MOVE-OUT & BULLETS
TOYS IN THE TOILET
In 2021, I had a tenant dealing drugs. Unfortunately, we had no witnesses who would testify for an eviction hearing. For months, we had run-ins on the property with his customers who were strung out and breaking into other apartments. The other residents were terrified as he'd carry his gun around at night and hang out in the parking lot. The only option I had was to wait until his lease was up to give him a non-renewal notice. On his move-out day, I went by to change locks. As we unlocked the door, the guy came out yelling, cussing, and screaming, "What do you want from me?!" After calmly telling him he told me he'd be gone by that day, he told me, "Anyone coming through that door will be shot. Take me to court, MF!" Two months, a new 9 MM with shooting lessons, and several thousand dollars later, the sheriff escorted them out. I thought to myself, "Why am I doing this again?"
About 25 years ago, when I was a new landlord, I was working full-time. A tenant called me about six times within one year to send over a plumber to unclog her toilet. I thought the pipes were old and the building needed to be re-piped. One day, the tenant called again with the same issue. I was off work that day, so I met the plumber at my rental. The plumber said the stoppages all this year were due to the tenant's son shoving toys into the toilet. I told the tenant that her rental agreement states that if the damages or repairs are due to the tenant, the tenant is responsible for the repair fee. After that conversation with the tenant, I never received a plumbing issue call from her again. This is a common issue, especially with landlords who work full-time and are unable to keep up with their maintenance and repair logs. When this happened to me, I immediately created my own maintenance and repair log. In one of my classes, I now teach landlords how to use such a log.
THE ONLY OPTION I HAD WAS TO WAIT UNTIL HIS LEASE WAS UP.
THE TENANT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR FEE.
Joshua Christensen Qualifying Broker R1 Commercial Realty Albuquerque, NM Connect with Joshua
Shiral Torres Owner of Simply Shiral Author of Rental Properties Made Simple Read Shiral’s Book
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