Looking for suggestions. I have one tenant that is a royal pain. I have put up with them for five years and could write a book describing all the calls I have gotten for various things, many tenant caused, the majority. Some not. Either way, I always respond promptly.

They always pay and keep the house relatively clean. I have had to put my foot down several times. Too often did not charge for damages they caused but started doing so to make a point and because it got bad. Difficult to work with, aren’t home when they say they will be wasting contractor’s time, etc...Last year I got so fed up I raised their rent $100 a month (but it’s still below market).

This year had to do a repair requiring scheduling carpenter and plumber, asked them to pick the day (They picked Friday). Contractors rearranged their schedule for me. The day before I am told to reschedule for Monday because her plans changed. Told the husband to tell his wife she picked the day, everything is scheduled, if she cancels then my contractors will no longer do work there until they move so I would give them their 30 day notice and do the repairs after they left. Turns out Friday would work after all.

Latest issue was tub draining slow (not emergency) My plumber normally gets to my calls the same day. However his wife had passed away unexpectedly the day before, his twelve year old found her and he said it may be a few days because he was of course devastated. I told my tenant there may be a couple of day delay and explained why. She also happens to know the wife who passed away- same church. She literally told me, “I’m sure he is grieving but I haven’t been able to take a bath for several days so can you find someone else.” Mind you the shower works fine, just taking time to drain. His wife died on Monday, I’m notified of tub drain Wednesday and it’s fixed Friday. Clogged with hair and a wet wipe. But she didn’t put a wet wipe in the tub drain! I told her we find kids put all kinds of things down the drain and suggested she get a hair catcher.

A week later she texts me at 10:00 pm (I’ve that non emergency calls be made between 7am-7pm), telling me to send the plumber back as the problem recurred. I’m not suggesting she is lying or that maybe the plumber missed something. I’m just tired of it.

Looking for a way to make a point, give a hint, something telling them that I get more calls from this property in one year than from all the others combined in two years, it must be jinxed or just bad luck so I’m going to sell it and give them notice.

On Friday another tenant had a no AC call. It’s record heat here. Normally an easy fix and I get it taken care of same day. My regular company couldn’t get to it until Tuesday. Called my back-up, not until Wednesday. Called an unknown company, not taking appointments...all are swapped and short handed. Never have had this happened. Finally got a guy I had also used in the past. Failed compressor. Couldn’t get the part until Today. It was fixed today. I felt terrible and explained everything. Tenants never showed anything other than total gratefulness and understanding. They said they know how things work and can understand why they are backed up. You could eat off their floors. This is 99% of my tenants. I left then $100 to compensate them for the inconvenience. They called and insisted on returning it because they totally understood, but I said no. I wanted to thank them for their understanding, it would make me feel better.

I would far rather charge less rent and have cooperative, considerate, grateful tenants than get top dollar and have a demanding, unappreciative, uncooperative headache tenants.

Lisa,

As I'm sure you are well aware you have let this PITA reverse Aldo's 2 rules of LLing. Now is the time for you to retake charge of who is in charge of this LL / Tenant relationship.

I imagine the reason that they "always pay" is because they know they have a good deal on their rent & more importantly that you will jump every time they think they have an issue. They also know that even when they caused the issue that you won't charge them to fix it. I suggest that you offer them the happy clause which incase you don't know what this is, it's basically you're not happy here so perhaps you'll be happier elsewhere & I know that I'll definitely be happier when you are not longer my tenant.

If they don't want to leave voluntarily then you need to find an incentive to inspire them to move. I suggest that at the first opportunity that rather than a reasonable $100.00 increase you bump their rent say $500.00 or even more. You should also review your current rental agreement to refresh your memory about how tenant repair requests should be made as well as who pays for what repairs and to determine if they have any lease violations. Every time they forget to cut the grass, bring in trash barrels, leave junk out, park in the wrong place, have unauthorized pets, extra occupants, etc you send them a written notice of their lease violation. If you have to pay to repair / replace any item they damage immediately send them a bill for it.

IMO their is nothing wrong with them demanding special treatment provided they are willing to pay for it & mot importantly that you are willing to provide it.

A long time ago I learned that “Life is too short to stress yourself with people who don’t even deserve to be an issue in your life.”

I don't have any other advice to off other than what was already stated.

When does their lease end if they have one?

Don't make excuses about selling, just tell them that you're not renewing and give them the correct notice.

When they're out you can fix/sell or fix/rerent at market value.

It's not worthwhile trying to 'make a point' to the current tenant because they won't get it. You need to TELL them what you need and not make hints about what you'll accept.

You wrote: I’m thinking of just telling them I decided to start selling my houses that have the most problems and theirs is at the top of the list but that I’d give them ample notice when the time comes.

Every suggestion and point made is spot on. I am aware I should have nipped this in the bud a long time ago. I’m just looking for the best approach.

