For years I have tried to figure out why some of my Class C tenants do things that I don't understand why they do it.

For example, why do Class C tenants park their cars on the front lawn when there is plenty of room to park on the asphalt driveway? Do Class A or B tenants do this also?

When there are brand new mini-blinds on all windows, why do they hang bed sheets over those windows? I had one house that actually had real nice curtains and the tenant took them down and put bed sheets up.

When there is a fully functional all-electric Central Heat/Air system in the house, they don't use it and use Space Heaters instead. And then have the nerve to call me and complain about getting a $400.00 power bill.

Does anyone here understand the mindset of Class C tenants and why they do some of things they do?

NE,

There is a financial reason to figure this out. Why should I spend $100.00 on new mini-blinds when they seem to prefer their own bed sheets? Plus, cheap mini-blinds are not cheap anymore.

When the 25 year old Central Heat/Air unit dies, why replace it with a new one? Window units are cheap.

You spend the money on those things so when you turn over the unit, so you have a fresh item to market.

You spend the money on hvac, because most areas require it as code for habitability.

I see both Roy's and NE's point, and as this is my market segment I'm always interested to learn more.

We stopped adding central AC. Costs too much and units won't rent for enough to cover it in an acceptable payback period. All Window ACs for the past 3 years and going forward. I can replace all window ACs 4 times for the cost of ONE central unit and coil.

Why do some tenants use space heaters? Because they don't understand electricity and can't (or won't) do math. Bubba from work says "space heaters are smaller so they are cheaper." They know Bubba so they believe Bubba. It wouldn't matter if you sat down at the table and laid out all the info about BTUs, square footage, wattage, etc. They believe what they believe.

This is also why we have Democratic Socialists. Someone told them that if we just raise taxes on the evil rich people that our country will turn into a prosperous paradise for everyone, even those who are (and I quote from the original) "unwilling to work". Google the "Green New Deal" for more specific nutty details.

Ever notice how the current Social Security "debate" goes? The SS actuaries report every year how benefits WILL be short as of 2034 and that SS will only have $ to pay 75 cents on the dollar. The folks who want to fix it show how and why the changes are necessary. Even our most recent Prez said the current course is "unsustainable." Pull that all together and you'd think that both the need and the fix would be an easy one for both major parties to accept as inevitable and necessary.

But what happens when we try to fix it? The folks who currently receive benefits dig their heels in and howl, "Don't touch my Social Security!" And that's that. Debate ended. Was there even a debate?

Bottom line: People believe things are true because they want them to be true. I don't care what they believe. The rent is due when it's due, and if they don't pay they don't stay. That's how the world really works. I've had to "educate" a few folks on that, but better screening has improved my quality of tenants. Most of mine are good and do what they're supposed to do. Haven't seen a bed sheet on a window in a couple years.

Until the recent jump in mini blind cost I provide them, may now go back to hanging shears on the double rods. As far as lawn parking goes, after a couple 200bux lawn repair charges they realize the walk from the street helps them save money.

I agree with Sid, but I feel your pain Roy. This is the majority of my tenants as well. I have one specific property that they park in the yard right by the front door ALL. THE. TIME. It doesn't matter that the tenants have changed numerous times over the years. They still do it. I get on to them every time I see it, but it really doesn't matter.

I think it boils down to entitlement mentality. This is not the sole reason, but it contributes a lot. I've figured out they want to park in the yard because it's right by the front door on this property. Nevermind that the driveway or street is a mere 20 steps further.

There is also the "that's the way it's always been, so that's what I'm going to do" as Sid mentioned. I believe that's the reason for the bedsheets. I hang blinds in all the windows. They are torn up when I get the place back. Had sheets or even blankets there the whole time. I also install the LED light bulbs in all the units. They are missing or have a dimmer replacement bulb when I get it back. It's almost like it's supposed to be pitch black at all times.

At the end of the day, all this is built into the cost of the rent. I do the best I can and present a clean unit. When I get it back, I repair, clean and rerent. Unfortunately, I don't give back to many security deposits and I have never had a complaint about that. They know why. I did have one lady deep clean and left it better than she got it. She even rented a carpet shampooer and cleaned the carpets. I was so happy I didn't have to lift a finger I personally drove to her place and wrote the check in front of her while thanking her!

I stopped providing mini blinds mainly because they're a pain to put up. I get a adjustable curtain rod and curtains from Walmart instead. They go up in five minutes and I'm done. If the tenant wants blinds, let them put them up.

I haven't had a lot of sheets put over my mini-blinds except where they break them or work nights and want the room darker than the blinds create.

Cars on the yard are my pet peeve. If I catch them doing it, I will give them a quit notice. There's no reason, they have a driveway and street parking. Not sure why other than they think their car will be safer off the street and mama gets to park in the driveway.

HVAC, also don't have much use of space heaters probably because it gets really cold here. Sometimes they will use one at night in the bedroom and turn heat down in the rest of the house. I advertise the central air, an most of my tenants select my house because I have it and it brings in about $50-75 more per month. Some keep their house a balmy 67 in the summer, I almost have to put a coat on to go in.

