We have a tenant that recently moved out. He was with us for a year and frankly, it became a tedious year towards the end. He paid on time for the first 6 months.
He then lost his job for arguing with his boss. Then, he had many excuses, as to why he didn't have the rent on time.
He began avoiding us.
My husband I went to the house several times to talk to him. Long story short, it became a headache.
He couldn't keep a job after that, and it didn't seem to matter either.
Now, I knew when I rented to him that there might be a bit of an issue with him. But, he was moving into a very low priced rental, in a lower priced neighborhood, and I know that people have to fit the neighbor they are moving into.
Money became a problem. Or, I should say, his lack of money became a problem.
As, they were getting later on their rent, their lease was expiring. We mutually agreed that it would be best that they leave at the end of the lease. They begrudgingly agreed. We told them that they could have an eviction on their record or they could go on their own accord.
They left, 1 day after their lease was up. They left us the keys and called and told us they were out and the house was ours. When we went to the house, there were many items left...clothes, shoes, furniture. The refrigerator was full of food. The pantry was full of canned goods.
And, there was loose change laying all over the floor. (Silly, because, if I'm walking down the street, I will bend over to pick up a penny.)
How can tenants afford to leave items of value behind? They can't afford the rent. It never makes any sense to me.
Each tenant that I have put in a house, that had a difficult time paying the rent, left items of value behind when they moved out. Each left coins on the floor. In one house we picked up over $25.00 in loose change.
I guess people with little regard for money, typically have little or no money.
This article is authored by
Sandy Shores REALTOR®, Melbourne/Palm Bay FL Real Estate
Brevard County Real Estate & Investing
I also buy, sell, rent, own and manage Investment Property.
that for you
Sandy: Oftentimes people get so used to living in chaos, even when things get close to normal... somehow they are not comfortable with "normal"... and have to undermine their "normalcy" so they can get back to the chaos they strangely feel more comfortable in. That sounds kinda like what this guy was doing. Just my two cents.
How right you are. It amazes me the things that people do when they are in a tight spot. Going to dinner,
I guess you could always have a yard sale and try and recoup some of the losses you sustained.
I think Karen is on the right track.
Don't schedule the yard sale too soon. Here in California, at any rate, there are laws governing how items-left-behind must be handled. A notice of abandonment must be posted, you have to hold the items a certain amount of time.....
We handle several rentals, and I have to say, I have never had a tenant leave money laying on the floor. Lots and lots and lots of other crap, but never money. :-)
Sandy, Maturity or lack of such. I found that several of the renters I dealt with never had to grow up or take responsibility for their actions. I found that these individuals blamed everything on everybody else. I was sucked in the first couple of times but month after month, I learned that I was a patsy and being blamed by these people when they spoke to other creditors. I now know and can spot them coming...
Picking up would have required effort, earning a living requires effort, managing money involves effort and commitment. Habitual lack of effort is hard to change, and the chaos comment #1 is pretty interesting too.
Hi Sandy
Some people have no regard for other peoples property, in this case the tenet had lack of regard for a number of thing.
Move forward.
Lou Ludwig
Sandy,
I have noticed this... Why not save some for a rainy day or at least enough to pay the rent?
Ann
Sadly, I think the days of teaching children about responsibility and good citizenship seems to have ended years ago. Training begins in the home, by making youngsters understand how to be financially responsible and how to get along in the working world they will someday enter when they no longer live with parents.
Karen, I agree with your analysis of this situation. Great points! Some people have no sense of what others of us consider to be "normal". So, they return to their sense of "normalcy". Interesting, how are perceptions are so different.
Kim, It's hard to figure some people out, that's for sure.
Cheryl, You just never know what a tenant is going to do, or how they are going to leave and what they are going to leave behind. They are all so different.
Hi Paul, In the rental business we certainly must remain vigilent in dealing with our tenants. And we must stay tough - there's not doubt about it. Number one is to try to keep the lines of communication open (if at all possible - and I know it can't always be done.)
Sara, I agree with your points also. I thought Karen's comment was right on target also.
Hi Lou, Occasionally we run into this type of tenant. Luckily, not very often.
Hi Ann, Seems simple and logical, doesn't it? I think for some it's just not all that cut and dry, though.
Hi Mary, I agree, that times have indeed changed. And some people's attitudes have definitely changed.
Sandy, it is very difficult to find renters that have any regard for the hard earned dollar! You are right about them leaving things of value behind........so do you suppose that they are leaving them to make up for the hassles that they have given us! LOL
Hi Caren, I had never really thought of it that way...leaving items of value behind to make up for the hassles they have given us. Hmmm....I have to give that one some thought... My first inclination in answering that question is that they are leaving things behind because they don't feel like or don't want to bother taking those things with them. Have you figured it out yet? I can't.
Sandy - You have hit on something I gave a little thought to last week. I have known a couple who for more than a decade have never seemed interested in conserving, or using what they already had. If they couldn't easily locate something around their home, they'd simply just go out and buy another. These weren't inexpensive items either. Recently, there were job losses in their family, and their luck has turned. I predict they are in for very interesting times. This picture of the stacked food in the cabinet seems so odd. . .But weird things happen.
Hey Myrl, I think that for some they just never learned to conserve. Some have no concept of it - and it's sad. The couple that you described may find that they have incredibly tough times ahead.
I've run into this a couple times. Once a tenant who had a lot of difficulty paying rent left behind tons of clothes. I've never run into one who left a bunch of food though. That just seems crazy.
Hi Justin, Sometimes you just never know what they're going to do. It's seems so odd to me also.
Hi, Sandy! I'm a penny-picker-upper, too...100% profit the way I look at it (not to mention the luck). I'm glad to hear the tenants moved out nicely. Better luck with the next ones!
Hi Amy, Good for you! I learned to pinch pennies when I was little. Great lesson for me! Thanks for the well wishes.