Renter HORROR stories....

Greg1959

Well-known Member
Seems a few on here rent/lease homes to people. I did this also, until a few years ago.

After so much abuse, I quit.

Anyway, What are some of your worst stories? I've got tons of them (could write a book).

BTW, If I reply to your post, I don't mean to 'one up' you. It just means that your post reminded me of another story......

First one that comes to mind.

Had a young man that came to me and said he wanted to move back to this area to be close to his kid. He did not have any money for deposit but would repaint the outside of the house to cover deposit if I bought the paint and materials. I said OK.

One month passes and I stop by and ask him about painting the house. He says "I'm getting on it now!"

I go back the next month to collect rent. House is empty and stripped of appliances, etc.

He took the paint, rollers, brushes I had bought to do the job plus, washer, dryer, hot water tank, fridge, stove and about 500 feet of chain-link fence with posts,gates and top-rail.

LOL!

Warrant still out for his arrest.

What is your story? (I have a lot more).
 
I had a beautiful 1920s cottage-style house, maybe Craftsman-style. I repainted it inside and out, and sanded the hardwood floor in the living and dining rooms. Woman approaches me and said she wanted to rent it for "Mama", a retired teacher. Sounded good until I went by to collect the first month's rent. In addition to "Mama", there was a daughter with three boys under ten, and two adult males.

I'll skip the usual drama, but when I finally kicked them out I found that the gas (gas water heater) service had been off for three months. Electricity had been off for two. No drain in the house would flow water. They cooked on a charcoal grill in the dining room, leaving a large charred circle in the oak flooring. The living room floor they had destroyed by dragging furniture (legs broken off, sharp screws protruding from the bottom) across it and leaving gouges a quarter inch deep. Windows were broken in every room.

When they left they left all that worthless furniture and all of their filth behind. I filled 72 large black garbage bags with their offal. There was just really no place to start in fixing the place up. But thanks to divine intervention from a merciful God I didn't have to. While I was pondering what to do, I got an unsolicited offer from a realty company for my two lots. A seven-story hotel now sits on the site.
 
i've had my share of nightmare stories including one where he was working on transmissions in the living room, but the one i always think of was a house i was looking at to buy where the guy had cut pieces out of the floor joists to burn in his stove to keep warm....
 
Hmm, our stories seem tame.

There was the renter who called an air conditioning repairman without checking with us first and deducted the repair bill from the rent. Then stiffed the repairman for the bill.

There was the guy who left the garage packed full of his stuff, so we got a dumpster and emptied it out, leaving the few items of value locked in the garage. He came back and broke into the garage to steal his stuff back, which he probably couldn't find before we cleaned up.

There was the woman we evicted, who left her kids in the house while she went to live elsewhere, presumably because the gas was shut off. The kids destroyed the house.

After a couple dozen renters in four houses, the stories all seem the same. For every good renter there are two bad ones. The bad ones are perpetually late with the rent until at some point they just quit paying. You evict them, and they leave the house trashed and full of junk. Some renters are truly bad people, others simply never learned the basic skills you need to get through life.
 
didnt have good luck renting this trailer out ,,,,told the renters they had to move,,,because the trailer was going to move
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The ability to screen prospective tenants is the difference between collecting horror stories and going broke a little slower in the rental business. There are places where you can make money renting out houses, but I don't live in one of them. I can tell by now if I have a decent prospect over the phone. Anyone that sounds crazy or desperate is probably being evicted. Anyone that has soda/beer cans, fast food packaging, kids, and dogs falling out of the car as they pull up to stop and look at the place get extra screening. Anyone that insists you call only one person and only one phone number for a reference has given you a bogus reference.

My worst renter story would be the crazy cat lady whose husband paid cash for their deposit, then first month and second month rent. After that, no money. When I finally got them evicted, animal control collected 72 cats from the house; ten or fifteen escaped; and I removed five or six dead cats and kittens from the house along with cat excrement and other detritus. I also removed a dozen stolen cable TV converters and some of the nastiest p*rn I had ever seen. Her husband is currently serving fifteen years in prison for an unrelated crime - fortunately after they left the area.
 