To answer your question, I think most C/D tenants tend to be less educated, more susceptible to mis-information, and the peer pressure tends to push them in the wrong direction. For example, I think space heaters is mis-information. People tend to believe the urban legends that the central heater costs more to run than the space heaters and it may be true in some states but not here. When we go over the lease I try and offset this with some facts locally. Gas is way cheaper than electric here, the newer furnaces are highly efficient, if you turn down the heat or AC expect it to take 3-4 hours minimum to bring the temp back and it really doesn't save much energy over time unless you turn it down for more than 12 hours at a time.

Sid's political ranting at least concedes we ought to cut present recipients SS benefits rather than giving them a pass .

Sid,

I was hoping to keep national politics out of this discussion. You just opened another can of worms here.

I do agree with you on many things. My most profitable rental houses are the 2/1's & 3/1's with window units. I do get more rent for Central H/A houses but in the long run it is cheaper and less hassle to allow the tenants to use their own space heaters. Too many times I have tried to show my tenants a better more efficient way to heat their homes but like you said,..."Bubba told them to use space heaters". I think Bubba also told them to park in the front yard to show off that new car that costs more than the house they rent.

tenant: "I'm going to save money by using space heaters because bubba"

roy: "okay ... you're paying for the electric"

(2 months later)

tenant: "look at my electric bill!"

roy: "don't use space heaters and look at the bill then"

Roy, I recently just added to my lease, parking in designated areas only, driveway or street. No parking in grass. If they park in grass the get a letter, right to cure with a deadline. I have also raised all deposits by 100. Most my deposit are 400 in my class C and 500 in class B. to help cover damage by tenants who like to peak out windows and break slats. Last tenant I billed 35.00 per blind.

Roy....politics wasn't the issue, and I regret if going there wasn't useful for you on this discussion.

My point is people believing what they want to believe in spite of sufficient compelling evidence to the contrary is an issue we all face. The two issue I mentioned (GND and SS) are useful for illustrating this because they are current issues, and they also show a progression of how one bad ideal builds upon another. A person can develop a whole world-view that goes back to one faulty premise, and if you yank that one core belief out their whole belief system collapses. So people WON'T change their views. It's too much for them to handle.

Here's one good example that is 100% land lording. I had one lady several years ago insist that her utility bill was too high and that I should understand that to be true because "you (i.e. me) know all about this heat and air stuff because you're a land lord." I assured her no, I did not know everything, but what I did know is that her furnace was heating up to the temp she set it at (77 degrees), it had been a colder than average year, and her bill was still within about 10% of the past year's bill. She still insisted her furnace wasn't working correctly. Why? I asked. "Because my bill is so high."

Huh?!? She demanded I sent over a heating and air tech to check it out. I reminded her of the facts that it was doing what she told it to do, the weather had been colder, and past bills were closely comparable. Nope, that wasn't good enough and I was wrong about the furnace working properly. But wait...didn't she just insist that I knew everything about HVAC systems? (*grins) So I said sure I'll send someone over, but if he finds nothing wrong she would have to pay for the service call.

Oh no. She refused to be responsible, even if it was her illogical belief that something was wrong simply because her bill was "too high". I asked why it was my responsibility to pay if the service call was unnecessary.

"Because my bill is too high."

My adopted daughter's birth family is full of this kind of behavior. Causes: I see a lack of jobs that can provide a good living for people who don't have a lot of education, a lack of parenting, undiagnosed and untreated learning disabilities, and a toxic social environment (TV and social media, for instance, which are designed to maximize profits for the companies that own them at the expense of society at large.)

That said, I see plenty of ignorant thinking and misinformation being spread around on this board by landlords. Demonizing democratic socialism, for instance. There's a lot we could learn from the democratic socialist countries in northern Europe, who have much better outcomes in health, education, and happiness than the United States does.

"after a couple 200bux lawn repair charges they realize the walk from the street helps them save money."

Sorry...how are you doing "lawn repair"? Putting new sod down?

Sid,

Those 2 words, "Democratic Socialist", is what opened the can of worms. And we can't put the genie back in the bottle now.

In my prior work I worked in the hood, and what I learned early on is that children only know what they are exposed to and mirror that behavior. So if a child has an abusive alcoholic father they think that's the way parents are. When a 6 year old boy told me his father was going to search for a man that yelled at him mom and shoot him; you realize life is very different for other people. People at the bottom are only focused on the first stage of life and that is survival and as basic as shelter, food and water.

And at that level what is prevalent is the hustle of the street. There are no successful role models to mirror appropriate behavior, let alone life skills like budgeting.

They will spend all their money on sneakers and car/ truck payments because that is what gives them status in their community. There is a health impact from the stress of living this life and that can damage critical thinking along the lines of PTSD.

In the NE window ACs are not part of the rental. Is there a habitability requirement in the midwest that requires you to provide them? I had a tenant that had the AC going in one window and had the next window wide open.

"BTW, while we are now on politics,..Are you a die-hard dyed in the wool Conservative,...which means you probably voted for Trump in 2016?"

Trump was a Democrat a few years ago. Why does a vote for Trump in 2016 make you a "die-hard dyed in the wool Conservative?"

