We did an eviction this afternoon.

I am sorry but I just need to get this off my chest.

Single mother of 5. Owes over 5K in rent

Works. Too busy to take any of her stuff.

Says she will buy all new after she gets her tax money

Took big screen tv. Left us all beds, dining table and sectional sofa (yay)

????

Left a pantry full of good usable canned and box food.

Makes me crazy since she will be at the churches and anywhere else needing free food etc.

House will need to be completely painted inside. We painted a year and a half ago when she moved in.

Melinda, this is why I am doing the in-home inspection that has been mentioned here. I started doing it a couple years ago and hoping it will save me mega bucks and time on turn overs in the future.

Been there, done that.. So tiring. On another list there is a discussion going on why landlords are selling. Some comments imply that those that do this are, somehow, poor landlords who don't know what they are doing. I'd like to offer them some of the "winners" that contact me about a rental.

So..I guess the good news (maybe the ONLY good news in this case)...your state allows evictions at this time?

She is more than likely on assistance. Maybe not for rent, as you stated she works. Single Mom with 5 kids. Bet she gets free clothing and free food plus free furniture.

If it was you, with 5 kids, would you have left so much?

I would text her and ask if everything she wanted to take is gone. I do have it in my Lease that when a tenant gives me the keys back that they give up all rights to anything that is left at the rental. Did she return the keys?

I feel your frustration.

BTW:

When I have had good food left behind, I have taken it to a food pantry.

And - if there is anything any good - a charity may come pick up furniture & kitchenware. (Then there is less to pay to get hauled away.)

Gene--no we did not do an in home inspection. Big mistake.

We need to be better at qualifying people. Will definitely do better from now on.

@Nicole

When a tenant goes south I look at how many thousands of dollars that tenant paid towards my mortgage and I end up owning the property. I have had tenants pay for 1/3 or 1/4 of my mortgages. Look at the forrest not just the tree.

We all would like a tenant to leave the property rent ready but that is rare.

"I expect the workers who helped with the eviction will take and use the food in the pantry. "

Quite a few years ago I had a pair of tenants who vacated my smallest rental unit but left a couch behind. It was in pretty good shape but I didn't want it.

There's a rule in that neighborhood (not always followed) that anything on a front porch is not to be touched but anything by the curb is "free". So we hauled the couch out to the curb and took bets on how long it would be there.

This was some kind of record...3 minutes. Some locals were coming around the corner, ran up to the house and asked if the couch was free. I said yes and two of them took possession by plunking down on it which two ran home to get a vehicle to haul it.

Then they asked if the departing tenants had left any food. I was planning on cleaning out the fridge and said yes; come and take it. Most of what was left was no name hot dogs, something that tried to pass for margarine, milk that was not outdated and some eggs. Some of these I'd be scared to eat.

Bill was changing the back door lock and was surprised to see a strange person show up in the kitchen. I told him this was my "helper" who was going to clean out the fridge. Gave them a garbage bag and let them at it.

Everyone was happy that day. Free help, donations and less work for us.

Gail

As DJ, I feel for the kids.

I like Jim in O C's take on that.

Glad you vented here. So that you don't go too hard on yourself I want to add my thoughts.

The Judges are to blame for what is being allowed to take place. The lady who left your home can easily replace that food.

(I volunteer to clean at a food bank and I watch how food is tossed into the trash. There is an abundance of it).

The food she left behind wasn't worth her while to lift it.

Grabbing the TV was important because she can plop down on a couch somewhere and pick up where she left off. The TV is the babysitter for the kids.

Asking for help, and having no furniture will quickly produce donations.

If she had taken the furniture it would of been harder on her.

I hope you can also relax, and let this bad experience fade away with time. You as a landlord have one of the worst jobs because you are considered rich by a society that lays their shortcomings on your feet to deal with.

You have no protections.

"Works. Too busy to take any of her stuff.

