Who cares?

Be careful in your selection of tenants.  By the time, renters get finished with their, "I don't care it is just rented attitude" they have destroyed your property.  Try to avoid these types of renters.

1. I don't care and I don't pay list.
2. I don't care but I do pay list.
3. I don't care, I don't pay, and it's your fault list.
4. I don't care, I don't pay, it's your fault and if you kick me out, I will get even list.
5. I don't have any money, but I really need a place to live.
6. Oh that felony on my record is a mistake.

If this doesn't bother you , "You might be a landlord".  But then Who Cares?

Destruction in under 3 months!

It only took Cheri  3 months to destroy my property.  The family  moved in with financial help from a local agency.  Never paid another dime.  Tore up the house.  I had to take her to court to get her out.  Then they moved on to the next unsuspecting landlord and I am sure doing the same thing to them.
So you want to be a landlord?

Had a waterleak and ruined the floor!  Couldn't tighten the bolt.

New carpet.

Living room, the spaghetti was sitting on the tv.

Dear God,

Dear God,  Please send me a family that loves their children, values family, is clean, petless, appreciates a clean home, doesn't smoke, drink, or do drugs, realizes that there is a difference between wants and needs, and lives within their income. 

I have a perfect home for this family.

Amen

Getting Started

I met a nice young couple today.  They expressed an interest in getting started in the rental business.  It was very hard for me to come up with some positive encouragement.  I have had so much trouble this month with tenants.  Troubles ranging from drug busts, non-payment, getting ticketed for burning, property trashed, and then throw in a murder, that covers it, I guess.  The month is not over yet!

However, I did manage to give them some advice. 

1. Start slow , get one property working for you before starting on another.
2. Don't fix it up like you are going to live in it yourself.  Everything  should work and be durable.

Now that I am back home, I think of several other things that I should have mentioned like:

1. Don't acept payments on the move in amounts; get all the money up front.
2. Screen, screen, screen your tenants.
3. Get a list of everyones name and age that will be living there.  Full application on anyone over 18.
4. Be firm not nice right from the get-go.
5. Assume everything that they tell you is a lie.
6. They will sneak in the animals that they tell you can live somewhere else.

 On second thought, maybe these aren't positives just self-preservation.

What the heck is going on?

I finished off last week with sending out 5 "Five Day Notices'.  If that does not bring in some money Monday or Tuesday, I will have to go to the court house and file on them.  Between filing and having the summons served it will cost me another $150. on top of what they owe me.  Expensive clean-outs and clean ups and time wasted to find new tenants.

Oh boy!

Called in the County

I had to call in the county police to get these tenants out.  On set out day, the county police, my maintenance man, and my self showed up at the house.  Tenants were nearly out.  The officer couldn't believe how this family had destroyed the house in only 3 months time.  My guy changed the locks on the house and all done except for cleaning up the mess.

Anybody want to trade jobs?

Go Sleep in the Van

Got the judgement against Cheri Bagwell for $1900.  Cheri got the money to move in  from Illinois Valley because she was homeless So they were in my  lovely home before Christmas.  Cheri never paid a dime after that.  They trashed the yard.  Moved the cutest little puppy in on my new carpet and have been tearing up the house ever since.  The judge gave her until March 28th at 10 a.m. to be out.  Cheri called me today and said that she couldn't be out until April 10th.  Now think about it:  she hasn't paid any rent, is tearing up my house, has a puppy, 4 kids and wants another half month of free rent.  I called the Sheriff and he will set her out on the 30th (because that is his next work day).  I called Cheri and told her that she would be out on the 30th as planned AND perhaps she and the kids could sleep in that new van that they bought instead of paying the rent.  The sad part is that she will do the next landlord just like she did me and not think a thing about it.

I hate this job!