From: mbrooks@mindspring.com (mbrooks)
Newsgroups: misc.invest.real-estate
Subject: Re: Got cluttering tenants?
Date: 17 Aug 2004 11:26:09 -0700

You got me there, John. I realize now I was stupidly trusting. I
thought not getting  the rent on time was the main thing to worry
about. I had no idea there was this other type of risk. The tenant's
references were limited. This is going on behind closed doors. I
didn't find out until I knocked on the door. She tried to hide. It was
all downhill from there.

It's like a type of alcoholism that displays itself as destruction to
property instead of bad driving. I had some crazy idea I might help
this situation but after seeing how these guys support one another
living worse than pigs, forget it. It's not worth a dime to worry
about such a drain on resources. Like any addiction, the only
effective help comes from inside. They can't be allowed near rental
property, that's all. They have good reason to fear eviction. I can't
imagine a house so dilapidated that a landlord would tolerate such a
tenant.

Snap inspections are legal everywhere if safety is a question. If you
looked at the pictures, you know that safety in such an ANIMAL HOUSE
is an issue that would pass any judge's muster. I'm probably insulting
animals. Monkeys at the zoo live better then what this tenant did to a
nice house that stood up to family life for over 80 years. My
grandmother would spin in her grave to see what happened to her nice
hardwood floors.


"John A. Weeks III"  wrote in message news:<160820041235125655%john@johnweeks.com>...
> In article , mbrooks
>  wrote:
> 
> > I visited while in town on other business. It is now a pigsty. Not
> > just a normal mess, like having dishes in the sink. The place was
> > piled with litter, not a single piece of furniture surface was
> > visible. I don't know where this tenant slept, there were stacks of
> > junk, magazines, newspapers, JUNK, all over every room.
> > 
> > It was so devastating, I really thought a mental illness must be
> > involved.
> 
> Apparently you have never watched an eppisode of COPS.  It runs
> on FOX, FX, and Court TV.  Just about every house they enter is
> a big pigpen.  That is simply the way many people choose to live.
> 
> > I cannot even sell the house in this condition.
> 
> That is one of the risks of renting.  That is why you screen your
> tennants, check references, and collect a hefty security deposit
> up front.  This type of behavior does not simply appear one day,
> it is normally a long term habbit.  The fact that it happened to
> you most likely means that you failed to properly check out the
> tennant before you handed over the keys.  This is probably a very
> expensive lesson, so please learn it well.
> 
> -john-