I've been a landlord for almost 13 years.
I have placed 100's of tenants in rentals.
I have only had to evict a handful of my own tenants. I have been so blessed and never had any real tenant issues.
I've never gotten a house back in deplorable condition! Now, I'm not saying that I haven't gotten plenty of them back that were really dirty and desperately needed paint.
Well, I have to say...I've just had my first EVER tenant that left in the night. They left on the 23rd of July and their rent was paid until July 31. I had a security deposit. So, they owed no money when they left.
BUT..they left everything they owned..in the house..including the cockroaches and the grease on the walls!
This tenant was with us for over four and a half years and paid the rent every single month on the 1st or 
2nd. Then, it is my understanding that they got into a terrible financial situation, and could no longer keep their business expenses or personal expenses paid.
A landlord must proceed with caution in determining whether a property is actually abandoned. If you are unsure how to proceed, contact a local attorney to guide you through the process of reclaiming the property.
Here in Melbourne Florida for a house to be considered abandoned ALL of the following conditions must be met:
1. NO one has been in the rental unit for a full 15 days AND you can prove it.
2. The rent is unpaid.
3. No resident or occupant has given the landlord any notice, verbal or written stating that they are going to pay the rent or come back at a later time.
Be very cautious in dealing with abandoned properties. Be sure you keep excellent records in your file. Be sure to take lots of pictures and videos for your records and keep them in your files.
I love being a landlord. You just have to learn to take the good with the bad. Every job has it's ups and downs. And one of the downs is when your tenant leaves all of their stuff in the house, and they just go. It's just part of the job!
that for you
Not a pretty picture. Sounds like you have had better experiences over all than most landlords. Keep up the positive attitude!
Wow, looks like you're going to have to rent a dumpster. Sorry about your luck. At least they DID pay you every month...and you didn't have to "evict" them and incur those costs...
We bought a foreclosure at the courthouse steps and when we went to look at the house, we found ONE item...A BOOK! Wanna know what the title was?
"FINDING YOUR FINANCIAL FREEDOM"
Hey Tony, In 13 years I've never had a tenant move out and leave ALL of their things! But you're bound to experience everything at least once (hopefully only once). I don't mind the cleaning, painting and misc repairs. But, it takes 2 -3 days to get everything out. And you know what, it's really eerie handling other people's things...and wondering why they left it all. We hung on to things for additional weeks, in case they came back. Thanks and have a great weekend!
Your story is not as bad as others that I have heard. A little elbow grease and a call out to the Salvation Army or what ever you intend to do with the things that they left behind. You'll be able to rent this home again.
Wow 13 years and you've only had to evict 3 tenants that's incredible. I've had to evict 2 so far this year alone. I'm actually dealing with a similar situation as you right now. I had a great tenant that always paid rent on time just move out a week ago. She took most of her stuff but left a car in the garage with no windows and missing one tire. Being a landlord can be very interesting. :)
Hey Rebecca, Funny thing you mentioned the book...boy is that an irony! Do you know what...every tenant that has ever moved out or any tenants we have helped owners evict...do you know what we find on the floor? In every single house? Money...and usually lots of it.... change...pennies, nickels and dimes...I pick every piece of it up and keep it. Funny...people that have no regard for money... they can't pay their rent or they get evicted.
Lorraine, I have never really had a horrible tenant experience. This is just part of the job we do. Some good, some bad. I have seen many owners with awful experiences. My family and I do all of our own work on our houses and we are used to alot of elbow grease and hard work. Thanks and take care!
Hi Justin, I love being a landlord. My tenants are really good, hard working people that are just trying to make ends meet. I have only evicted 3 of my own tenants in 13 years. In 2005 we bought 4 houses in a package deal from a friend of mine. All 4 of his tenants were behind in rent and had to go....I evicted each one of the tenants, one at a time as we were ready to start working on each house, then we bought one house at a time. I have helped many, many owners evict difficult tenants. I always go with my "gut" instinct when making a decision on a prospective tenant. And, for me it's worked pretty well so far.
