I have a rental house on some property we own. It’s a small, kind of dumpy house that rents out for much lower than the market rate. The guy there is a nice guy with a wife and three kids and he still has a hard time paying the rent. I’ve always worked with him and he’s always paid me eventually, but I figure I’ll have a hard time getting someone else in there. Next year I plan to add onto it and move my family out there.
All summer this guy has had trouble with the water. I rented out some pasture for horses and we had a dry summer, and between the extra water required and the weather it kept the well dry. The well was in poor condition and water quality was a problem, so I decided to put a deep well in. The driller will be here this week and I asked to get inside to look at the basement to figure out what would be required to get water into the house and hook it all up.
The guy said he didn’t want me in there then, and would let me in later. As soon as I pulled around back to get into the barn he shut off all the lights in the house. They were all on when I pulled in. It was 7pm. He has not yet called me to say I can go in there. Now I am really worried that he is doing something in the house that might damage the structure, like mold from growing weed or something like that. I am going to be in there to do all this electric and plumbing work - what should I look for?
Marijuana is unique as it has leafs with edges that look like little saw blades, and there are seven leafs that come together at the stem, as these plants mature they create tight little clumps of leaves called buds, some times these are very sticky and have little red hairs!
These plants could produce seed’s which are little about the size of a BB, however with proper trimming and cultivating and lighting they can be grown seedless!!!
I read all this in a book as I have always been a perfect angel and have never inhaled!!! lol
If he is growing weed and it is mature or a couple months old/grown you would know it.
The smell is extremely hard to get rid of and takes some pretty elaborate fixtures to get rid of it.
If he’s a serious grower than finding out his electric bill average would definately help.
I’m assuming the basement has windows?
Take a quick look at them while your “checking out the house” and see if they are covered.
In the beginning grow stages they need light almost constantly 24/7,in the later stages(when it will DEFINATELY stink) they need a more constant lighting schedule to promote flowering (like 12/12).
Due to the light needing to be regulated growers will generally shut off all light to the grow area,as even a tiny minute bit of light will interrupt the flowering stage and stunt the final growth of the plant.
If he is using hydroponic or aeroponic growing that might explain a bit of the water use also if he has alot of plants.
The evaporation rate can be rather high in the warm climate that is the best growing conditions.
If that’s true then he’s almost certainly not growing pot. The basement windows are not covered at all, and I have never noticed a smell at all. I assume if it was something even worse like meth I would notice a smell. He was pretty willing to live with the fact that the water was irregular at best through August and September. A few times it was 18 hours between when he called me and I got out there to haul more water.
This guy has never given me any reason to suspect anything bad until that night. It was just a culmination of a bunch of little things I think - a secluded house in the middle of nowhere, high water usage, shutting off all the lights in the house as soon as I left the front door, the gun he carries everywhere with him (believe me - with the wildlife this isn’t uncalled for).
I guess it just caught me off guard that he didn’t want me in the basement and seemed so bothered that I had to go in there at all. There’s a separate entrance into the basement and I don’t even have to go through the house.
Well, I’ll look it over when I’m out there this weekend. The well driller is supposed to get to me Thursday or Friday.
He doesn’t really sound suspicious so much as private maybe.
He might just be embarassed for people to come into his house because his wife doesn’t keep it clean enough in his eyes.
I’m that way,though my wife keeps a clean house I don’t want anybody to see my messiness around.
And carrying a gun doesn’t necessarily mean much,I carry a beretta all the time and my wife carries a sigsaur in her diaper bag or purse.
We live on two acres in town (8k people) and I always make sure to have my pistol on me on our property in case I see snakes or a couple stray cats that antagonize my cats.
If living rural and outside of town I would automatically assume a person is armed if I went to their house.
(we’re rural Oklahoma,everybody carries a gun!)
Hell,i’ve been pulled over during hunting season with two assault rifles and a 45-70 bear rifle along with a shotgun in the trunk and they just admired the weapons.
If you don’t think he’s doing anything illegal,just tell him he’s making you nervous and you need to know why he doesn’t want you in the basement. It could be a simple thing that he thinks might break the lease.
I have never had ANY reason to suspect him of anything before. I could have just caught him on an off day too.
Regarding the gun thing - it’s a rural area. The nearest house is half a mile and after that there’s a few a mile away. There are some pretty big predators there - he’s seen them and so have I. There have been a few times out there I have wished I had a gun with me and didn’t.
You are not going to survive as a landlord if you are too nice and too considerate.
I would not tolerate a tenant who would not give me access to the house I OWN.
Post a written notice on his door that you must have access to the basement in order to fix the well. Give him the option of calling to arrange a date that suits him or to expect you to enter with or without his permission if you don’t hear from him…
If he does not call within 24 hours to make an appointment, serve him his 30 day notice to vacate. You can get into serious legal trouble by renting out a house that doesn’t have drinkable water. You must fix that and you must not allow him to prevent you from fixing it.
I didn’t mean to give the impression that he’s a nut case. He’s not.
I need to swing by and talk to him. I showed up unannounced after dark on Sunday (It was only 7:15). He had every right not to allow me in at that immediate moment - right? I guess what bothered me more than anything was turning off all the lights.
Oh - this house sat vacant for two years. I would never get it rented to anyone else without fixing it up, and I am not willing to spend money on the place until I renovate it next year. I am happy to have a tenant there. The well water has been treated with chlorine and I am doing tests on the well to keep up on it, but it needs work. The driller is supposed to be there tomorrow.
I am way more suspicious than you. What if he has a hostage in that basement?! People who do bizarre things make the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Don’t go there alone, and listen to the little voice that says, “Weird behavior!”
Give him written notice and go in with someone big and competent. Find out what he is hiding.
A neighbor here had a cottage where the tenant didn’t let them in for 3 years. She paid the rent and went to work every day, but wouldn’t let them in.
They sold the property and the neighbor had to go in after proper notice and getting a locksmith. It turned out that the toilet had backed up months before and well, the lady tenant had been using the bathtub instead. You can just imagine…or maybe prefer not to.
Unusual behavior could also indicate hoarding, pet hoarding, or really bad leaks and sanitary conditions.
I realize I forgot to follow up. The well driller came out and drilled a dry hole - no water!!
Thanks everyone!
So I didn’t go in there for that. He called me shortly after and asked me to come fix some things in the basement (propane leak at hot water heater). I found nothing unusual, so I much have just caught him on a bad day.
Now - if only I could get him to refill the propane tank before it runs out I’d be happy!
Depending on your state the landlord has a right to enter rented property after giving notice. Some states require written or others specify just giving notice. Entry can be made after 24 to 48 hours (depending on the state). Renter does not always need to be present.
You might be able to check your states government website which should direct you to state laws.