Why have I tolerated it! It is a family. The children are nice children, The husband is a nice man, The wife is the main source of the problem. I tend to bend over backwards to give people the benefit of the doubt. English is not her first language so I tended to be more tolerant in the event it was a communication issue. I’ve analyzed and analyzed. I have decided some of it is what I will call positive racial profiling on my part. This is a Brazilian family. I have and have had seven Brazilian families. Every one has been exceptional. I mean exceptional in every way. The one with the AC issue I described is one of them. They have caused me to automatically assume they will be good tenants because they are Brazilian. This woman is counter to everything I had previously experienced.

My daughter works in a field involving many immigrants from around the world. Apparently they had to stop working with women from some areas of Brazil because of similar problems. She said there are many like my exceptional tenants but there is a group with behaviors and attitudes like my bad one. And the good group is aware and knows exactly what the other group is like. So lesson learned on my part. Not only should you not judge someone negatively based on their ethnicity, don’t automatically judge them positively based on the ethnicity either! She literally views us as her servants and treats us as such.

Then I read about other people’s tenants and landlords who would be happy to have tenants who never miss a payment and take relatively good care of their properties, stay long term, etc...and they are that.

WHOA!!! Back the Bus up. YOU I repeat YOU are not the one "punishing an entire family"! It's the mother who is causing this problem NOT you.

Time to put your big Girl pants on & get rid of them ASAP. I bet that once they have been replaced with a more grateful tenant you're bottom line & more importantly your life will improve greatly.

Life's too short for that much stress from a tenant. It just is. Especially when you know there are good ones out there who deserve a home!

COOPERATION: #1 characteristic of a good tenant.

Lisa,

I feel for you. How long have they been there? Plumbing issues should be on them.

Lisa,

In about 2 hours, I kicking to the curb a drama queen with 5 children in pouring rain. It is what it is.

...Maybe they will get the hint ...

Plenty-

I have exceptional tenants. And one royal pain. Housing prices in my area have skyrocketed. I purchased a vacation home a couple years ago where we’d like to stay 4-6 months of the year. In light of this and nit wanting to deal with new unknown tenants I decided as houses became empty I would sell them.

Explained to all the tenants that I would be out of town parts of the year so if I can service and maintain things from afar nothing will change. This means if your AC goes out, you will get service but I may not be available to meet the technician while you are at work so you must be willing to meet them, have someone else meet them or leave a key for them. If this won’t work for them, no worries, they can move without penalty and I will sell the house. This has worked extremely well.

So yes, I would sell the house or possibly move a known tenant there who wants a bigger place.

Last year while out of town I get a text with two photos from bad tenant and no explanation except “you need to fix this”. Had my daughter go there to figure out what was going on. Broken bathroom window caused by kid’s soccer ball, and ceramic tile towel bar installed in bathtub area ripped out of the wall along with some surrounding tiles and bullnose. Child used it as a pull up bar. Wrote them a letter reminding them I was out of town, this was not an emergency, and it would have to wait six weeks. I reminded them then if things became impossible for me to manage from afar and they didn’t want to wait they were free to move. No reply, so I took that as an OK.

Everybody is right. I have been a chump with this one. And I’ve done the hints to give every opportunity in hopes they would be better. I did raise the rent unexpectedly and for the highest one time raise ever to make a point. Instead I think it just caused her to be more demanding.

I still laugh at a comment she made several years ago. She cooks a lot, with big pots and pans, not sure if she may even be cooking for others or as a business. But her stove/oven had more service needs in a year than any other house has in ten years. So I told her I was no longer repairing her stove due to excessive wear and tear. She could choose to maintain it herself or I would remove it and she could get her own stove. Her reply, “That’s why I rent, I break it, you fix it.”

So I kindly told reminded her her rent was $1000 a month for a house that would rent to a new tenant for $1200-$1300 a month. So I can keep her below market at say $1150 and I would have the stove repaired. She opted to get her own stove.

Lisa

You write well and to me that means your probably smart.

You are letting your emotions get in the way of a business decision.

You know what you need to do. She is the problem Not you.

A few years ago I went thru the same thing with a stupid drama queen - I put up with it for about 18 months then I asked her to leave and she left. Man it felt great when she was out.

When I booted my ‘stooped house’ family ( stooped, as in I was stooped to rent to them...) I ran into the mom later. She admitted, it was a good thing I booted them, her grown sons were finally taking responsibility. For how long? Dunno, don’t care.

I had tolerated that family for longer than I should have because I was still getting past cash flow issues from getting started. ( so, I knew the problem was me....)

Ya can only offer help, they have to want to take it. As you have noticed, this individual doesn’t want to learn to have a better life. Possibly, booting them will give her partner the kick in the arse that he/she needs to say ‘Enough!’ ! Perhaps the partner will step up and deal with the next landlord, so PITA doesn’t mess things up. You won’t know, won’t care. You have still done a tremendous job housing families in your well-kept properties, and as you noted, they know it!