Hi Sandy, I am really considering a property management company--I have been way to nice in the past!
Hey Leslie, You are considering a property management company for your own properties? My husband and I take care of our rentals. And we take turns being good guy, bad guy...I have No problem AT ALL telling a tenant the way it is! Neither does my husband. Business is business when someone gets difficult. You can't be nice all the time in the rental business! Good luck to You!
I had one of my tenants move out on me without notice this month. The rent didn't get paid and when I went to the house to see what was happening, they were gone. This tenant had been with me for 4 years and moved with no explanation. I am treating it as abandoned and moving forward to either sell it or re-rent it. Lucky for me they moved most of their stuff, but the house is filthy and full of cockroaches. Don't you just love this market?
Hey Rob, Isn't it funny that we have tenants with us for 4 years and they leave without notice? I think for mine, they got into serious financial difficulty. Yeah, they left my house filthy and full of roaches too. But, no real damage. It's just part of doing business. Well, hang in there and all trudge ahead. Best wishes to you!
is 15 days without paying rent and "abandoning" their personal property the legal description of abandonment - can a Landlord legally discard the property after 15 dyas?
Hi Wendy, I see that you are here in Florida. We get most of our information from this attorney's office and their website http://evict.com/?page=main . Go to articles and you will find some articles on abandonment. If you go to downloadable forms you will find Florida State laws on abandonment. There is an incredible amount of information on this website that as a landlord or property manager you should find very useful. Be very careful when it comes to abandonment. You can get into hot water if the tenant turns out to not really be gone. Good luck to you and best wishes!
Sorry to hear about your tenants. Obviously, the fact that they did pay their rent on time and the fact that they left owing you no money makes your story much better than most.
In the end, its still worth it to be a landlord. The road to true wealth!
Hi Jared, I agree with you, I have never regretted being a landlord. I believe in owning and holding real estate you create wealth over time. It's the only way to go. Being a landlord is just like any other job, you have your good days and you have your bad days. Best wishes and have a wonderful Holiday weekend! Happy Landlording!
Wow thats horrible, nice pictures. Glad to hear you have good luck up until now.
Wow,
That is horrible but I guess that it is best they paid all of their rent! Whew,
Sorry to hear...
Thanks,
Tom Davis
World Class Delaware Realtor
In California, what you should do next is to send them a notice by certified mail at their last known address (your unit) and/or some other emergency address they might have given you, giving them at least 30 days to claim their belongings or they will be disposed of. You have to leave everything until their paid-for rent is used up, then you can put it in storage as long as you are absolutely certain they are not coming back for it. If they already surrendered the keys to you, it can be presumed that they have no intent to come back for it, but I would still send the notice. There may be more your local court would require of you, so do check with an attorney in your area, whether in or out of California, and there are processes to file with the court and get a court order that allows you to sell the marketable items and keep the proceeds if they are ruled abandoned. The last thing you want is to have to answer to a claim for theft of their junk, which they may believe to be "valuable."
Sandy,
I have a thrift shop here where I live that will come and take everything out just for what they can sell in their store. Also, for other prospective landlords, my friend charges every prospective tenant $25 application fee and then uses that to do a background check on them. For those who refuse to pay, that weeds them out immediately. He said that this process helps lessen the damages and evictions later on. I hope this helps the investor-to-be!
I know the rules are different in most every state. As for your mess, I feel sorry for you.
Do you have freecycle.org in your area? If so, you can post what you want to get rid of and miraculously, people just come and take it away. I use it all the time.
Be grateful they moved..they are physically gone..getting an eviction can drag out, be costly and tenant damge mounts!
Wow! I don't feel so bad about my last tenant anymore. They had a mini gypsy camp going. You do have a good outlook about it though. Being a landlord is not as cushy as a lot of people think.
A friend of mine is going through a similar situation as well. Keep the right records to show abandonment. Its a fine line!
YOu went a long time without tenant problems. What a hassle though!
