Shortly after I finished yesterday’s post, my phone started ringing.
A [tag-ice]tenant[/tag-ice] who has never complained about anything before, was calling to report a barking dog.
It was the new tenants’ dog. I could even hear it barking over his cell phone.
The newest tenants had only been in their apartment for a few days, and there was already plenty of trouble.
Then I received word from the next door neighbor.
“This used to be a nice neighborhood until they moved in..”
So Houston we have a problem.
But how did it all happen?
Here are three things that went wrong.
1. I broke my own rules
My rule for my rentals is no dogs. Period. At least on the inside.
“But he’s an outside dog.”
Yeah, I fell for it. And he is an outside dog. A very loud one.
I should not have taken these tenants, even though one is a returning tenant who had rented from us before.
After 19 years of [tag-tec] landlording[/tag-tec] you’d think I would have known better.
Never break one of your own rules because you feel sorry for them or it’s just convenient to go ahead and take them.
2. I forgot how messy this particular problem can get
I’ve got upset[tag-self] tenants[/tag-self] and neighbors to contend with. Before July 1st, I had happy tenants and neighbors. That’s quite a contrast.
Don’t rile people up any more than is necessary. It isn’t worth it.
By bringing in the new tenants with the dog and believing their story that the innocent poor homeless creature they had taken in from the streets would never bark, I had created a potential firestorm. Of course dogs bark.
I’ve got problems now that may not be solvable. That dog may bark from now to the Judgment Day. Or I may have to make the new tenants move out or tell them they’ll have to give up little lovable but loud Scruffy.
3. I took the easy way out and now I’m boxed in
These tenants moved in almost on top of the last tenants. There was little downtime. Only a few hours.
I like it that way. A nice rent check safely deposited and I’m feeling good.
Besides, as I’ve said, one was an old tenant from the past. She had been very good and I honestly wanted this to work.
What I should have done was turn them down. Then I should have worked to rent the apartment to others. After all, we’re still at the top of the peak season.
My advice?
Do as I say, and not as I do. Don't repeat the mistake I made.
Think well ahead and consider all future problems. Then act accordingly.
Stay tuned for Part II tomorrow and I'll tell you how it all turned out.
Popularity: 26% [?]
Related Websites -
Time To Go Long The Dollar? Regular readers know I've been pretty pessimistic on the outlook of the US economy and bearish on the US dollar as well. However, since it seems like everyone is echoing the same sentiment, could it be that we're due for a short (or medium) term spike in the US Dollar?...... -
How Much Does A Dog Cost? [/caption]My wife and I have been thinking about getting a dog for over a year now. It seems that whenever we think about it seriously, we have an important trip planned. (Case in point, I'm writing this flying somewhere over Kansas - I think). We've started to begin the search...... -
6 Easy Preventative Measures for New Tenants Just in Case Unfortunately, not every landlord or property management is honest, and it is sometimes difficult to figure out what you should expect from such a relationship until the point where you become a tenant. Leases and contracts are designed to protect both the owner and the tenant, but there is unfortunately...... - Trading Forex Without Emotion Many books and websites dedicated to the idea of success with forex through some forex profit system indicate that one of the keys to success is to trade without emotion. While this seems to represent the idea scenario, the task of leaving emotion out of trading is difficult to do......
-
October 1929 Wall Street Crash Claud Cockburn, writing for the “Times of London” from New-York, described the irrational exuberance that gripped the nation just prior to the Great Depression. As Europe wallowed in post-war malaise, America seemed to have discovered a new economy, the secret of uninterrupted growth and prosperity, the fount of transforming......