Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 14:22:24 -0500
From: “Tom Glendinning”
Subject: Caution to Landlords
Landlords, screen your renters meticulously. Some will stop paying rent and live for free while you process their removal or eviction. Some will damage your property willfully and try to blame you for it. Some will work a con about being short on rent, endlessly working for breaks while, sometimes, indulging in luxuries.
One counsel is never be a landlord. But that is wishful thinking. If a tenant has rented for more than they can afford, it is their problem, not yours. Though these are bad times, and work may be difficult to find, the true intention is born out in the action, not the words. Another landlord suggested using Transunion Tenant Services before renting. They provide background checks on renters. Another source recommends getting name and date of birth, which makes finding them easier once they’ve gone or skipped.
I have lost a year’s rent due to damages caused by a tenant who, then , became protected by Social Services from suit. And I requested the Social Services step in to help her in the first place. I will lose another 2/3’s year rent from another tenant, costing filing fees, court costs, legal fees on top of lost rent and damages. No deposit can cover these losses.
I think we need a renter’s board for protection, but am informed that this is illegal. All the while, renter’s rights are protected “under the law.” What has happened to property rights?
“It takes an intelligent fool to make things bigger and more complex……….. It takes a touch of genius to move in the opposite direction”
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.–Wayne Gretzky