Andy and Tom, I have seen many in landlords in really horrible situations. To me this was not too bad, like you both said, considering that the rent was paid in full. They actually left mid month and were paid through the end of August. With the large number of tenants we place, the percentages are going to go up...on difficult situations. Have a great day!
Sandy, That a shame that after so long they didn't feel free to at least come talk with you about their hardship. I had one last year that went from 1 guy I rented to to 10 drug dealers and street bums living in a 450 sq ft 1/1!!! They finally vacated and when I went over and opened the door I took a quick look around and was so disgusted with what they had done to my unit that I locked the door up and didn't go back in for 8 months!!!
Well, once in 13 years you've got one in deplorable condition -- wonder if the number 13 has anything to do with it. That's a pretty good record -- I know some folks that have more than 1 per year. ~ Evelyn
Hi Susan, Ouch California law sounds like a nightmare on abandonment. With sending a 30 day notice allowing them to claim the belongings and then having to place them in storage. Wow, what a headache for the landlord. Thanks for the word of caution. We are trying to follow the letter of the law in this situation. I appreciate the information!
Hi Gail, Your thrift shop sounds like a great idea. I will say this, everything I have picked up and touched in this house is FULL of cockroaches and grease. I would not even consider passing any of it along to a thrift shop. It is gross! I also use a credit check fee, it's $50. I did a background check on this tenant - and they came up clean. They owned a reputable business here in town and got into financial distress. They got caught in the recession that the country is going through. It can happen to anyone, I suppose. I heard they owed everyone else money. They paid me a deposit also. They were with me for almost 5 years and paid the rent every single month without fail, so I consider myself lucky.
Hi Diane, I'll have to check and see if we have freecycle.org here. It's funny when you say people will magically appear to take the stuff away, all of the neighbors have been hanging around, since we started working on the place, and they have all offered to take something....especially the scrappers. They are selling the metal. It's great!
Andrew, You're right evictions can drag on especially for those tenants that know how to "beat" the system.
Alex, A mini gypsy camp? Ouch! By broker has been a landlord for 50 years, at one time with over 40 homes owned. He had one recently that they were running a "meth lab" in the trailer next door. The cops busted them! Thankfully they were not doing it in the house at all. So the house did not require any special remediation. There is nothing cushy about being a landlord. It's a lot of hard work and patience. But, I'll probably do it the rest of my life! Crazy huh!
Laura, Best wishes to your friend, I hate to hear when landlorda are in a pickle. Yes you are right you must keep very accurate records, document everything and take many many pictures and videos.
Cathleen, I feel fortunate. Because, yes we did go a very long time with no problem at all with this tenants. Things happen. It's part of the business! Take care!
Bryant, Oh my gosh - you didn't go back for 8 months-oh no. I feel bad that you went through such a bad situation. In a previous comment I mentioned that I bought 4 houses in a package from an investor friend/client of mine. 2 of the houses were the worst I have ever seen. The owner had no idea who was even living in one of them. There were transients and bums living in it. I evicted all 4 tenants (one at a time) on his houses, before I was ready to buy each. On one we served the notices for eviction, and the day they were supposed to be out, they were all still there and everything was still in the house. We told them they had an hour to get out. While my dad and husband were carrying every single thing out of the house, they were crawling around the floors picking up all of the loose change laying around. I'll never forget that one! When all of the stuff was on the curb, they left and the neighbors dug through everything and took what they wanted. One day I'm going to write a book about my landlording experiences. It's truly a different world!
Hi Evelyn, One eviction/bad situation a year would probably make me re-think the business. That is too many! We are blessed and we have many tenants that have been in place for 5 to 7 years. When I talk to a prospective tenant on the phone, I have a 3 red flag rule. If they tell me more than 3 things that send up red flags to me, or don't add up, then I pass them up and move on to the next one. I do my leg work on the front end as thoroughly as I can. So far it has worked for me!
I'm pretty sure in AZ (going back to the school memory bank) you are required to rent a storage unit and hold the belongings for a period of time (memory not so good here). Documentation and CYA are definitely key.
