What+will+housing+do%3F

CLICK HEREto return to discussion topics
MrLandlord Q & A
What will housing do? (by Paul [MA]) Apr 19, 2021 11:34 PM
       (by Landlord ofthe Flies [TX]) Apr 19, 2021 11:58 PM
       (by Small potatoes [NY]) Apr 20, 2021 12:53 AM
       (by Steve [MA]) Apr 20, 2021 6:16 AM
       (by Lynn [MA]) Apr 20, 2021 7:28 AM
       (by RentsDue [MA]) Apr 20, 2021 7:35 AM
       (by Sisco [MO]) Apr 20, 2021 7:35 AM
       (by S i d [MO]) Apr 20, 2021 8:25 AM
       (by tryan [MA]) Apr 20, 2021 10:27 AM
       (by Allym [NJ]) Apr 20, 2021 10:57 AM
       (by Ray-N-Pa [PA]) Apr 20, 2021 8:36 PM

Click here to reply to this discussion.
Click Here to send this discussion to a friend

What will housing do? (by Paul [MA]) Apr 19, 2021 11:34 PM
Message:

So we have a couple that is on housing. They have been there a long time,.about 20 years.Recently housing did annual inspection and found problems. Mostly due to the tenants bad practices, So we asked our handyman to fix them,..He doesn't want to deal with it/them, We have asked 4 more and they know these people and the unit (small town.) 3 have looked at it, and also won't deal with it, mostly because of the tenants instability, as they have gotten worse with their problems,..one of the couple gets drunk and nasty and the other takes drugs and is crazy and the now condition of the unit.

They apparently had several humidifiers going all winter that caused lots of condensation on the windows and the sills inside have started to rot. Same with bath floor

,.Stains on wall and ceilings (?) Junk all over and they obtained ferrets that are allowed to run cage free (they had them before and were told to get rid of them which,.. looks like they did but since got 2 more,..feces all over the unit,..so Disgusting that the three home service people said they just didn't want to deal with it.

This unit wasn't bad a year ago. we think the couples mental condition has deteriated.Of course we can't get rid of them right now,..

So I'm guessing that the unit won't pass.In this rather remote Mt town, we have called every trades person in the area for about 25 miles. Either they don't do this work or have heard of this couple and say something like "we are glad to work on your building , but not in THAT unit".

We think these people should clean up the mess they created. knowing these people they will probably find a Dr that will deem the ferrets are emotional support animals.

I'm sure housing doesn't care about our problems with them, but what can we do about this?

--66.30.xx.xxx




What will housing do? (by Landlord ofthe Flies [TX]) Apr 19, 2021 11:58 PM
Message:

Isn't the deterioration of the unit sufficient grounds for eviction? Give them an ultimatum to fix or evict.

All the restrictions are about COVID, not their living conditions. I'd just go through with a normal notice to remedy then evict if they didn't fix.

Take lots of pictures and bring witnesses. Get testimony from all the tradesmen you asked to fix the unit and their reasons why they won't.

If you can't evict then get the unit condemned. I wouldn't spend a single dime improving their living conditions. They'll just destroy all that hard work and money invested. --108.69.xxx.xxx




What will housing do? (by Small potatoes [NY]) Apr 20, 2021 12:53 AM
Message:

Ferrets roaming and going to the bathroom everywhere is bad news. That stench is foul. I got a unit back after that and it ranks in the top 3 of nasty smelling units I've had.

If there is enough feces present you might be able to get the Dept of health to pass a finding and also look for an agency that deals w mental health?

The question is will your housing agency withhold rent from you until you correct the items or will they remove your unit from their list and stop paying the rent? --172.58.xx.xx




What will housing do? (by Steve [MA]) Apr 20, 2021 6:16 AM
Message:

I'm sorry that you've allowed yourself to get into the current situation that you find yourself in with these tenants. Comparatively speaking aback in 2019 it would have been much easier to either get these tenants to cooperate or to evict them for this type of behavior. Unfortunately with the MA court system essentially at a standstill it's probably going to takes many months & thousands of dollars to handle this situation.

Most of what happens next depends a lot on how good the PHA & the caseworker handling these tenants do their job. I've found that some PHAs, their inspectors & caseworkers will work with both the tenant & the LL to resolve these types of problems in a reasonable manner while others just blame the LL for everything & abate the rent. Have you talked with the PHA inspector or your tenant's caseworker about the condition of the unit? Have you discussed the tenant's apparent health deterioration? If not I think that this should be one of your first steps. If you can't resolve the problem there then kick it up the chain of command to the PHA director & then to the PHA board members if needed.

