Today is the first time in almost 12 years that I've had an eviction go to set out day. It's the 3rd one like it I've ever had to do, in 18 years of LLing. I'm not asking for advice, but feel free to chime in any way possible. This is more just a soul-dump...

I hate set outs. It's a signal that something went very wrong. I try to screen dilligently because set outs are bad for everyone involved. It's an expensive mess to clean up for me, it usually means the occupant loses a bunch of stuff, and the who thing is emotionally draining.

I'm grateful that I have a good maintenance guy who has helpers to do the actual set out. The last time, I was there helping move a young mom holding her 3-4 month old baby onto the curb. Still lingers in my heart as just a terrible deal overall. Granted, her buddies in trucks showed up about an hour after we starting hauling stuff out onto the lawn, showing me she HAD options, but just chose not to take them until we proved we were serious. I think there are some people who legit go into "ostrich mode"... they stick their heads in the sand thinking, "If I just ignore it, it won't happen."

And then it happens. Still, doesn't make it any easier.

So today in about 20 minutes (9 AM Central Time) the sheriff deputy and two guys I hired will be moving stuff to the curb. Ugh. Just ugh! One of the dark, but necessary parts of our business. Anyone who thinks being a real estate investor is all money and roses... well, there's a pile of s**t that sometimes comes with it too. If you're not prepared to do it, probably best to stick to S&P 500 index funds.

At least I've gotten better at it, somehow. 12 years for 1 vs. I had 2 set outs in my first 6 years. I'm hoping there isn't another one ever.

I feel a little better now... group therapy session complete. Happy LLing.

I don't think that part is anyone's favorite. I've not had many (5 in 30+ years) but there are some commonalities among the one's I've had. Two reasons seem to emerge. One is they started using drugs without any prior drug record, and the second is a family split. In that case all of mine have been when the husband and kids stay and the wife takes off, usually with a new lover, he goes into meltdown. Also, all 5 of mine have not been in the first year, but ranged from year 3 to year 5 of leasing from me. I don't know how to screen for these kinds of things.

In all cases they ended up in a home with friends or family, not homeless, so I can support your theory of the ostrich mode. I guess it's similar to the stories my Uncle used to tell of his extensive fighting experience in WW2. He said he could tell within 10 seconds after the shooting started if the new recruits were going to have to be carried out on a stretcher. A simple glance into their eyes and he saw pupils dilate and eyes glaze over for the ones who weren't going to make it on their own, ostrich mode is as good a name as any. For most it's fight or flight, for a few it's too overwhelming to mentally process. If we just had a test that filters those applications out we wouldn't have any that got to the set-out stage.

Meh. I drove by one today just around the corner from Mr. Casanova. Sorry, but I have little sympathy mainly because no one had any sympathy for me when I lost a job, or never received child support, or was having lawfare set upon me by an errant and corrupt Housing Authority I worked for, or a host of other things called LIFE.

My parents never gave me a dime never mind prop me up past the age of 18 and well into the thirties as is common today.

You just deal with it and pull yourself up by the bootstraps. period.

Sid,

My last eviction/set out was in July of 2020 right after the 6 week eviction moratorium ended here. I had one major PITA tenant who thought she was exempt from paying rent during the moratorium. On the very day the moratorium ended, I filed for eviction and won a judgment.

When I file for eviction - I look at myself. I not only failed myself.

1) I failed to properly train the tenant during move in.

2) I failed to stress enough the consequences that this dissatisfied former customer will be facing after getting booted out.

3) I failed to screen the applicant enough

4) I failed to have a system and or process that catches small

issues before they become larger issues.

5) I failed to follow up.

An eviction doesn't just occur - the landlord allows it to occur.

I would challenge you Sid (or anyone else), to look at the few evictions you have done and look for the common strings that pull them together. For me I did a study and found what the required credit score was for a class C and a class B place. Every market place is different.

You have your sh*t together so it might be a bit harder for you too find that common thread. It does exist. It might be folks that moved in the dead of winter. It might be S8 or folks with an income ratio less than XX.

We've only had one that went all the way to the deputy having to tell him to get out. They had rented from us for a few years and it was a break up involved, she didn't want me to kick him out, let her sister and her own husband live there until we kicked them out. I think drugs were involved. She lost a good job at the University hospital. We even found a dead dog tied to the porch during the ordeal. It was awful.

We have gone to court a few times but a set out, only once.

