Renters - Why are some idiots!?!?!

Lazy J · #1 02/05/13, 07:08 PM

I jsut returned to the house after moving snow from our driveway and our rental house's drive. I stopped to collect the rent from the renter, he said "Don't have it, work is slow."

I don't understand why renters don't feel the need to pay their rent, they can pay for the internet and satellite television.

So, I will be calling my lawyer tomorrow to start the eviction process. This is not what I wanted to do this winter.

Jim

itsb · #2 02/05/13, 07:30 PM

Know what you mean,might have somin to do with NO RESPONABILTY

Alice In TX/MO · #3 02/05/13, 07:39 PM

50% of the population is of below average intelligence.

JawjaBoy · #4 02/05/13, 07:40 PM

You shoulda seen the house me and DW are living in now before we started working on it. My dad had been renting it out for many years, but had not really checked in on a regular basis as long as the renters had mailed in the payment on time. So the renters had just done whatever they wanted with the place and in the process they nearly tore it down.

When we took over (between renters), the corner of the kitchen floor under the water heater was rotted through (the floor sill was all that was keeping the water heater from falling through), 14 panes of glass were broke out, there were 37 holes of various diameters in the sheetrock and one bedroom had been painted floor to ceiling with BLACK SPRAY PAINT.

That experience was enough to convince me that I would never have rental property and that most renters could care less about someone else's property.

Raven12 · #5 02/05/13, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

50% of the population is of below average intelligence.

Yes, and we all know what part of the country they are from. Lol. Inside joke, sorry.

cathleenc · #6 02/05/13, 08:06 PM

I'm not sure that "renter" and "idiot" belong together any more than any other 2 unrelated words. I could just as easily say People that wear brown shoes-Why are some idiots??
Why did you rent to him?

Lazy J · #7 02/05/13, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zong

I'm not sure that "renter" and "idiot" belong together any more than any other 2 unrelated words. I could just as easily say People that wear brown shoes-Why are some idiots??
Why did you rent to him?

He has a good job, good credit score, background check was clear, had three good references, those are the reasons we rented to him. Had to hold the last two rent checks, told him last month we would no longer do that. I guess he and his new wife are going to have some quality time packing and looking for a new place to live. Other than not paying the rent on time the last three months he has been a great renter.

Jim

MattyD · #8 02/05/13, 08:21 PM

-Hope you don't lump all renters in that description. My Wife and I have rented ever since we've been married. 26 1/2 years now. We don't have any children, so when our time comes, there's no passing down the family home. We would like to buy a house some day, but we also love taking two vacations every year to Myrtle Beach. Kind of a toss-up here. The only bill we don't pay is the property tax. Everything else we take care of including all yard work, snow shoveling, etc... Sorry for the minor rant, but I see a lot of renter bashing posts. Not just on here, but other forums I'm on...

L8R,
Matt

ItchingDuck · #9 02/05/13, 08:32 PM

Some landlords are idiots. I have paid my rent/house payment on time for 11 years with the exception of 2 months 5 yrs ago. I have never damaged property. I also have never received a security back. Why? Because some land lords are idiots and I don't waste my time with court. It goes both ways.

Sorry for the issues you are having though. No fun when people won't pay. That is the main reason I won't rent my house out if I can help it when I want out of here.

Fire-Man · #10 02/05/13, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazy J

I jsut returned to the house after moving snow from our driveway and our rental house's drive. I stopped to collect the rent from the renter, he said "Don't have it, work is slow."

I don't understand why renters don't feel the need to pay their rent, they can pay for the internet and satellite television.

So, I will be calling my lawyer tomorrow to start the eviction process. This is not what I wanted to do this winter.

Jim

Jim why do you have to go through a Lawyer, sounds expensive. I never had to evict a renter, but my parents have to do it often(got alot of rentals) its a simple process through the Magistrates office.

Mulegirl · #11 02/05/13, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fire-Man

Jim why do you have to go through a Lawyer, sounds expensive. I never had to evict a renter, but my parents have to do it often(got alot of rentals) its a simple process through the Magistrates office.

That's going to differ depending on your state/locality. Using a lawyer can be simpler in the long run just about anywhere, though--it helps you ensure that you're following the required processes and using the right language so that you don't have to start what could be a long and drawn out and irritating process all over again because of a minor mistake.

Lazy J, you have my sympathy. It sounds like you did your due diligence on these renters, but they still ended up being idiots.