They could even turn around and be good tenants. if YOU follow the rules.

5 year tenant. A wet wipe would not have been there 5 years. Once you start charging them for this and other damages .

They may change.

Let them have to pay for the problems and at least you have a chance something will change. Vast majority of the time for the better.

You said under market. Which is worth it sometimes for a good tenant. Never for the rest.

Also explain your increases are based on your expenses including maintenance calls.

Lisa,

It’s better she has mental health issues than give them to you! I’d wait until lease renewal and then not renew. No reason necessary. And if she’s a Pita and demands one, you tell her you don’t need to explain your business decisions to her. I had one Pita that I did a happy dance once she was gone. Time for your happy dance!

Did you charge for the second blockage?

Me: The problem was a clogged toilet. The charge is $125. I will collect it with next month’s rent (August) Tenants always pay for clogs. Remember never flush any wipes or feminine products, even if it says you can and you shouldn’t have any more clogs.

Her: We didn’t. We don’t even flush paper.

Me: Can also be caused by too much toilet paper or something a guest flushed. But it doesn’t matter what it was, tenants pay for sewer and drain clogs. Your should have been responsible for the tub clog as well but I covered it which I do not normally do. This clog and any future clogs you are responsible for.

Her: silence (Typical)

In the past she has clogged the garbage disposal which I covered. When they broke the toilet tank cover and a replacement wasn’t available and I had to install a whole new toilet I split the cost with them. When she demanded a new garage door due to mice in the garage and I had a service provider inspect it only to find nothing wrong but large amount of food being stored in the garage, I paid for it. When she had me send out the refrigerator repairman and it was operator error, she paid for it. Broken window and towel bar repair, she paid. Recent tub clog, I paid but shouldn’t have. Electrical issue (blown outlets in living room) requiring two different electricians who couldn’t find the problem, I paid. Turned out to be her husband plugging in a large piece of construction equipment which we finally figured out (not sure why The electricians didn’t). Ac not working, due to her placing a playpen in front of the return (it had been explained to her in the beginning about not blocking it) I paid for it (shouldn’t have). Claimed plumbing leak due to high bills, I paid plumber who verified no leak, I paid (shouldn’t have)....called water company to inquire only to be told she’d already called and they told her her useage was in line with average for a family of five. Just some examples off the top of my head....sure I’m missing a few.

After our PITA tenant we revamped our attitude.

We provide a quality home in great condition at move in.

There should be almost NO repairs needed during a lease other than those caused by the tenant.

Guess who pays for tenant caused problems? The tenant !

We keep up with house maintenance, cleaning gutters, roof repairs, appliance failures.... stuff that is not the fault of the tenant, but if they break something, or cause a situation, they pay.

These tenants are month to month so I can terminate their tenancy or raise their rent with 30 days notice. I knew enough to give myself that flexibility.

Sorry I missed your post myob. Now I’m wondering what you said.

I do have a habit of being too generous about not charging for tenant damages. Financially I am in a much better position than my tenants so I tend to give them every benefit of the doubt. I have been getting better.

Lisa,

FL Month 2 month is only 15 days notice, unless your lease specifies differently. According to my attorneys* if your lease specifies more than 15 days only YOU have to follow the number above the 15 days, not the tenant.

If you are going to terminate the lease, pick a time that works FOR YOU, don't worry about them. For me, Spring is the best time.

Good luck with whichever decision you make.

Shaun what county are you in? I am in Pinellas.

My lease requires a 30 day notice. I didn’t know the tenant need not follow it if they agreed to something different. I will have to look into that further.

Here is how I handle for anyone who would like to chime in with opinions.

I just require the notify me anytime during the month prior to their desired last month that the next month will be their last month. I do not prorate the last month.

So they could tell me on July 1 or July 31 that August will be their last month. If you could tell me how the 15 day notice is different I’d like to know.

I am in Capital city area. I too had 30 day notice for M2M. At that time Frank Myers was my attorney of record, he has since re-located to Ft Myers. He was going through my lease, trimming fat in some sections and beefing up other clauses. That was one of the areas that he pointed out to me...I would have to give 30 days notice, but the tenant could not be penalized for less than 30 days if it was 15 or more days notice. In other words Florida Law would trump the lease in court.

So I changed that section. 15 days within the same calendar month. I am not required to pro-rate the rent. Month to Month if you have possession of the property on the 1st day of the calendar month, you are responsible for the full month rent no matter what day you move out.

I use motel/hotel and vacation rentals examples as my explanation. You rent a beach house for a week, they do not refund $$ because you left a day early. You still owe for the full week. Now I have dangled a carrot that if the property is left "Rent ready" to my satisfaction, I might consider a daily rent refund.

five years? you're WAY TOO NICE

1. raise the rent to market rate. your fee for their whining

2. stop repairing their damages on your dime. it sounds like they have you trained.