Black Toilets and Blue Floors - Have You Seen Such?

Black Toilets and Blue Floors - Have You Seen Such?

One of the not so fun but necessary tasks of Property Management are 'clean outs' from previous tenants.  A 'clean out' is simply going into the property after the tenant has moved out and getting it cleaned up and prepared for the next tenant.  

If the relationship with the tenant(s) is strong, then we conduct a Move Out Inspection together and note any changes and need for repairs.  If the relationship is not so great - meaning the tenant(s) has most likely been evicted or asked to voluntarily move - the Move Out Insepction does not occur and I find an empty house with degrees of need for clearing cluter, fresh paint, new carpet, etc.

Here is a worst case scenario from a couple of years ago.  In this particular home which is such a beautiful home - the tenants left on bad terms.  The owner had allowed the tenants to be two months late before contacting me for help.  That was the first warning sign of trouble ahead.

After an encounter with the tenants that almost required a call to the local police department, the tenants finally agreed to move.  But before they moved out they had done significant damage.  Just one example - the teenage kid had purposefully shaken up cans of soft drink, popped them open and allowed the contents to spray all over the downstairs hardwood flooring.  What a sticky mess to clean up... 

For the first time I saw a black toilet and blue floors.  The material that turned the inside of the toilet black was foreign to me.  We got the toilet cleaned, but when the new tenants moved in, they had problems with the toilet.  We eventually had to replace the toilet.

We were also able to get the blue paint up off of the carpet and hardwood flooring around the first floor bedroom/office.  I thought for sure the carpet would have to be replaced.  Whew!  We dodged that bullet.

The owner did not want to pursue legal action.  He just wanted them out of his life.  And we now have awesome tenants in the property.  No more black toilets and blue paint.  Yikes!!!

Do you have a 'messy' story to tell about your rental properties?