DaleK · #12 02/05/13, 09:21 PM

Could be worse... we inherited tenants on the last farm I bought. When we finally got them out and went in to clean up, one of the closet doors was entirely covered in used condoms thumbtacked on and the rest of the house was only moderately better.

where I want to · #13 02/05/13, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

50% of the population is of below average intelligence.

That's optimistic. Could be that 20% are very brilliant and 80% are below average.

vicker · #14 02/05/13, 09:30 PM

Good tenants are hard to find. If they've been good up to now, why don't... Oh, never mind. Knock yourself out.

CaliannG · #15 02/05/13, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleK

Could be worse... we inherited tenants on the last farm I bought. When we finally got them out and went in to clean up, one of the closet doors was entirely covered in used condoms thumbtacked on and the rest of the house was only moderately better.

unregistered353870 · #16 02/05/13, 10:18 PM

"Other than not paying the rent on time the last three months he has been a great renter."

Hey it's your house and thats annoying and frustrating having to deal with late rent but if he's a great renter and he's still paying the rent even late you're probably better off just keeping him. Eviction isnt cheap and IMO only worth it if they're way behind or they're destroying the property.

justin_time · #17 02/05/13, 10:21 PM

Id hardly start refering to him as a idiot, it doesnt sound like you selected one to rent to, you did your due diligence in checking them out before hand
and he was a good candidate. You absolutly can go the eviction route. Thats not without costs to you...the lawers fee, your time, they will have to move, mabey leaving it in a condition where its not instantly rentable, and even if it is you have to find a tenant, they will have to give notice...what im saying is it could be a month or two before you get a tenant in there costing you greatly....I know.. we want what we want when we wanted it as we agreed to it..... but life can kick everyone in the kidneys now and again, sometimes lower.
Talk to them first maybe they are sick over it, not responding to changes in work fast enough.(they have been good up to receintly) Ask them whats happening with work, when they expect to get back on track, ask what they can pay with certainty ontime, and if the balance can come a week later, hell maybe they are only a hundered short, you dont know...What im saying is if you have tenants with money problems...you have money problems. Who knows what you will discover... Hell in your position I know going to a lawyer will cost me a few hundered for sure, before I would give it to a #4%& Lawyer I would offer to knock a hunderd of the rent for a month or two if there was a reasonable chance to get things back on track.Ya...I know you shouldnt have to...in a ideal world....this one aint ideal, So we try to makethings work...

GrannyG · #18 02/05/13, 11:22 PM

I try to remember the hard times when no one would help me, and that makes me a very soft touch.....we never charge late fees, try to understand when someone is out of a job and we have carried people for months....some have repaid, very few, but others just cannot...then there are the real deadbeats....they play the system to the very end....they are the ones it is hard to be understanding with.....we try to furnish a comfortable house, one we would live in ourselves...help with furniture if needed...and then they leave taking part of that....it is just hard to be a landlord these days....the real kicker is when they audited us...told us we were liars and had collected that rent money..and made us pay almost $800 more in taxes we did not have money received for...they told us we would take each to small claims court and be more believeable...but at over $125 to file you just throw good money after bad...so I just turn it all over to the Good Lord and let Him handle it....we paid the IRS money we did not owe...we let them take our heaters and door knobs and the wood stove.....the door knobs were old purple glass and they removed them all.....but I can live with myself and know He will provide.......and then there is the one shining star that is grateful for help and cleans the house when they leave and send you wonderful notes thanking you....and the court at times has awarded me $5000 in damages but there is nothing to collect...it is just a piece of paper and they laugh at you for taking them to small claims.....I did my duty today....I talked a guy out of buying rental property....LOL

SilverFlame819 · #19 02/06/13, 02:49 AM

I just can't imagine waiting for my landlady to show up, knocking at the door, looking for my check, before telling her, "Sorry, it doesn't exist." What?! That's just crazy. Why didn't he approach you to let you know he was having difficulties??

If I didn't have the money for rent, I'd be packing my car to live in it. I can't even imagine thinking it would somehow be okay for me to keep living here for free!

People are crazy, man.

mountainlaurel · #20 02/06/13, 05:57 AM

As soon as I can dump my rentals I will. Worse thing we ever did was buy them. I would much rather remodel and sell it. Then I don't care what they do to the property, it's theirs and not my problem any longer.
Even in West Virginia, where the court is for the landlord, it's a lose, lose situation. They trash the house, or, they don't even take their stuff with them and then we are forced to deal with their junk. Plus repair the damage they did to the house. We have had good tenants, but there has been more bad than good. Dh is working on one now where they snuck in a dog and it ruined the carpets and trim.