The sticking their hands in the sand comment reminded me of a couple with young children that I was acquainted with right around when we started landlording. They were in their own new home, mortgaged to the gills. The wife, who was very young, handled all the finances. The husband came home one day to discover that they were being set out because the mortgage was months behind.

She had been spending freely on stuff and kids, while hiding the past due notices - just stuck her head in the sand and thought, "they won't evict a family with little kids". Boy, was she wrong. A close friend of hers knew me, and the fact that I had a rental nearby in the same school district area. She asked me to rent to the couple - seemed VERY annoyed when I said that no, I was happy with the (MTM) tenants that I had, and would not consider renting to someone with a new foreclosure. I got a VERY cold shoulder from then on from her.

Roy-and when was she planning on giving you the rent? Maybe she keeps cash in her bra often? Or just keeping it close when she slept..

Thank you for sharing, Sid. We can all learn from things like this.

A snippet from the web:

"Petting animals can indeed have therapeutic effects on both humans and the animals themselves."

However, I am not really sure if the animals would agree?

I ask them, but I don't understand their language.

Sid, sorry you had to go through that...and I'm sure it was very emotional for the tenant also. I know what you mean, as I only did 2 set outs in my ~14 years of LLing.

Last year I was waiting at a hospital elevator. Two different women came up to be separately and each one gave me a hug and said she was glad to see me. I was mystified who each one was until I looked at each closely and saw each was a woman that I had evicted many years ago. Each separately told me how nice I had been during the eviction and had helped them learn a lot.I had always tried to be decent even during an eviction and was astonished to get thanked years later.

It reminded me that even when you were really irritated with tenants it was important to still try to be polite and decent with them and maybe even help them a little. In this case I had done things they appreciated that I had done that were mainly to help me with the eviction. A day or so before the eviction was to happen I had given each a roll of black trash bags and a number of sturdy cardboard boxes to put their things in and try to keep them from being set out at the street by the move-out crew. For one I had seen a shoe box full of family pictures that the move-out crew had set out - and I illegally picked it up and put it in my car and later took it to the place where one of the families moved. In our later meeting the mother reminded me how much she had appreciated my doing that.

I also felt good to find out that each of the mothers had straightened her own life out and now had a decent job - and paid rent as required. That doesn't happen very often, but I was glad I had been part of this - and that despite how irritated I was by the eviction mess I had managed to actually help each a little.

SID,

Bummer. We all like helping people.

My justification is many worthy people are waiting for housing and this person is stubbornly blocking the home. Most won't leave until forced.

Eviction is not something unexpected.

In our 375 evictions only one led to a lockout.

As I learn here about other eviction processes it seems some are based on a lockout. It's a shame some laws make vacating a police matter.

Tons of videos on YT where the constable shows up and people (I know some lie) seem legitimately shocked they are being evicted, even have papers to the contrary.

Indiana courts issue a deadline to vacate. If folks don't vacate we request a 48 hour hearing. The judge warns them again. Still not out, another 48 hour hearing with an order to lockout if not out. We've only had to go thru those steps once.

Also, we work for their cooperation to avoid "the sheriff showing up unannounced and you have 10 minutes to gather your belongings and get locked out, arrested and handcuffed if necessary." Not talking to them after the hearing is a mistake.

Another, shifting them to weekly and ZERO TOLERANCE on lates has made a world of difference. The amounts are smaller. The larger the amount owed seems to make people more stubborn and aggressive.

Sid, sorry that you are dealing with it. I saved myself from an eviction last week by giving the non-renewal letter. She had her head in the sand as well. That got her back in line... I hope.

Brad, my county works differently. The tenant has 30 days to be out from the date filed. They will show up to court once to contest or agree with the eviction.

On the 30th day a deputy will (hopefully) show up at 10 a.m. and see to it that the ex-tenant is either gone or leaves while I change the locks. Have had a couple where the deputy would hang out a little bit so the tenant could grab more stuff. This was with my permission. I allowed it because that's less that I have to dispose of. Then we have one more court date that was already set for damages hearing.

I’ve had a couple of evictions, but never an actual set-out. They were always gone by the time the constable arrived. That being said, I don’t think I’d feel bad about it. By the time we get to that point, you’ve put me through the wringer and it’s an enormous weight off my shoulders for you to be gone.

I always marvel when the media portrays it as if the landlord actually wants to do evictions. - like that’s somehow good for us. If it gets to that point, it’s been a bad couple of months for everybody.