Well, I don't see the inevitability of making this into a political post, but seeings how politics does influence the economy at large which in turn impacts us as LLs.... *shrugs

No, I'm not a die-hard conservative. And as you probably guessed, I'm not liberal either (although classic Liberalism has many ideals which appeal to me). I do tend to favor conservative principles of freedom, property rights, rule of law...but I also believe in what some call "compassionate" or "moral" free-market capitalism which falls into a gray area in that no main stream party today formally endorses.

In other words, I believe in Govt providing a military force for the defense of the country, establishing courts for enforcing contracts and settling disputes, and handling issues that overlap the boundaries of individual states: navigable water ways and the interstate highway system. I also believe in the principle of "Do what you will so long as you do no harm" and "my rights end where your rights begin." I believe in equal rights for all people, regardless of race, gender, nationality, sexual preference, or what flavor of ice cream is your favorite. Although, any sane person would of course say either Reese's Peanut Butter cup Fudge Swirl or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. A case could be made for Mint Chocolate Chip....

In short, I'm probably best described as a non-card carrying Libertarian who leans more to the right Right on some (not all) social issues. I do sometimes vote that way, but not always. As for 2016, I reserve my right to privacy. Does it really matter for whom I voted? The guy in the office is President, whether I like that or not. If I don't like it (or if I do), 2020 is around the corner and I'll have the chance to voice my view again at the ballot box.

As far as Socialist Democrats go, they have programs to enact or expand, but they have no practical way to pay for them all. When asked how to pay for new program W or expand program X (or Y or Z....you have to keep track of the costs for all these things in aggregate!), the answer is always, "We'll just raise taxes on the wealthy." None of them ever add up all the costs and compare the total to the actual amount of wealth generated in a given year, nor do they take into account the inevitable behaviors changes of "the rich" if they suddenly find themselves on the hook for paying even more than they already pay.

Did you know that we've had a 90% tax bracket top marginal tax bracket in this country before? Care to guess how much revenue it ACTUALLY produced? About the same percentage of GDP that we see today with far lower take brackets. So it doesn't matter if they raise the top marginal rate to 70%, which is the only solution hard-core SD's such as Miss AOC. She claims that will pay for everything. But no sane person will EVER pay that amount. They will find loops holes and/or change behaviors to avoid it, resulting in more expenses and no way to pay for it.

You have an interesting set of beliefs Sid. I guess in addition to believing you have a reasonable chance at being in the top 0.1 or 0.01% in wealth, you also believe that just because people will react to avoid being caught when they break a law, that means we should not even *implement* a law.

Ken raises a good point. Certain groups have expected norms, and if go against those people think you're "gettin' too big for your britches."

If you don't want folks who hang curtains in the window (I don't), then do the 2-minute in home inspection. You'll see if they have curtains over the windows and/or tire ruts on the lawn.

At our house we call it the "crab syndrome" Didja ever fool with a bushel of crabs when you are trying to get them in the pot? One starts to climb out and others will quickly latch on to that one and pull it right back in the basket.

Sid,

This post (or rant) is really not about how my tenant's decorate their windows or even where they choose to park,...it is about how they think and how they rationalize things. I am referring to the gray matter (or lack of) that is between people's ears. And some of the above LL's (Ken and JKJ) have explained this Class C phenomenon quite well.

If there are multiple vehicles they are probably just to lazy to let each other out.

Are the bed sheets dark colored. They might be using them to block out light.

Like Sid and others said they think the smaller units are cheaper.

Tip for napping in the day. Put a folded up wash cloth over your eyes. Wet or not. Jeeze I learned that at age 12.

I do not have a clue as to the cars. In my very nice HOA community on the next block was a renter who would park on the yard - BESIDE the empty driveway, NEXT to the empty graveled RV parking area. The HOA fined the owner and the guy would STILL park there. He no longer lives there and the owner sold the property. Problem solved.

I have tried and I can not figure people out.

I'm late to the party, as usual. But glad that I didn't get caught up in the political sidetrack.

Roy(AL), I have a "B-" house. I call it that because I do sometimes get people who qualify fine, but end up with "C" behaviors like you mention. They seem to prefer the dark, and even though I provide room-darkening shades, they still hang towels and sheets. It's very curious how the "light loving" tenants in that place are always the best payers with the least drama, and the ones who prefer it dark will also park on the lawn, let their kids write on the walls, and come up with every excuse in the book as to why they missed the rent deadline.

Roy, you and I have the same tenants. Here are my answers to your questions:

"For years I have tried to figure out why some of my Class C tenants do things that I don't understand why they do it." -- You cannot think for the other person as you'll never make sense of it so don't try. Do they pay on time?

Do they tear up your property? For class C tenants this is about the most you can expect.

"Yard parking" -- not really a problem for me, but does your local government have an ordinance about parking on yards? Let them handle it if possible.

"Mini blinds" -- the post about Wal Mart curtain rods and curtains is what I do. Sometimes the dollar stores have decent stuff for class C.

"Central Air" -- not for class C property. I can see why in Alabama, but in my opinion only, I question if it is worth the cost and does it increase the quality of tenant?