Given your description of the situation I can only imagine what circumstances drove them to this decision !
I guess in 15 days, you find a good sized dumpster. Better yet, call your lawyer.
Since today is the last day of their lease that they've paid - technically they are still in compliance and I'm not sure why you have pictures???
According to your list of allowables stated above, you can't touch anything until September 16th - after you've proven that nothing's been disturbed . . . Of course, you can change the locks on the 1st I bet . . . as their lease is up at midnight tonight.
They may bave been storing everything until the last minute.
That is horrible. At least they were paid up, you have to look at this somehow in a positive light. And you have their security deposit. (however, I am sure that will not cover everything.)
Kathy, I know that the laws vary from state to state, but you must definitely proceed with caution on abandonment.
Bill, I believe that they owed alot of other people in their business alot of money. That's what I was told. Therefore they were forced to leave. But, I feel for someone that has to leave all of their belongings behind. How sad it that!
Christina, Thanks for catching that for me! I have corrected my typo. They paid their rent on July 1 and were paid through the end of July not August. Thanks for bringing that to my attention! Have a great holiday!
After 4+ years, you aren't doing bad. Of course it is never thrilling to have someone bail, but there are much worse alternatives. I have been in too many houses that were completely trashed by the tenant.
Hey Lane, I agree, 4+years not missing a payment are good statistics. I have seen houses torn apart by tenants also. This was not one of them. With some elbow grease and a bit of paint and new flooring we'll be good to go.
Hey Jean, We are seeing more and more meth labs cropping up. I have heard that the clean up can be incredibly expensive! In a previous comment, I mentioned that my broker has been in the business for over 50 years and just recently had a tenant running a meth lab in a trailer sitting on an adjacent vacant lot next door to the house. They were busted and taken to jail. He got lucky!
I had a tenant give me 60 days notice (in accordance with their rental agreement) and that was fine. Two weeks later I get a notice (and a bill!) from the electric company for that property. I text messaged the tenant and reminded them that they were responsible for the utilities.
Their reply? "Why we gotta pay it. We ain't even living there. It's all on you now!"
The next day I posted a 3 day notice to vacate the property. They immediately called and asked for a 24 hr extension. I granted it. I also instructed them to leave the keys on the kitchen counter (3 sets) so I would know that they were completely out.
Well, they left the keys ... and a coffee table, washer/dryer, pots and pans, small appliances, toys, clothes, TRASH, TRASH, TRASH and more TRASH. Not to mention packages of meat on the counter that had the whole house smelling like a dumpster.
My attorney said that by virtue of them leaving the keys on the counter they had taken all they intended to take. Now the cleanup starts.
Hey Carol, It's always a walk on eggshells when dealing with an abandoned tenant. I hate the TRASH, TRASH, TRASH part of it. I also hate the smelling like a dumpster part of it too. This tenant had lots of fish in the fridge...I'm really not sure how old the fish was...but it was disgusting and stunk the property up. The fridge went straight out to the curb. I don't mind the cleanup part of it so much. Well, take care of yourself, don't work too hard!
At least for all that time before they did pay rent and paid it on time. This is sad now. but sounds like you are on top of the situation and the laws about it. All the best and all the best with the next renter.
Hi Bob and Carolin, We were very fortunate that they paid for nearly 5 years. I don't mind cleaning up, I just hate shifting other people's things out. It adds a lot of extra work to the job. And it's kind of eerie going through other peoples things. I really don't care for that part of it. Thanks for the well wishes!
At least they didn't leave live stuff. I had a tenant who left an aquarium filled with live fish.
Hi Karen, Oh uh -live fish. That's no good! We have about 10,000 live cockroaches and 100 spiders all over the place! Everything we've touched is swarming with roaches. It's gross!
This is a sign of our times, some people don't care about or for other peoples stuff. It is to bad the law is on the tennent side for the most part, the tennents are not the ones that have invested the capital to provide homes for those that can not afford, or know how to save for their own place.
I'm so sorry, this is truly a sign of the times / economy. My husband and I have been showing some buyers around town and we have been in some disgusting houses.
