I never wanted to be a landlord
And yet here I am, trying to be a hard-ass and not let people take advantage of my good nature. We bought this property and had a choice: develop it or pay the mortgage without help. We can't separate it, that would be too easy.
Here's what happens: On the application is Do you smoke? So they'll answer no. 30 days later everytime you see them they're smoking in the house, making it toxic for me to make repairs.
First of the month comes around: "I get paid next Friday." My mortgage is due on the 5th, no excuses.
No, they don't have a dog either, not till after they move in, then it's a breed that gives the insurance company fits. Or barks all day long bothering me. Or both. Most likely it craps all over the carpet and has more fleas than hair. So I have to replace the carpets when they move and spray at least twice with a powerful insecticide.
Then 5 months into a one year lease they move, maybe with a week's notice leaving a mess that takes 90 days to clean up, and repairs that take 2 month's rent to fix.
Before they move in: "I'm a handyman, I won't bother with any repairs, I'll fix it myself."
Then they're calling me for the most piddly/minor things and demanding immediate service and an apology because something broke.
Or something's loose but they don't tell you. They wait till it falls off and breaks.
Most recently the hot water leaked for six months but they didn't tell me till they saw mold and panicked. They moved with a week's notice and left me with a giant cleanup and repairs. Now I can't rent the place till I get a lab report saying it's safe.
Yesterday someone applied for a vacancy. I take an application and send it to a service that checks out prospective tenants. Like most she told me her credit wasn't perfect. Understatement of the new millenium. Two pages of collections and write-offs. Told me she'd never been arrested. She forgot the arrests for child abuse. Not a chance I would rent to her, but she called me 3 or 4 times today to argue about it.
OK, bitch session over. Probably.
Here's what happens: On the application is Do you smoke? So they'll answer no. 30 days later everytime you see them they're smoking in the house, making it toxic for me to make repairs.
First of the month comes around: "I get paid next Friday." My mortgage is due on the 5th, no excuses.
No, they don't have a dog either, not till after they move in, then it's a breed that gives the insurance company fits. Or barks all day long bothering me. Or both. Most likely it craps all over the carpet and has more fleas than hair. So I have to replace the carpets when they move and spray at least twice with a powerful insecticide.
Then 5 months into a one year lease they move, maybe with a week's notice leaving a mess that takes 90 days to clean up, and repairs that take 2 month's rent to fix.
Before they move in: "I'm a handyman, I won't bother with any repairs, I'll fix it myself."
Then they're calling me for the most piddly/minor things and demanding immediate service and an apology because something broke.
Or something's loose but they don't tell you. They wait till it falls off and breaks.
Most recently the hot water leaked for six months but they didn't tell me till they saw mold and panicked. They moved with a week's notice and left me with a giant cleanup and repairs. Now I can't rent the place till I get a lab report saying it's safe.
Yesterday someone applied for a vacancy. I take an application and send it to a service that checks out prospective tenants. Like most she told me her credit wasn't perfect. Understatement of the new millenium. Two pages of collections and write-offs. Told me she'd never been arrested. She forgot the arrests for child abuse. Not a chance I would rent to her, but she called me 3 or 4 times today to argue about it.
OK, bitch session over. Probably.
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