Same stories around here,,your better off to burn a rental house down than to try to make a rent agreement work out, it's so sad to see this caliber of people taking advantage of those of us trying to help them. It boils down to being lazy and lack of work ethics...and it seems to be getting worse..most of those bad renters also steal all that they can from the surrounding neighbors while they are there..these kind of people make a strong statement for better birth control...
 
I have had rental houses now for close to thirty years. The first two where houses my Great Aunts lived in. I have had very few problems in that time. I chalk that up to having been lucky and really checking out who I rent to.

Here is a list of things I have done that I think helps when renting:

1)I had a real estate license in the late 1980s. The greatest thing of value out of it was the real estate law class I had to take. I found out what you can and can't do when renting. The fellow teaching this class was a real dark African American that was a assistant county attorney. He made a statement that has stuck with me to this day" You can discriminate based on color as long as that color is GREEN!!! " LOL HE is right too.

2) My Grand Father rented out houses he would not spend a dime extra on the houses so he always had the lowest rent in the area. He had constant trouble. So I keep all the houses I own in good repair and charge a higher rent based on that. My rents are at the higher end of this area. You prevent much of the trouble this way. Most low life's do not have the money for a good deposit and two months rent on a higher rent. My average renter is either retire couples that just do not want to own anymore or younger couples that are just married getting started out.

3) I have a three page application that two different real estate lawyers wrote and vetted. I paid well over $2K just to get it right. I require THREE verifiable references. Then the financial ability to pay the rent which means work or retirement income verification. This includes a minimum household income of 5 times the annual rental. So if the house is renting for $750 per month then their annual house hold income needs to be $45K. I do a credit report with an agency that gives me Two of the three Credit reporting companies reports on the person(s). That alone costs me $75 each.

4) My rental agreement allow me a once each month walk through of the property. I do this when I collect the rent. It is the First Monday of each month. So it is an announced visit so it is legal. I walk through the entire house. I tell them I am checking the smoke detectors which I actually do. This allows me to check the house out but it also saves me a little on insurance as I have verified the detectors are working.

5) I respond right now to complaints of things wrong with the house. If that is the furnace not working at 4 AM then so be it. I do not put off repairs. If I can't do them myself I hire it done ASAP.

6) I am a hard butt on the rents. It is due the first Monday of each month. PERIOD I do not care if your Dad died, your cats sick or etc. The rent is DUE!!!! I evict first late pay. Period!!! I tell people that up front and I have only had one adverse eviction in all the years I have rented. Most move out themselves.

I know these things may sound like I am being hard on people. These are the things a bank or other financial business require if you deal with them. So why should a private person renting be any different????

My average rental length is just over 4 years. I do work with people as long as it is before there is a problem/issue. I have one couple that when they retired they wanted to change the rental payment agreement. They wanted quarterly payments instead of monthly payments. They had some type of investment that paid quarterly dividends. That was fine as we agreed on it before they where late on the rent. They actually pay me annually now and in return I give them a 15% discount on the rent. They have been renting from me now for 11 years.

So I think it is area, rent amount and the landlords that make the difference. Many set themselves up to fail with low quality houses that earn cheap rents that attract the low end of society and all their associated problems.
 
CAUTION RANT AHEAD

As an Attorney I hear a ton of Landlords horror stories and have been asked for help. HOWEVER after years of trying and observations and experiences, I JUST DONT TAKE CASES REGARDING BAD TENANTS. I have drafted leases, but I tell my clients I can make one 1 page or 100 pages and cover all possibilities BUT IT DONT HELP OR MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE if the tenant is judgment proof and is simply no good lol. The thing is its hard to get law enforcement to do much and even so it takes so much time and regardless what judgment a court may award its almost impossible to collect if the tenant doesn't own property or is transient or not regularly employed (garnishment). I tell them they can pay me a lot of money for a lot of time and work but I probably wont be of much help and likely never recover a cent. A bad tenant may pay a months rent maybe a damage deposit then move in THEN NEVER PAY A CENT MORE and it can take months to get an eviction order then months to ever get them out after which the place has been trashed and you may sue and get a judgment for damages but never get a cent plus youre our attorney fees on top. AND IT DONT MATTER IF YOU HAD A 1 OR A 100 PAGE LEASE.........