Hi Pat, Unfortunately I believe that you're right -this is a sign of the times...a good paying tenant for almost 5 years, and then they had problems with their business. So as time progressed it just snowballed and they got buried in bills...business and personal. I feel fortunate that I was one of the few they owed no money to when they left. We'll have to hang on and see how the economy fares through our time of recession. Take care and have a great weekend!
Hey Michael, I have seen homes that are quite bad also. I have spent the past several weeks with several different buyers and many of the homes are available for sale are in very very poor condition. However, when you find a good one, there are alot of good deals to be found that require little work. Hang in there and keep looking. It just takes a bit more time today. Best of luck to you and your buyers!
great advice and what a wonderful ratio of good vs bad - sorry you have to go through this but I hope your next tenant will be much kinder on you and the property
Hey Thesa, As a landlord the more houses you have the higher the risk, and that's part of the job. I just figure it's a numbers game. I would say that 98% of our experiences are good ones...so the other 2% is just par for the course. It is truly part of the business. Thanks for the kind words and take care of yourself!
Sounds like a mess! My husband and I often throw around the idea of buying a house, since I sell real estate, I find lots of good deals, but just dont know if I could deal with the down side of things. I run into a lot of houses, that were personally owned, that were horrible. It is amazing how people live!
Melissa, Yes, it is amazing how some people live, However there are many many good hard working people out there renting homes, taking care of them and paying their rent. I started buying rentals 13 years ago and will continue to do so. You create wealth over time by owning real estate, but you have to be able to be tough, and stomach the bad times.
Yes, This is one of the hardships of being a landlord. You have a good record so not bad stats.
Hey Bryan, I consider myself very lucky. I haven't ever had any horrible situations like many others have. This is just part of the numbers game of owning rentals, just like you said. Thanks for the comment and take care!
Despite the amount of stuff they left behind, from what I understand they did not inflict any damage on the place. During some of our long lasting evictions (upto 6 mo's in LA) I have had cement poured down plumbing lines, circuit breakers linked to eachother to blow wiring and appliances loaded in the middle of the night and stolen. Thats why feel blessed if you get to live in a non-rent control city and fight any attempt of bringing any control over landlording in your areas
Thanks for the post and sharing your experience. Have you ever provided pest control in your units before? If you have and stopped, what were your reasons?
Sorry to hear of your problems, feel blessed that it is the first one. To all those that responded with their own horror stories. The problem isn't the tenant. We can do the checks and still have a bad experience. My problem is that the laws of my town require me to spend money to solve my problem. Evictions, judgements, etc... mean literally nothing and the time and money spent is incredible. The mess that tenants create can keep a home off the market for months. If there was one thing that NAR could do for us- not these other stupid things it does, is to push for landlord friendly laws across the nation. That would help with the quality of housing, investors would like it and the public would be the long term winner because the standards would be uniform.
James, That's awful and very very costly too. I have never had any problems like you mentioned (thank goodness). And 6 month evictions???????? For us, we can usually get them out in 45 days. WOW! You've really got a tough job! I'm not sure if I could be a landlord under those conditions! My broker had a tenant that poured gasoline all over her boyfriends things in his rental house, and set the place on fire. The house was a total loss! But, that story is for a different day, different blog. You must be in a really tough area! Hang in there and best of everything to you (you deserve it!)
Rick, Yes, I did at one time provide pest control in my rentals. We bought the chemicals from the feed store, diluted them in water and sprayed the houses monthly. That lasted for a very very short time. Certain tenants became very very picky and were complaining all the time about tiny sugar ants, that are impossible to get rid of. It got to be a big hassle. So when a tenant moves out, we spray the house numerous times after they leave, and then right before the new tenant moves in. We tell the new tenant if they have any bug issues, to let us know, and we will address it and get it under control. Once the bugs are gone, then the tenant is on their own and may hire a professional company if they choose to. Bugs are just one more landlord hassle if you allow them to be. Works fine for single family houses.
Hi Dale, I don't really find that Florida landlord laws are difficult to deal with. Over the years they have become much more favorable to the landlord. I can evict a tenant and have them out in 45 days, if they don't dispute it. If they do, then it may add another couple of weeks to the process. However, I feel that this is quick. My broker has been in the business over 50 years, at one time with over 40 houses at one point. He has evicted hundreds of tenants over the years. And he really hasn't had very many problems getting them out in a timely fashion. In my opinion, judgements against a tenant are a total waste of time. That is what extends the eviction. If they do not have the money to pay you while they live under your roof, they sure aren't going to ever pay you after they're gone. So why bother?
Wow, what a mess you have to put up with..please let us know how it ends up!
Hey Travis, It goes with the territory. Luckily it is not something that happens very often - so it is tolerable. The more tenants you place, the higher the likelihood of getting some bad ones. It's part of being a landlord. Most of the time, it really isn't too bad!
We haven't had this happen to us (knock on wood), but one of our clients did. We listed their duplex for sale a few years ago, and for the first couple months everything was fine. Then all of a sudden the tenants decided not to pay their rent, and then one day they were gone while all of their stuff (and trash) was left behind. Very bizarre!
Hi Jim and Maria, You know, you just don't know what turn of events take place in a person's life. I always hope that they can come and tell me when there is a problem and they usually do. But, I think sometimes things get too complicated for some, and their only way is to get out...fast. It's really very sad, I think, for them! Lucky for you that you've not had this happen, Keep up the great job you're doing!
I don't mind dealing with the dead beats and associated versions of dead beat, but I cringe when there are children involved. I hate that part. I've had to evict 2 in 5 years. I know that that is not a bad record, but it's enough. I'm down to 3 doubles now and 1 of those is for sale.
Thanks for the information. We must know our laws. It seems that they are in favor of the tenant and not the landlord. I have a few homes so I know what it's like.
Hi Jack, I don't like doing evictions when there are children involved either. I had to do one where I was dealing with the mother's boyfriend, who was incredibly difficult and I felt dangerous. (She moved him in after she signed the lease.) They weren't paying...so I wasted no time in starting the eviction process. There were 2 children. One of them was in my daughter's class at school! It was awful! He had lots of problems in school -I really felt sorry for him! However, they had to go. My daughter was shocked to go in the day they left and see how they lived-it was a real eye opener for her. She remained very nice to the boy in her class after it was all said and done. I think the children are the worst part of the equation too.
I agree that we must understand the law. But, my recommendation is that if there is ever any question, contact a local attorney that can help you. I understand that abandonment can be quite touchy...some attorneys feel that it is better to evict than to call for abandonment. You must really follow the letter of the law. Again, when in doubt, contact an attorney.
Sandy... Hate to hear that this.... SOunds like you have it well under control. Best of luck getting it cleaned up and rented again.
Hi Roland, Thanks for the well wishes. We'll have it back up again in no time.
Sandy,
Landlording can be a challenge, but if the necessary background checks, like obviously you've always done, are conducted, usually the tenants turn out to be solid. There are exceptions to everything, of course, like with these tenants.
Hey Esko, I think in our time of recession some people are just getting caught in the rising costs of gas, food and everything else and are finding themselves getting buried in debt. I hope that this isn't a sign of things to come. I have seen tenants taking a bit longer to pay their rent in the past 6 to 9 months as costs rise. I agree that landlording is in fact a challenge. Take care of yourself!
Rate them at http://www.ratetenant.com......... let other people will know what have they done to you...
i agree that you have to be careful. i too have been lucky, but it is a clicking clock at best.
chris the implmenter
Hi Chris, I think that it is a clicking clock - the more rentals you do and the more tanants you place, the more chance there is of having a messy situation. It comes with the territory!
No one has mentioned having to go after tenants (after evicted) for damages or past-due rent? Are most people just writing that off?
In this case these people left the state, so I have no way to find them. Taking them to court would cost more than the damages. I can't speak for most people, so I don't know what others are doing.