Thread: So, you want to be a landlord

After reading this thread, I am compelled to tell you a story of a Section 8 family a friend of mine was forced to deal with in a bad area of Ohio a few years back....

I was told this story a few years ago, so the specifics may be off a bit. A friend of mine used to work for a Project Manager as a plumber, and was dispatched all over his city to take care of plumbing emergencys on the fly. One day, he got a call about a home that needed some serious work, as the tenants were refusing to pay part of their rent until the landlord fixed a plumbing problem.

My friend was the one dispatched to this particular job..in a VERY poor neighborhood of the city...

When he walked into the house, the stench nearly knocked him off his feet. (the next part is one I remember specifically). A full family of 5 was in the living room and paid him little notice, as they watched tv on what seemed to be a brand new flatscreen. The "man of the house" (father?) simply pointed up, letting him know to go up stairs. When he got upstairs to the bathroom, he realized what the "odor" he smelled was...

The family had clogged the toilet probably months ago, and instead of taking care of the (ahem) problem, had continued to use it till the bowl had filled up to the seat level. After they could no longer sit down, they had turned to the bathtub, and (using the ledge as a "seat", and had now filled up THAT about halfway up. Against one wall of the room opposite the tub, there were coffee cans and bottles of all sizes filled with urine, as the tenants had apparently decided there was no better way to store it. The scene he described to me almost made me lose my lunch, so I almost feel bad about telling you about it now! (i do apologize!!!).

My friend however REFUSED to touch or fix anything, and promptly walked out of hte house in disbelief at what he had just seen, or the human garbage that sat on the couch who were capable of such filth. He quit his job later that day, and told me that he will NEVER deal with Section 8 tenants again in any way, regardless of which way his real-estate endeavors go. I have been scared to get involved with them ever since hearing that story, lol.

One last thing, please note that I am only relaying ONE experience while dealing with Section 8 tenants, and am NOT making assumptions in any way about all of them! I am sure some have had good experiences with them, however stories like the above (and others posted here) have scared me enough to never take the risk!

I have had a tenant not pay the utlility bill and the kitchen caught on fire when the utilitles were turned back on. Oh they had moved out in the middle of the nite....
The rent was covered by insurance. So it wasnt as bad as it sounds. Gave us time to fix the rest of the mess.
Had the tenant who's cat sprayed the whole house.
and multiple other crummy tenants
The nice thing about my first sec 8 was she didnt pay much. The state paid most of the rent. Which once it got started was sent like clockwork. It was a really nice house in a good neigborhood. I dont think the owners in the area like me ):
The only issue was they called me and said there was a problem with the ac. I sent the ac guy and they serviced the ac. When I showed up over a month later. The garage had lots of water. The water heater was what was leaking. I turned off the hot water. Which they turned back on that nite. So they could take showers. .....
The funny part is they were complaining to me about the water bill. I was like duh all you had to do was call and it would of been fixed the next day.
Oh and the other issue was the kids took the knobs off the oven and they broke the ice maker in the fridge. I had to fix that because the section 8 people told me to !
Rob

One of my tenants refused to pay this month's rent until I fix a problem with the septic tank (it's full). My PM asked him since when this has been a problem and he said almost two months. And only now they decided to tell us about it. He just needed to call us and we'd taken care of the issue, and now he's holding this month's rent until the problem is fixed... go figure.

Originally Posted by andviv

One of my tenants refused to pay this month's rent until I fix a problem with the septic tank (it's full). My PM asked him since when this has been a problem and he said almost two months. And only now they decided to tell us about it. He just needed to call us and we'd taken care of the issue, and now he's holding this month's rent until the problem is fixed... go figure.

Its funny how tenants act. Usually its a ploy to avoid paying rent or to give them more time. They expect you to know the issues they have been dealing with without any communication. Some folks are weird...

Another thing I see is tenants who try to play games. Its funny, but they try these tricks that they think are new, but we've seen em all before.

here's an issue that pissed me off enough to jump out of bed....

a tenant occupied property was receiving social services support (more or less sec. 8 type of support) let a nephew move in while she moved out without telling me... so the person living there is not even on the lease and is a 20-something home wrecking party freak....