When I was a kid in small town southern Indiana if a person owed money or rent in a town they were shamed and hid however today they laugh about it and dont care grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr I have a good client I have helped some but recently told I her I want to rent from here BUT I WILL PAY NO RENT but I promise to pay my own utilities and will NOT trash the place. SHE AGREEES THAT THE BEST SITUATION SHE COULD HAVE LOL as others pay no rent, trash the place, and it cost her big money to ever get them out after months and months. I used to be a landlord in the eighties BUT NO WAY I WANT ANY PART OF IT NOW given the morals of many (NOT all) who are prospective tenants.

Nuff said

John T Country Lawyer (DOES NOT take bad tenant cases, too much work and have to take clients money knowing I wont get good results grrrrrrrrrrrrrr)
 
When my brother started renting out apartments in the early 1980's he had a lot to learn. He had one advertised in the paper and got a call about it. It was from the local hospital. Seems the carnival was in town and a girl from the carnival had went into labor and gave birth. The hospital wouldn't release the baby because they didn't have a permanent address. Anyway my brother felt sorry for them and rented her and her boyfriend an apartment. Brother couldn't get any rent money out of them.....the guy would set outside in the afternoons and drink beer. He had quite a collection of stuffed animals from the carnival and they were setting out on the lawn with him for sale. When my brother tried to evict them for not paying rent, the guy went down to the local public defender and would get extensions through the office. It took months to finally get them kicked out of there. There were other horror stories about his renters, but I have to laugh about this one when I think about it. I can still picture the guy setting in the yard drinking beer....surrounded by all those stuffed animals.
 
I just had renters leave with double door fridge, cookstove and dryer, as well as the paint I had paid for to repaint the house, and I have hauled seven loads of junk and two to go. Had air conditioners stolen and sold presumeably for drug money a couple years before, last renter before this one stole new gas cookstove and water heater. Go to sheriff, says sounds like a civil matter. Sorry people all you can rent to. Good people moving up and will buy a home instead of rent.
 
I tried to rent my old trailer lot out , had every lowlife inquired. Told them about application , they didn't wanna do that. Gave up but last year the bridge right near us went out to bid and lo and behold they rented my lot for twice the going rate , got my 1200 foot driveway redone , sold them all the hay for reseedingand now we are negotiating a large material storage spot for them . I love my tenants. Pure luck .
 

It wasn't quite a rental deal more like a squatter. I was involved in burning a house down once in order to keep a bad news guy from coming back to it. The town had taken the property for back taxes, but they couldn't get the guy to move out and no one wanted to push it very hard. Finally the guy went away to the big house for a few months, and the selectmen saw their opportunity. They asked the fire department to burn the house down while he was away. The chief picked a day during the week when it was snowing hard. We charged it up good with some fuel and lit it, with an engine and tanker standing by, which of course kept people from calling about it, and this was way before cell phones and 911. Within an hour it was leveled and we were gone, and the bad apple had no place to settle back into when he got out.
 
Dad is a civil engineer and would buy buildings with serious foundation pr structural problems or had fires, in a black ghetto area of south San Diego, and then rebuild, refinish, restore, and rent. I had guaranteed weekend and summer employment, whether I wanted it or not.
I could spend all day typing horror stories.
One form of Government assistance is called "Section 8". The Govt pays a percentage of their rent runnong form all to some. If the tennant leaves owing money the assistance was cut off until restitution had been made. Tje one who used the kitchen drawers as moving boxes had to return them. The one who like posters and had put over 2300 pin holes in the walls of one bedroom had to pay for new sheetrock. Not bad, but it often took months to collect.
The best tennants we had were Phillipino Navy families, and most properties were close to the 24th Street base.
Dad billed himself as a slumlord, but through constant effort we made sure that all properties and units were in excellent condition inside and out. A minor water leak can cost much more than the parts to fix it.
 
At the end of the Vietnam war the moved many Hmongs to San Diego. They lived on Camp Pendleton for a while, while WW2 Navy housing was rebuilt, they set these folks up and forgot to teach them how to we live here. Some didn't like or know how to use those ovens, so cooked in the yard or built fires on the kitchen floor. Toilet training would have been a good idea, but not quite as important as driving lessons. Pets in that area didnt last long outside.
 
I have one in a town close to me and when I bought it nothing much was for sale. I rented successfully for nearly twelve years, but in that period on time efficiency apartments, hud backed homes and other rental sources [including derelict motels] have sprouted everywhere. Large apartment complexes with 100 plus units that seem to be almost always empty, houses for sale everywhere, there are more places to rent than will ever be renters. Several factories in the area but many who work there own, and the others do not seem to make enough to pay rent, car payments, childcare and pay their way. Wages are generally low, you can get good healthcare at these factories but that keeps the employees at 11 or 12 dollars an hour, seems like you have to rent to some one who tries and can't pay or some one who draws a check and won't pay.
 
Rent a house on a lot large enough to keep horses, but without a shed, and the renters will keep their horse in the house.
 
An old couple near me rented a little house that was on the corner of the farm, the renter got behind 4-5 months on the rent, the old couple felt sorry for him but wanted the rent,,one day the bad renter came to the old guys shop and said that he needed $500 to fix some things at the house,,the old guy said "No" and that he wanted the back rent,,so the renter went to the house and told the old guys wife that the old guy told him to get a check from her for $500,,and she wrote not knowing better,,,when the old guy came in for supper she told him that she gave the guy a check like he said to,,the old guy told her he said no such thing,,went to the renters house and he wouldn't come to the door,,he cashed the check, kept the money and it took another 3-4 months to get the guy out of the house... The same old guy rented to a guy before that and the guy got behind on the rent, they finally got him evicted, and a month latter got a notice of a law suit that the renter claimed he fell moving and sued for $5,000,,and the Judge awarded it.. It seems that older caring people are taken advantage of all the time,,and these bad renters just keep making their rounds,,and the way I understand it you can not post a list of them because it infringes on their rights...
 
You guys need renters like me.
Pay my rent on time.
Keep the yard mowed and clean.
Small garden on the side.
NO drugs or loud music.
Do and pay for the minor repairs.
Don't bother anyone.
Have been known to get the grill out and BBQ a few times a year.
 
About 10 years ago a friend bought a house and big building that he wanted to work out of, He figured for the price he would rent the house and it would pretty much pay the payments on the hole place. An old fiends daughter asked if she could rent the house from him. He said yes and drew up a rental agreement and she paid the deposit and the first months rent and moved in. She had 2 little kids and soon had a 3rd on the way. She lost her job went on welfare and never paid a dime after the first months rent. He went round and round with the courts, Welfare and the county to get her out of the house. It took 2 years to get a court order to have the sheriffs dept to set her stuff out of the house. The day they did this there were 2 track hoe's sitting there to tare the house down and she was told it would be torn down. She got arrested for trying to block the cops from doing there job and for taking stuff back into the house after it was put out. She said it was her house and he didn't have a right to put her out on the street. After she was hand cuffed and in the cop car her stuff was finial set out and the house came down in about 15 mim. He took her to court for the back rent and utilities (he had to pay them because of the 3 kids) and she was ordered to pay the back rent to witch she told the judge ware to go and that she had bought and paid for the house that had been torn down illegaly!

In the end he was out a lot of money for the rent utilities and lawyers fees and the house (I would have taken $20 grand to fix it after she was out to fix it back up). After it was all said and done he was out over $35.000 and to this day she has never paid a dime to him but she has run her mouth for years telling everyone that he is an ---hole for setting her and her kids out and having her arrested. He said he will never have another piece of rental property as long as he lives because of her. Bandit
 
Years ago, when my Mother-in-Law remarried, she rented her house to a seemingly nice young couple, had one baby.(The kitchen had been completely remodeled about two years earlier.) Everything went well for a few months, they paid their rent on time and kept the yard clean. One day they moved out, IIRC owing a months rent, when we went into the house there were dirty disposable diapers all over, and when I stepped into the kitchen the linoleum went "squish". The water heater under the counter had been leaking long enough to completely soak the entire floor! Kitchen had to be re-floored and re-done all over again.
 
I rented a house to a young family I had known for a year or so. He had a child and his wife was pregnant.He made good money and was going to build a new house and needed a place for a year. He gave me a check for first and last, a check for first months rent and another check for security deposit., and proceeded to move in. I deposited the checks and one week later they all came back NSF and one said no account. So I approached them for the money and they would not open the door. after several tries I GOT A VISIT FROM THE POLICE SAYING THEY HAD A HARASSMENT Complaint against me and I should desist. I explained the situation but to no avail. I hired a lawyer and he said nothing could be done to get any rent except eviction so I filed for eviction and the Judge threw it out because the wife was pregnant and I had caused her to be so bothered she had to stay in bed. until the birth. After birth I tried again but it took 3 month to get them out. My loss was also exacerbated by finding out thay had raided the attic and had a yard sale of all the stuff I had stored there. my loss was almost 9000 dollars by the time I had to repair the house. Never thhought I could kill another human being but at that time it was a good thing they moved across the country or I would probably still be in the hoosegow.
 
It seams people like that are few and far apart these days. It would be nice if everyone did what they agreed to do but it rarely happens. Bandit
 
Yes,, that's the story that goes around here,,,you as an owner have no rights,and these bad renters know all the tricks in the book. It should be legal to have a list in the local papers of all the known bad renters, this would help some ovoid these kind of issues,,,but that will never happen...I honestly don't know why any one would put up with this crapp more than once...
 
Been on both sides of the story here.

We had a farm place that the tenant (ag and housing) moved to town and kept farming. Had a neighbor ask about renting the house. Dad told them it would be OK with these conditions. $50 a month and we didn't fix a thing. IE if the well went bad it was on the tenant to take care of it or move. Of course we knew the renter and all was good throughout. The only complaint we could have is there wasn't a lightbulb in the house when he vacated. Wasn't much of a house and we asked a pitance for rent and all was good after we parted ways.

The other side is a bit of a trainwreck for a landlord. Couple of years ago when my wife and I built a new house we rented a house in town. Same sort of arrangement as to repairs. landlord said we were responsible for appliance repairs etc. $500 a month. The only major request I had was that the place be free of little critters. Guess what BEDBUGS. Told the landlady we should split the costs on this as it was a preexisting condition yada yada. We did split the exterminator bill and I did the prep and post work for that and split a new matterss. Just took it out of the rent. While tenous all was good till time to get my deposit back. We had cleaned this house and cleaned up the yard also (it had been on the market for number of years and sold twice that summer I am sure in no small part due to the condition we had it in) Her line on the deposit was we left the place in a shambles. Oh well just $500 down the drain which was about what her end of the bedbug thing cost.
 
try it for while also on couple other farms with empty houses. last house came down couple years ago. end of headaches
 
Bandit. I was raised to take care of peoples property. When my father needed the loan of a tractor.It went back with a full tank of fuel,greased washed and cleaned. He would even change the oil if needed.I was taught to do the same with anything I barrowed

There are apartments behind mine. Know the owner very well. Every time someone moves out. He has repair crews in for a week. I just don't understand people.
 
My brother raised cattle not far from the Hmong community in San Diego county. When he had a old cow, or a downer. My brother would give these people a call He would shoot the animal. Then these people would do the rest. As I under stand it these Hmongs were from the hills of Vietnam. They were one heck of a fighter, and would fight along with the US troops against the VC. Stan
 
Brother had a good lady friend who wanted to park a small motorhome on our place. I said it would be ok for a while. Next thing her daughter moved in with two little kids. the kids were sleeping in the back of a pick up, because there wasn't enough room in the small motor home. I finally got the daughter and kids out. Then her son moved in. After things started to disappear, like a old forge, a walk behind plow. My brother had a lot of his snap on tools disappear. The son left. At the same time we let another guy move in a trailer who turned out to be a drunk. He would toss beer bottles all over the place. I am still picking up glass from that guy. You would think it would be easy just to say move out, but it was hard, one excuse after another. Finally got them all out. Stan
 
I've got nine rental properties. Started with one, and it was a disaster so I went to sell it, and the realtor talked me in to letting their management company manage. They got more rent so their 10% resulted in me getting a raise, and I get my rent. All in all they have been a good investment but I'm about ready to sell. I had ten but sold one to a nice renter who wanted to buy, he has turned into my handyman and does a great job fixing up after renters move out. It's all roses, but roses have thorns. My main thing is to never go after those that leave. They don't have anything anyway, John T said it better than I could.
 
Friend rented trailers & I visited the trailer. In the kitchen, where the kitchen table had been, was a big block Chevy engine being rebuilt! I leave it to your imagination what that does to a trailer floor.
 
The horse-in-the-house situation required replacement of the floor from the joists up and replacement of the walls four-feet up from the floor. Only two rooms though.
 

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