Do you have any sort of a paper trail showing the condition of the unit & how you've responded to legitimate maintenance? This would be things like a move in statement of condition, BOH inspections, previous court actions, contractor invoices, etc. At the very least you should have copies of the PHA's annual inspections as well as the reinspections showing that the unit passed.

You state "They have been there a long time, about 20 years". Have you been their LL the entire time? If not how long have you owned the property? Do you do regular inspections of all your units? If not you should start doing at least yearly inspections of each of your rental units.

Considering that they've been there so long are they old enough to perhaps get elder services involved? Elder services might be able to get them help to keep their unit clean or even get them into elderly housing. Several years ago it took a LL friend in my area over 2 years & 10's of thousands dollars to handle a similar situation. More recently it took over a year & about $30K for a fellow poster on this site to handle a similar problem.

At this point, I think that you should brace yourself for it taking a lot of time & a good deal of expense to resolve this situation. IMO you definitely are in over your head & should immediately talk with an attorney who know MA LL / Tenant law & is familiar with your local PHA & the local Housing court.

Again I'm sorry that you've gotten into this mess.

--71.184.xxx.xx




What will housing do? (by Lynn [MA]) Apr 20, 2021 7:28 AM
Message:

Even though the courts are open, everything is very slow. I have a case where I filed with the court in March and after 1 month, I still don't have a hearing date. The judges are pulling out all of the stops especially related to covid or not. --71.184.xxx.xx




What will housing do? (by RentsDue [MA]) Apr 20, 2021 7:35 AM
Message:

Steve gives a lot of good advice. All I would add is to get ahead of it. Things always go better for a proactive LL. If you wait until the Housing office gives you notice to fix a damaged unit, then it doesn’t matter that the tenant is the one who damaged it. Everyone ( housing, tenant, judge, health inspector) already has the mindset that you are not keeping up the unit. So set that right and send them a Notice To Quit to clean up their own mess and repair their own damages. Doesn’t matter if they do it or not, it’s your proof that you are not the slumlord they are going to try to make you out to be. --68.191.xx.xx




What will housing do? (by Sisco [MO]) Apr 20, 2021 7:35 AM
Message:

My guess is that housing authority will cease paying rent due to the fact that house doesn’t meet their standards. --67.43.xxx.xxx




What will housing do? (by S i d [MO]) Apr 20, 2021 8:25 AM
Message:

Sisco is likely correct. When the housing unit fails to meet standards, Section 8 usually cuts off the payments. They will not "do" anything. That is your job.

With that state of things as they are, I'd probably just let it ride for now and keep collecting rent until courts open back up. The disaster is already there, and eviction is almost impossible, so you might as well get paid as they destroy the place. Beats not getting paid while they destroy the place.

Consider strongly in the future if "guaranteed rent" is worth it. I (and many others here) find that it is not. --107.216.xxx.xxx




What will housing do? (by tryan [MA]) Apr 20, 2021 10:27 AM
Message:

Go to the inspection when it happens ... I have found the inspector MUCH more cooperative when I am there.

BIG lists of problem when I am not there.

Then ask for additional time for the repairs. Your buying time ... courts will not stay shut for ever ... covid is ending very soon. Buy time. Then evict. --71.241.xxx.xxx




What will housing do? (by Allym [NJ]) Apr 20, 2021 10:57 AM
Message:

I had a situation where a woman could no longer bend to clean the cat box so it went all over. Cat stink out into the mail stairwell. Cat kibble all over rugs, kitchen full of garbage, hair dye stain on bath floor. I told her the place would not pass the next 5 year state inspection, it was a multi. I told her they will demand that I evict her. So I offered to return her security and make a deposit on another unit or I would evict her and she would have trouble forever after. So she took the deal.

You can try that. Maybe you can talk to Section 8 and see where they can go and tell them you are offering a deal. Maybe Section 8 can convince them to go. Then you get your place back and start working on cleaning it up. I guess you will need people in coveralls and face masks. Probably you don't have Serv Pro in a small mountain town. I actually had them refuse to come out after plumber dumped some sewer water on the basement floor! It was small and I cleaned it up. --108.24.xx.xx




What will housing do? (by Ray-N-Pa [PA]) Apr 20, 2021 8:36 PM
Message:

Ferret stinks. It is going to be tough to get rid of the stench --24.154.xx.x



Click Here to send this discussion to a friend
Report discussion to Webmaster

Reply:
Subject: RE: What will housing do?
Your Name:
Your State:

Message:

Would you like to be notified via email when somebody replies to this thread?
If so, you must include your valid email address here. By entering your email address here, you agree to receive notification from Mrlandlord.com every time anyone replies to "this" thread. You will receive response notifications for up to one week following the original post. Your email address will not be visible.
Email Address: