I'm generally a pretty easy to get along with guy, but when a tenant is 4 days late on rent and then threatens to sue me, that's pretty much when I stop talking to them and drop the nuclear option. Diplomacy has failed at that point, and there's nothing much more to discuss. He's decided to be a bully and make a threat. I don't operate that way.

The story: tenant is upset it's taken us a week to get a new gas valve for his furnace. Yes, it's an older house with a floor furnace, a bit tricky... He does have supplemental heat in both bedrooms with 3000 watt heaters in each room that we put in awhile back, and he's refused my offer (twice) to take some extra space heaters over to help limp along while we wait. Temps here are 35 - 55, so not exactly ice cold. Also, apparently the heater hasn't been working "for some time", and he just last week decided to call me about it.

Anyway, my HVAC guy will probably have it fixed in the next 1-2 days, after which time the eviction notice will be on it's way.

What are your "nuclear option" issues where you're done with a tenant, aside from just the typical non-payment of rent?

One of the benefits of self managing is that I get to talk with the tenants when they make a complaint like that - a lot of times I will "joke" with them with something like - "Man, there are times that I wish I were a tenant so I could just have everything fixed immediately" If they don't "get" the joke, then, yes, we are sometimes to the point of the nuclear option. Especially when they keep complaining about the same issue that is being handled as quickly as it can.

I certainly have to wait at my own house for repairs to be made . . . sometimes that tenant might need to wait also. If they don't get, they just don't get it.

Sid,

Many years back we had an ice storm that took out the power in our area for a few days.

Tenant started complaining to me and demanded that I get them a generator because her BF was on an oxygen machine.

I didn't have a generator for my own house. I explained acts of god but that wasn't good enough.

I still only do MTM.

Have had a few people over the years tell me what the laws are. I used to get irate and correct them.

Now I just let them rant and decide if they have crossed the line. Then I give a non-renewal.

Actually when I decide that I am not going to renew a lease I typically still file eviction. Most times when I say I am not renewing they stop paying anyhow so it works out.

In some places immediate eviction after a repair is considered reprisal. The courts may frown on that.

I too provided an electric space heater I had bought from HD, tried to buy the Lasko oscillating ceramic one recommended on here but they did not have it and we bought a tall model. The tenant has rented from us for years and the electric furnace needed a relay switch and our HVAC guy was hunting and doesn't come out on weekends. He's good but not perfect.

The guy was nice enough to even come 15 miles and pick it up on his way somewhere.

I would ignore this clown. Your furnace repairman relationship is always more important than any tenant.

Your 3000 watt heaters are the equivalent of 2 8’ 1500 watt electric baseboard heaters. What’s the deal with these heaters? That’s BEYOND code for an average room here. Are those heaters keeping it 68-72?

Threats I don't tolerate even more so than non-payment. That's the fastest way to get put out. If it's a physical threats then then there will be a police report and an emergency eviction filing. All others will lead to the end of the tenancy as quickly as I can make that happen.

The others that result in nuclear options include drugs, theft, and house beaters.

Threats to sue are at the top of my list.

People who consume a huge amount of my time, either by constantly trying to renegotiate the lease, explain why they're late, or complain about things that I can't fix or have no control over.

Tenants who have unrealistic expectations. ("water heater hasn't been working since Tuesday but now that I've called on Friday afternoon I want it fixed tomorrow or for you to put me up in a hotel.")

I better stop. My blood pressure is rising.

I don’t have a nuclear option.

We stick to the lease. They can rant all they want. We respond in a businesslike, professional manner and stop responding to every little rant text.

We NEVER talk on the phone or face to face at their door.

Every LL must avoid the urge to argue or posture. Pride gets in the way and reduces our income.

When you start telling me how to do things. Last notice I gave it was after a conversation with a T who was borderline from the start. I looked at SO after and said "I'm done". Got thier 30 day notice the next day-plastered to the front door along with 10 day non payment notice. I try to give myself time to cool down-doesn't always work.

hubba, retaliation isn't an issue here, but even if it were, he's behind on rent. That's pretty much a slam dunk win for me, especially since he was behind on rent BEFORE the repair request was made. There's a process in my state for withholding rent due to repair issues, and he has not followed it at all.

Brad, I get it, and the nuclear option I mention is just what you describe. I won't respond to him any more except to say, "The repairman is here, let him in." If he refuses...well, more ammo for me in court. He's been "slipping" lately... paying later each month. He eventually pays, but I've let it slide here and there. My fault for that.

Thanks to the other commenters. I emailed the eviction docs over to the attorney last night after he sent me another rambling text. I have no patience for people like that. Maybe I should, but it's honestly not in my nature. "Let them rant" and collect their money is one approach, but it has never resulted in a positive outcome for us. The ranters have always turned into nonpayers, and he's there right now. So it's time I push him to go be happy somewhere else.

I had to finally put my foot down on a month to month tenant who was nothing but a nightmare. We had scheduled a repair around the day she requested. It involved two different contractors, plumber and carpenter. I had pre-delivered all materials to be on site for them so it could be completed the night before.

(We were replacing a kitchen sink and countertop that needed an upgrade but was functional).

The night before she called to tell me I needed to reschedule my workers because she was having people over and needed her kitchen sink that day.

That was it. I contacted the very nice husband and told him the repair was getting done, on the date she had had chosen or I was giving them their 30 day notice and we would do the upgrade after they moved out. Why? Because my contractors would not work on the house again until they were gone if they continually get jerked around by his wife. She had previously scheduled service calls, said she’d be home and then was not home and was an overall difficult person.

My tenants are more afraid of homelessness than they are wanting to get mad at us for stupid stuff. No place to move to if they lose this one. With online reporting of problems, they have no one to blame but themselves if something slides as we always at least respond within 24 hours (usually minutes) if they use the right method.

I do MTM so a 30 day Non renewal or lease termination notice is how I handle when a resident and I do not see eye to eye any longer.

I try to wear cushiony socks in my shoes so I don't feel all the little bumps in the road. My roads are paved with an extra layer of late fees and low turnovers.

Saying nuclear option is just so silly. My kid who works as a contractor for the military has called us once over the years just to say, 'Mom, Dad, I love you. If it goes to $&/t, I love you.' Cuz there very much was concern about an ACTUAL nuclear option, and he's at ground zero. So, saying nuclear option over rentals is just so much silliness.

I've had some pretty strange tenants lately, going thru the change of life -- between 54 and 69 years of age (female). My male tenants that threaten me I accommodate since I have a key to a local Karate Studio and agree to meet them there to kick my butt. No takers.

One female reported that I tried to break into her unit. The police said I should stay away from her. I explained that I was the owner, contractor and handyman for the building. This this crazy person sent me a certified letter demanding repairs, and reported me to housing for not responding before I receive her communication. Then I was ordered to make repairs. I posted a 24 hour notice to enter.

Free legal aid representing the tenant demanded I pay the tenant, up front, $20,000 in relocation funds. The City Housing said I must do that.

I told them to jump in the ocean my the sewer discharge pipe and die from exposure to untreated sewer water.

This year I had an AC unit die. It was in the 80’s and it took my AC guy 5 days to replace it. Four days of non stop complaining and i have had it. Tenant felt I should have an AC person on call 24-7.

80's! We don't even turn on the AC until it's like 85...and then we keep it just cool enough to keep the humidity down.

I agree with getting some oil filled radiators to have on hand,.They are much safer.

As far as putting someone out or raising the rents very high,..I don't know what the time you should wait before you do that,..but here is definitely a while or you will get dragged into retaliation in the courts with the tenants free lawyers and your expensive lawyer that you may have the tenant stop paying rent for months and not being able to recover those past rents and your expensive court costs.

Seems like judges are very sympathetic to those poor downtrodden tenants that you are trying to make them homeless or the expense of moving.

I`would definitely ask not just any lawyer, but one that does a lot of evictions,,generally your local LL Assoc can tell you who is good.

I had two sets of tenants both in the same position of being late with the rent and their attitude determined the outcome.

Couple 1 contacted me before rent was due, was very apologetic, laid out their plan to get caught up, etc... They were true to their word and got caught up and have stayed caught up. If they had not been true to their word, we would have begun eviction proceedings.

Young lady 2 was accusatory without a plan. How do you expect us to pay when it's been raining (boyfriend/husband worked construction.) They got caught up, but they were non renewed.

We had a family that was constant drama. Calls about what to do when she saw a scorpion, what should she do in a lightning storm, etc. She was a young Mom of 3 and didn't have adult skills. She was never behind on rent that I remember, but I was tired of the drama, so they were non -renewed.

Thanks again to all the commenters.

I'm wondering if I didn't do a very good job of communicating that this tenant is not lacking heat due to anything inside our control. As mentioned previously, both bedrooms have 3000 watt baseboard heaters which are more than enough for those rooms plus the main living room area if he leaves the doors open during the day, as this is a small house. I also offered a temporary loan of space heaters, but he refused me... twice.

It got to a high of 62 degrees here yesterday. 50 degrees right now at 7:10 AM. He's not freezing... regardless of what he claimed.

We had to replace a heat pump system in the fall of 2022 in a sfh. Supply chain was still a big issue at the time, so between getting the unit in, installed, and then getting the proper thermostat when the one they used turned out to be incompatible (installer's error), it took 5 weeks.

The weather was unusually warm at the beginning, so we offered window a/c, which were refused. By week 5, the temperatures were getting low, and we offered oil radiators, also refused.

Our unicorn "ex" marine tenant only was mildly annoyed by week 5 - with the installer, not us. We returned the favor by doing the bulk of the fall leaf cleanup while he was away on a business trip.

So different from tenants in years past, who let repairs go until there was a crisis, demanded a hotel room for being without hot water for two days, or (biggest pipe dreamers) demanded that the drywall from a promptly repaired leak be patched and painted while they were away for Christmas Day.