I have been renting to some decent tenants for the past 5 months. I have no complaints about them aside form their general housekeeping. They’re not slobs by any means but I would prefer they be neater.
While replacing a thru-the-wall A/C I noticed that they have chipped some corners, dirtied the rug, have fingerprints on the wall, and, again, could be a little more tidy. Also the screen door closer has somehow been bent, and a door stop has broken and the knob has put a little dent/hole in the wall. :banghead
I realize that renters do not “own” the property, therefore they might not care as much about it. I, however, have rented an apartment before and even though I didn’t “own” it, it was where I lived. I wanted it neat and kept it that way. Maybe it’s the way I was raised…who knows.
Don’t renters have any respect for themselves or others? What is their thinking? It boogles my mind.
Ever rent a car???
Did you take care of it like your own? I think your right in some respect,
it comes down to how you were raised. Most tenants treat peoperty the way most people treat rental cars, “It’s not mine, so who cares, their making money on it anyway” I don’t agree with that way of thinking but it is the reality in most cases.
IMHO most renters rent because that is the only choice they have. Therefore they feel justified in taking it out on you - the landlord - that not only owns their own home but additional property that you rent to them. They resent having to pay you basically and the only way to even the score is to beat up your property. I know I’m generalizing and that there are lots of good renters out there but this has been my experience.
I have three rental units and I’ve seen my parents rent out an extra home they’ve had for over 30 years, so I’ve seen lots of tenants come and go.
Yes, the vast majority of them (even the ‘good’ renters) leave behind lots of damage. They even steal small trees out of the yard before leaving. Another removed a window completely from the studs, leaving a big, open hole to the backyard!
I’ve seen renters take a hammer and bust up all the doorknobs, drywall, steal the copper wiring, take toilets, urinate in the closets, leave feces on the carpet… one even used the living room to rebuild motorcycle engines and caked the carpet with dirty oil.
Bottom line, it’s not theirs so they don’t care. Even in my own home, I have to make sure I have the carpets steam-cleaned every six months or they don’t stay clean. Tenants will NOT take the time or money to clean the carpets, and after they’ve stayed more than two years they practically expect you to re-carpet the home.
Another issue is landscaping. If you want the lawn mowed, you’ll have to pay someone to do it. More often than not the tenants could care less about watering the plants. Add to this little kids who hand on kitchen drawers, slam cabinets and crayon the walls… I just always expect to be at Home Depot after a tenant moves out.
Hey Mattman. My question to you is “What do you expect”? Did you know about the rental business before you started renting? I say that if the worst you have is fingerprints on the wall and a little dirt on the carpet you are doing well. I would seriously check your expectations and your reality if you are going to continue to be a landlord. Good luck! :beer
I am not shocked at all by what I saw. I am trying to understand the thinking of a tenant, which may be a scary place I shouldn’t go.
When we were showing the place, everyone commented on how “nice” it was. The current tenants mentioned it many times. So if they like it so much, why don’t they take better care of it? After all, they are the ones living there.
I personally can’t stand clutter, dirty toilets, six inch tall grass, etc… Again, it probably comes down to how I was raised, and the fact that I’m not too lazy to clean up after myself.
Anyway, thanks for the replies.
I live in a 3,000 sq. ft. house. I can’t imagine what would happen if I were cramed into one of my 1,000 square foot units with no garage and no shed.
I’ve had tenants distroy units, leave units the same as they left them, and improve units. I would say that my experience was horrible my first year or two. Lots of problems with tenants. But now I’m so picky with tenants that most of my tenants leave the units the same or better. I haven’t had a single tenant distroy any of my units this entire year. I have learned how to work with tenants, even losers.
But bad tenants will always slip through any screening system. It’s just part of the business, so is wear and tear.
my opinion: renters don’t rent because they have no other alternatives. renters rent because they have a renter’s mentality and attitude. they don’t take care of a house, a car, a pet, personal finances and all of life in general.
homeowners, on the other hand, have a completely different life view: they will care for a home, a car, a pet, and take care of business.
two kinds of people in the world…
Bingo!!! These people have money credit good jobs etc. They just don’t have the attitude to take ordinary good care of stuff. You see it in the store. I was with my wife shopping in a shoe store this weekend. I watched a woman try on shoes by taking the shoe out of the box and dropping it from 3 feet up and then shoving her foot into it. As opposed to a “normal” person that would sit down place the shoe on the ground and then put their foot into it. When she saw that the shoe didn’t fit (or look good or whatever) she left the poor violated shoe on the ground.
Saying renters rent because they have to is incredibly narrow-sighted. I hope you don’t actually believe that.
I’m renting right now actually. I “cashed out” on a home I owned for 10 years. The result? My rent to mortgage differential is $1,200. That’s $1,200 each month that I can invest elsewhere. Not to mention the savings with all the other expenses home ownership brings.
Yes, I know a large majority of renters are there because they have to, but there’s a significant amount of renters who are doing so, because it makes fiscal sense, because they are short-term (1-3 years) in the area, or a plethora of other reasons.
And to say that a homeowner always takes care of his/her home is foolish. Yes, I took care of mine and you may take care of yours, but there’s a lot of people who don’t (I’ve been in their homes).
The point is, it’s easy to see things through our own eyes. But, if you’re going to be a successful investor, you need to look, research, think and understand the whole picture.
Each day my mouth waters as I hear about the housing market taking another hit. I’ll be pulling that trigger again.
You know, it’s not just renters that are hard on their dwellings. Been house hunting lately?
I was shocked at how poorly some people kept up their homes - just from a cleanliness point of view - and the homes were on the market!!! It just doesn’t occur to some that the mess they are accustomed to will turn someone else off.
Sometimes I wonder if there shouldn’t be some sort of basic ‘how to live’ class taught in schools. You know - hygiene, cleanliness, budgeting.
Scratch that. I just kicked out two tenants. One left it in bad shape, the other completely trashed the unit.
Don’t buy rental properties unless you are really getting a discount on the property. You need to buy between 60-70% of value, or you won’t like this business. Big discounts are what helps you absorb these damages to your units.
Homeowners and landlords can also be hard on properties. That’s a good thing, it means we have more properties to choose from.
I am going to say something politically incorrect. If straight talk offends you, please skip this post.
Most (not all) tenants are tenants because they consistently make irresponsible and bad choices. Everyone is not the same. People are not equal - that idea is just silly. Low income tenants waste their money on things like cigarettes. For many people, that money spent on cigarettes would make a car payment. Their smoking also leads to medical problems, which can be expensive if you don’t have insurance. Many tenants drink beer like there’s no tomorrow. This not only can be quite expensive but leads to irresponsible behavior and often criminal legal problems. Tenants also frequently do stupid things like spending the rent money on toys! VERY POOR JUDGEMENT!
Is it any surprise that many tenants don’t respect your property? They don’t even respect their own bodies; their own property; or their own finances. They aren’t even smart enough to pay the rent before buying a big screen TV!!!
That’s why tenants are tenants and why they never get ahead.
Mike
wow mike!!! a little harsh? :shocked
It’s reality, how is it harsh?
Didn’t say it wasn’t reality just a little harsh I agree :anon