Need to vent/ask opnion/advice on new renter in my house

by bluesapphire 107 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  bluesapphire

  It's a month to month lease. I learned my lesson all right. Next time don't get references from acquaintances who will sing the tenant's praises. Get a reference from the current landlord! And NO PETS. I can't stand pets of any sort. I hate the way a house smells when there is a pet and I don't like being licked .... It's NOT ME. I only like wild animals on TV lol. Once when I was five my dad took me to the zoo and I'll never forget the smell of it. I wanted to get the heck out of there!

  I know my good judgement is jeopardized. I know everyone who is telling me to kick her out now is right. She does deserve it.

  BUT, really I am waiting only 3 days. If she doens't pay everything she owes by Monday, the 4th, I will tell her she is out. Then I only have to live 30 days with her not paying before I can change the locks legally. So it's a risk but one that hope I can handle. I want to see her do it. She has a lot of problems and is on SSI. She's one of those people who say a lot, "I put it in the Lord's hands." So she is learning a lesson if she thought the Lord gave her a free place to live without doing anything for herself.

  It's a good lesson learned for me and for her. I'm not typically a trusting person but I trusted her. So now I KNOW I am better off being a skeptic.

  In addition, it makes me really miss my kids. They were a pain in the butt sometimes. And my husband was still laid off so we told them we either needed to rent the room out or for them to pay rent. They were like, "Mom, we wanna try it on our own. And you will get more money if we move out." (I was only going to charge them $150 each)

  Well, we all learned our lesson there too. Because they are homesick. They are troopers and are toughing it out but they realize how great they had it here with us. It's good for them to struggle financially for a while. It builds character.

  I'll keep everyone posted. I'm sure if we took bets it would all be one sided as the odds appear to be that she will continue to be a flake. On Monday I'll tell everyone if she paid. Then on the 17th I'll tell you if I had to give her the eviction notice.
• 

  Nickolas

  Yeah, it's all been said above. I've been where you are, except the situation was worse and it cost me thousands in defaulted rent. But listen, please. Texting is a cowardly way of dealing with the problem. Telephoning is better, but not much. Get mad but stay controlled. Knock on her door and when she answers it tell her to get out. If she reminds you the law says you need to give her 30 days, then tell her you are ok with that, but that she should be assured that you will be pursuing her to recover the money you are owed, to the point if necessary of handing it over to a collection agency. If, however, she vacates in one week, you'll waive the money.
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  Think About It

  You do sound very fair, but she is starting to cause you distress. You need to develop an allergy to the dog and use that as the reason behind ousting her if you still want to be church friends. That dog is going to ruin your room. Not knowing her that well, you might also be concerned about her bringing roaches and/or bedbugs into your house in her belongings.

  I've rented out 2 different places and it was always a pain in the ass. On one particular house I had to take out every bit of carpeting, because of dog shit & urine from animals that were not suppose to be there. After cleaning up the house and replacing the carpeting, I sold the house so as to not have the aggravation instead of renting it out again. They still managed to not have to pay the last 2 months rent.

  Good luck, but you need a clean, stable & reliable person that has no pets.

  Think About It
• 

  bluesapphire

  Clarification: I didn't handle this through text. I asked her to meet with me face to face and we did. I only texted her when she wasn't here because I wanted her to come home and pick up the dog shit. I like the texts so in case I need proof in the future.

  I love the idea about when I go to evict her to tell her that I will pursue her for every dollar she owes but if she leaves in a week I will let it slide. That just might work. OTOH, she may already have bad credit so what would she care if I dinged it too?

  I predict she is going to pay by Monday but flake out on the 17th. And no WAY is she going to get out and walk that dog. So it will be kicked out in a week. I will tell her to get rid of the dog or move out. I guarantee she is not going to walk the dog. She can't even get herself out of bed unless she has a bible study.

  I will have no problem seeing her at church either. If she feels uncomfortable she can go elsewhere. I used to know this witness couple who bounced from house to house and trailer to trailer in congregation after congregation leaving a trail of disgruntled landlords along the way. The ones who DO the damage are usually the ones who leave.
• 

  nelly136

  i agree with WC

  *Your first clue that this person was a scumbag was when you were told she lived in some crime infested cesspool*

  the property value probably decreased when she moved there :D

  does the lease have to be month to month? could you decrease it to a fortnightly or weekly agreement dependant on each rent payment.

  and maybe a notice of room inspection once a month?

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Heights_(film)
• 

  journey-on

  She's one of those people who say a lot, "I put it in the Lord's hands."

  I know the type. They usually do very little for themselves and expect someone else or the government to do for THEM.

  Brace yourself for some real headaches in the next couple of months. Oh, and don't leave valuables lying around. Maybe get a nanny cam, too, for the living room and your bedroom, or whereever you have something of value that might "accidentally" turn up missing.
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  journey-on

  Let me add that I had several thousand dollars worth of stuff stolen from a second home I owned separate from my main residence by a man that was the religious pillar of the community....a real Bible thumper. I have never trusted anyone since then when the first thing out of their mouth is "I'm a Christian" or "I put everything in the Lord's hands". If they have to advertise it verbally, you better keep an eye on their actions.
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  cognizant dissident

  You must give here the notice in writing by midnight the day before the 1st day of the month, where I live anyway. Verbal notice can be denied. Yes, be very careful she doesn't steal any of your stuff and take off in the middle of the night. We had a tenant do that once. Make sure your valuables are locked away and you are there watching her when she moves.

  If your kids are homesick, and you miss them, why not let them come back and pay you the $150 each, you originally talked about. It sounds like it would make you all a lot happier.
• 

  ataloa

  I have never trusted anyone since then when the first thing out of their mouth is "I'm a Christian" or "I put everything in the Lord's hands".

  So true, J.O. I never rent to anyone who makes it known they're a big church person or their daddy is a preacher, when it doesn't even come up in our conversation. They're usually the same people who will tell you you'll never have to do maintenance or repairs because their uncle is a plumber.
• 

  Snoozy

  I agree with cd..do everything in writing and get it initialed if possible to show she saw it. And save your text messages from her.

  Just a word about her disability check..they only come once a month. If she is paying for the shortage for last months rent out of it and you are expecting her to pay again for the current month out of the same check forget it. She probably won't be able to no matter what she promises.

  Also, the deposit can not be used for rent..it has to be used for damages or given back to the renter.

  Also, if she pays a portion of the rent after you give written notice of eviction and you accept it you havenulled the original eviction notice and must start over. So if I were you I would demand full payment or let the eviction stand and not accept partial payment.

  Snoozy

  ps..as far as I know SS disability checks are send by the Wednesdays. Usually on the first Wednesday, second Wednesday or etc. It is done according to her SS number. If she recently moved from her other place and had been receiving checks there it should be there and easy to get. Possibly she gave them an incorrect address to your place?

  Didn't she get a refund from her other tenant for her deposit?