Says she will buy all new after she gets her tax money"

This is mind boggling to me. Unless the stuff in question was so cheap that the cost of paying someone to move it out wasn't worth it?

It's hard for me to understand anyone with five kids leaving good food, but maybe she got it from the food bank and can't use it because it has to be cooked before it can be used.

melinda,

Vent away! If not you'll become a grumpy, bent over LL. It helps us keep our perspective.

LLing certainly gives us a window to see how many people live.

It stinks that courts let folks rack up that much debt. I think courts should be graded on their efficiency and effectiveness.

We're back to 100% ZERO TOLERANCE on lates.

Check that furniture for bedbugs!

Also, to avoid her suing you, make certain you have permission IN WRITING to remove her personal property, perhaps the court order or a text from her.

BRAD

I had a guy just up and leave once. He had a good local job, and from what I heard he just left work, got in his car and drove off. Not abducted or anything. He just... left.

I found out when the rent didn't show up on time. I went by to see what was up and post the door. The other tenants said he had thrown some stuff in his car a driven off a few days before. IIRC he had some child support issues, so I don't know maybe a garnishment caught up or something.

Anyway, he left like, everything. Family pictures and records, a closet of clothes, food in the fridge, furniture, etc.. He took the TV. (Naturally.)

I stored his family papers for about 5 years until I sold the apts a few years ago. I got a little brass bedside lamp out of it and a nice set of dishes that we still use today! LOL

A really long time ago like the early 90's, I went to a boat auction. There was about a 30' sailboat, that had been abandoned in some marina. It was like aliens abducted whoever was on board. The boat was loaded with gear, and there were even dirty dishes in the sink (for like two years...). I remember asking the harbor patrol guy if the owner had been arrested or something, but apparently they just, left.

It is disheartening for sure. Back in 2004 the rental market here was much different (around the time when “anyone could buy a house- housing bubble”). Ahh the good old days!

Anyway we had to take anyone, just to get the house filled. These people moved in and didn’t pay rent. We did the eviction and they moved on. And when we went in there were 3-4 heavy sleeper sofas in the basement. Uhhg!

Also coins all over the floors throughout the house.

It’s interesting to see the irony of people who can’t pay rent, throwing money on the ground and degrading it! And being so wasteful with money! Their disrespect for money in small change carries right on through to the larger parts of their life. It boggles my mind.

We’ve had pretty good luck since then, until recently.

We have one tenant currently that’s $5,000.00 behind on rent and we’re waiting to see *IF* we can evict starting August 5th.

Anyway, I wish the best for you, and hope you can move on to better days and better tenants in the future. Good Luck

Had a tenant moving out who let her Mom do all the cleaning while she sat on her phone texting friends...for hours! Was going to leave everything in the pantry (no food), meaning it wasn't going to be moved to clean the shelves, etc.

More than a year later she emailed me to get some cheap paint brushes back that she left in the basement. Really?

My evicted tenant contacted me 2 months after the move out and wanted a pint can of 'brown' paint she left. She also accused me of stealing a small toolbox full of 'valuable tools'.

When someone moves out, I take mega pictures of everything inside and outside the house, all cupboard contents, fridge contents, etc. I found the picture of the 'toolbox' sitting on the patio and then the video of her selling some furniture to a friend and HE took that toolbox. Right on camera. Before pics had it on the patio next to the furniture he bought and then the box was gone after he loaded the furniture. Done and done. She never apologized for accusing me, but did try to say she wasn't accusing me. Duh.

I 2nd, Ray.

vent away...we learn from this and it's better to learn at your expense than my own ;)

in california this situation is a new and time consuming chore. we are required to store and make available their debris for some span of time. i have gotten around this by including language in my exit paperwork which states the tenants have returned possession to the landlord and all remaining personal property and debris is valueless and be be disposed of as junk as the landlord sees fit and per the terms of the lease.

i'd do the same with this gal. if you have contact with her have her sign a memo that the stuff is of no value and she has abandoned it.