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I was in need of some venting so I thought, I have a blog so why not go for it.
First off, if anyone ever approaches you with the bright idea of “Hey, let’s build some rent houses!” – listen carefully – JUST. SAY. NO. Have you ever dealt with renters?
Being a landlord – is that word still used – is nothing new to me. I grew up watching and listening to my aunt as she collected rent and fussed at renters and replaced broken appliances, etc. It was not what I aspired to do when I grew up. But here I am. I am a landlady. I think I prefer landLORD.
We are building a little rental development. We currently have five cottages on a lane on a piece of property in a rural part of Louisiana. They are cute little houses. They are painted pastel colors and local people refer to them as the ice cream cottages.
People see the little cottages and want to live there. Then they proceed to trash them. I have come to the conclusion that there is a reason people rent. They can’t handle purchasing a house. They don’t know how to be owners. They need someone to come and fix what they break. I’m really disgusted at the moment.
We rented a brand spanking new house about three years ago to an older couple. They just bought a house and moved out. Hubby wanted me to go and take pictures of the mess they left behind. I really wish I had not gone. Holes in the back of doors, bi-fold doors off the tracks, tracks bent. A ginormous wasp nest inside the storm door because it is no longer sealed due to it being bent. Cabinets dirty with bugs. Window sills with bugs. Marks all over the walls. Gashes in the flooring. Mildew in the tub. And there’s more but I can’t bear to list all the things I found.
Why do people destroy property that does not belong to them and then leave it in such disgusting shape. It is going to take the cleaning crew at least two days to clean and sanitize this house. Then, probably another two weeks for Hubby to replace, rebuild, repair, and paint the house.
Remember – JUST. SAY. NO.
I had a few other dramas, but now they seem so trivial that I’ve forgotten them.
So sorry to hear of this. I’ve been a renter for years. I always leave the places I lived cleaner than when I moved in. If there are minor things that needed repairing, I did it myself. If it was something major, I always let the owner know as soon as possible that way it wouldn’t cost more than it would if I had waited. But on the other end of the spectrum, I have cleaned rentals, and it can be horrific. I would suggest a background check, if you don’t already. It sometimes can steer the bad apples from wanting to move in. Also charge a background check fee or application fee. This also helps detour certain undesirables. Always ask for rental history. That is a big help. A lot of times, the undesirables won’t bother if there has been trouble in the past. For those that would get someone to vouch for them, I would make sure it is from a legitimate rental company, or stay clear. Anyone can get someone to vouch (lie) for them. And last but not least, always do a walk through before the rental agreement is signed, and before the final departure, if applicable. I have also known some rental companies to have in the lease, that they are able to do a monthly inspection. I don’t know how legal that is or if it might have something to do with where you live, I live in Florida. I hope everything works out and wishing you good fortune in the future.
Thank you for your comments. We actually do a monthly inspection, but not a nit picky one. I guess we should have done it in this case. It is in the lease that they sign and we tell them upfront. We do background checks and we do ask for references, which I check. We also do walk-thrus. We were in a catch 22 as the saying goes with this one. The wife works for our business partners. Every month Hubby would tell her not to hang loads of laundry on the bi-fold doors, do not pile things under the sink (kept hitting pipes causing leaks). Fell on deaf ears. So glad to have these people gone. We also charge very high rent which does weed out the unsavory – most of the time. We had no idea that she was hoarder and so unclean. Live and learn. Another tell-tale – check the person’s car. If the inside is trashed, chances are the house will be too.