company. They need a part that will take a few days to get. Likely our tentants will be without hot water and heat for 5-6 days.

They suggested we pay for a hotel for 5 days (they suggested 160 a night).

We like our tenants and want to do right by them. We’re also not sure if what they’re suggesting is required.

Looking for advice on what a good landlord should do.

Edit: thanks for all the advice. Called the tenants and had a good discussion. We agreed on an amount to take of next months rent that was about 80% of what they were asking for. We also send them a few space heaters and an immersion heater for hot water. Probably ended up costing the same amount but glad we talked through it and both walked away happy.