I basically yelled at the woman who is on the lease and she said she can't get him out of the house....

long story short, I am filing for eviction but after riding by the property recently, there is loads of trash around the property, broken windows, fold up and plastic chairs around the front of the house and who else knows what problems await me inside...

Originally Posted by randallg99

here's an issue that pissed me off enough to jump out of bed....

a tenant occupied property was receiving social services support (more or less sec. 8 type of support) let a nephew move in while she moved out without telling me... so the person living there is not even on the lease and is a 20-something home wrecking party freak....

I basically yelled at the woman who is on the lease and she said she can't get him out of the house....

long story short, I am filing for eviction but after riding by the property recently, there is loads of trash around the property, broken windows, fold up and plastic chairs around the front of the house and who else knows what problems await me inside...

I would definitely report her to the housing authorities for doing you like that.

I have never rented before, how futile would it be to press charges against the nephew? He's not on the lease and he basically caused destruction of your property.

Unfortunately I believe it's the woman who you are going to have to get a judgment against for all the damage, breaking the rules, and forcing a lease break via eviction proceedings. She can legally have the locks changed so that he cannot get in anymore, but it looks like you're beyond that point. I think after she's got a judgment on her credit for $3,000 or whatever all this amounts to, she can then sue your nephew for that amount. I'm not positive about all this so contact a lawyer of course. Good luck!

I know we've seen lots of trashed apartments already, so I'll just post this link and not a bunch of pictures....


How can anyone live like this? (pics)

The owner of the rental home across the street from me had a break in last Friday. They broke every light fixture and sprayed graffiti over all the walls. He evicted the last tenant 1 month ago and just finished fixing the place up including fresh paint. He's been very careful on who he chooses for the next tenant and has turned down literally scores of folks looking. The act looks very deliberate. I would go out on a limb and guess a turned down or formally evicted tenant wanted to get even.

I feel kinda bad for the gentleman. He's elderly and I think its his only rental.

He did make a few key mistakes though. Zero lighting in the back yard where the break-in took place. No motion lights. Front porch light off when every other house on the street has one on. No security system signs. Again every other house has a sign, it only makes his house a target in my neighborhood. He has barely talked to any neighbors around here. There are several 10+ year residence that could gladly give him names to potential tenants with a decent background. Also you can buy multi setting timers for indoor lights for fairly cheap. $15 timer, $20 in signs, $35 in motion lights to prevent several hundred dollars damage.

Originally Posted by JesseO

I know we've seen lots of trashed apartments already, so I'll just post this link and not a bunch of pictures....


How can anyone live like this? (pics)

Wow. I hope to hell that the lady didn't have kids. I'd call social services from out of state. At the very least call the police and have her arrested for animal cruelty to her cat.

I'm new to RE investing. Planning on buying my first property soon. When this type of damage is left behind by the tenant, is there anything you can do? Can't you take the tenant to court?

Yes, you can charge them for the cleanup, damages, etc. Any expense you have should be documented (keep those receipts!) and you can issue a judgment against them for unpaid rent, damages, late fees, court costs, etc.

On a side note, here's what one company is doing to tenants who don't pay their rent:

Estate agents shame tenants by putting up 'rent dodger lives here' signs outside homes | Mail Online

Originally Posted by JesseO

I know we've seen lots of trashed apartments already, so I'll just post this link and not a bunch of pictures....


How can anyone live like this? (pics)

You're lucky that place didn't go up in flames...

Originally Posted by JesseO

I know we've seen lots of trashed apartments already, so I'll just post this link and not a bunch of pictures....


How can anyone live like this? (pics)

Looks like the person likes smoking and eating take-out from What-A-Burger.

So far my move outs havnt been too bad.. I did complete my FIRST eviction in May, that was actually fun... Not too much damage...

HOLY CRAP! Not to be outdone by cigarettes, feces, and dildos; see Workers Clear 100 Tons of Rubbish.

How's this for unkept tenants ... more pictures at the link below...









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