I was a tenant many times and long before I was a landlady, and I've lived in a lot of apartments and houses. I try to learn from my mistakes, and it's helped to relate my experience of being a tenant to owning and managing rental properties. Thinking back over the years, here are my observations as a landlady, leasing agent, and property manager:
About a few of my good tenants:
A very young couple, her sister, and their dog in a 4-bedroom house. The girl gave me a handwritten letter with her application explaining her shoplifting conviction. I gave them a chance, and they were grateful. They were never late with the rent, and kept the house fairly clean, although I did have to give them the Bleach Speech about the bathroom tile.
Four, then five, now six college students, all young men, renting a 4-bedroom home. I had no good reason to turn down their application, but I was a bit apprehensive about renting to them! They have paid the rent like clockwork for 2.5 years and taken good care of the house and the yard. I provide the fridge, and washer and dryer, and replaced the old washer when it broke to reward them. Their cars aren't parked all over the place, either, which I was worried about. Until a couple of months ago, I didn't even realize one of them had graduated and was working full-time!
Tenants living in our condo in Hawaii. My ex-husband always insisted on interviewing prospective tenants over coffee or even lunch while going over their lease application. It was a good system, since we never had any problems with those people who made it through the interview and still wanted to lease the condo! One guy would drive over to the other side of the island to drop off the rent check every month.
A couple with two little kids who absolutely love the small pool and waterfall in the back yard. Those kids have spent the last two summers in that pool, with their mom watching them from the covered patio. There has never been a problem with the rent or the house, and the tenants even make some repairs themselves.
And my bad tenants (I know you've been waiting for this!):
The charming cousin of a good friend of mine who talked me into renting my condo to him, since he was ready to move in as soon as we finished remodeling it. From him, I figured out that once you let a tenant pay rent late, even though he'd lost his job (for good reason, as it turned out), they will never pay on time again. He asked to meet with me one day, I thought to pay me the overdue rent, but no--he wanted to show me the mold he had allowed to grow under the kitchen sink that was supposedly making him sick. So sick that he'd left the windows open and the fan on instead of the air conditioner to dehumidify the condo. Long story short, I worked a deal with him to get him out, treated the unit for mold, and sold it. It wasn't getting positive cash flow anyway, and at least I made my money back.
Lesson learned: friends and/or relatives can take advantage of your friendship. Take your time and apply the same standards to their lease application as to a stranger's.
The tenant whose wife up and moved to a different city. They weren't separating, she just got a better job in Dallas near her grown daughter. He was left with the two teenage boys, and instead of paying the rent, he sent her money for her cellphone bill, apartment, and miscellaneous expenses. I gave him way too much slack, but when he finally did move two weeks before the lease expired, he left the house in great shape, even steam-cleaning the carpet.
Lesson learned: when tenants/family members move out, the income drops, as does motivation to pay rent. Don't renew or extend the lease.
The tenant who suddenly started to complain. In the space of two weeks, my property manager and I got several calls about the house from a tenant who had been there since May: one of the brand-new bi-fold doors had fallen on her, there were bugs in the kitchen despite the recent extermination, she wanted a phone jack in the kitchen, there was no convenient outlet for her microwave, the recent sewer-line break had left her bathtub dirty and she wanted a plumber to clean it, etc. She said she was "holding off" on the rent until these things were fixed, although they were not my responsibility. Then my property manager discovered that another person had moved into the house, and she was the one who was unhappy, although she wasn't on the lease. I suspect that she and the tenant are saving up the unpaid rent to get a place of their own. Out they go. And unfortunately, I'll be out a month's rent.
Lesson learned: when complaints suddenly start, there can be an ulterior motive or hidden agenda. Inspect the property and look for clues, and don't bend over backwards to make the tenants happy with the property--that may not be what they want.
I have had many more good tenants than bad ones in my properties and those of my clients. I admit I have made some mistakes, so I hope my observations will help you avoid them. If you own and manage rental properties, tenants will become some of the most important people in your life, so choose them wisely!
What about your experiences with tenants, both good and bad? Let's hear it!
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