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The next time you go over there, wear a hazmat suit. It's a little on the expensive side ($100), but I'm sure you can find a cheaper one.
^I was only kidding... But if you think you need one, then by all means...
YUCK! I have no idea how people function in such a dirty environment. Everyone pretty much answered your question and gave great ideas.
Would it be too much for you to say something like, "I can already tell that you're putting your deposit in jeopardy."? If you notice any clutter that is blocking any exits or exit paths, isn't that a hazard? Then you could give them a 48 hour notice to remove the clutter. That might help.
It CAN be, but not necessarily. My mom is a builder/property manager/real estate agent. She has files, papers, ladders, tools, you name it all over her car. If you judged her based on the cleanliness of her car (on a day she wasn't showing property to clients), you would never rent to her, but her house, which is beautiful, is ALWAYS immaculate. The worst you might find is maybe 1 or 2 dishes (say a bowl and a spoon) in the sink. Always dusted, vacuumed, mopped, everything put away. I don't think I've ever even seen dirty laundry on the floor, and I'm there at least 3 or 4 times a month at unexpected times.
On the other hand, the very dirtiest tenants I've ever had drove a very nice, clean and tidy Escalade. I would never have guessed what their house would look like based on that. We're still working on collecting from them from their move out a few months ago. Besides the damage, which there was a lot of, we had to do $400 worth of additional cleaning once they told us the house was clean.
True, it is not 100% accurate for indicating how clean they will be, but then, good credit is not 100% indicative of someone who will always pay rent on time. Both criteria provide strong correlations to what I am screening for, though.
I couldn't help but be concerned about the fact that you have been in their home 3 times in one month. The first two times to fix things. The last time you went in when they weren't there to get stuff. Did they know you were going in when they weren't home? Why do you have stuff in their home?
This is excessive, in my opinion. If I was your tenant, I'd feel like you were infringing on my quiet enjoyment - or at least be concerned about excessive repair work being done while I'm trying to live in peace. If I found out you went into my home when I wasn't there, and there was no emergency, and you didn't notify me properly - we'd have a serious problem. And I would be LIVID about you using my bathroom! This is no longer your home. It is theirs. You can't just come and go and use their toilet when you please. That is beyond gross and totally unacceptable in my book.
I don't believe the bathtub could be growing mold in one month. If that's the case, something is seriously wrong with that rental.
I think you need to butt out. Some dirty dishes is no big deal. People don't always wash their tubs often. I don't. And my bathroom doesn't even have a fan, and there is no mold in my bathroom.
I agree with the other posters who suggested that you just collect your rent. Do inspections on a reasonable time frame - like twice a year to change the smoke detector batteries and do an inspection at the same time. If you see bugs, spray (in fact, I suggest you get a regular pest control contract anyway, where they come out every month). This is good maintenance no matter what kind of tenant you have. If you see mold, give them a notice to clean the mold.
You're just going to drive yourself nuts and them as well, if you try and control how they live. Like I said, if they are hoarding cardboard that is breeding cockroaches, that's one thing, but really, some dirty dishes and a dirty bathtub is probably not worth getting an ulcer over. Address it in your twice-yearly inspection, but leave them alone in-between. If they don't clean the place when they leave, take it from the deposit.
As far as her not disclosing the eviction - did the application ask if she had been evicted and she wrote "no"? You could have denied her because of lying on the application. But if you didn't ask, it doesn't matter. If you did ask, and she said no, and you based your decision based on her lie, you probably could have gotten out of the contract.
You didn't get an eviction report? Credit report? Why? This is the best money you can spend.
But, anyway, you let her move in after you found out she was evicted. The time to take action based on that info would have been immediately. Now it's been a month. I think you lost that opportunity.
Really, just take a deep breath and collect the rent. And leave them in peace. I know I'm being a bit harsh, but really, from a tenant's point of view, you need to back off and stay out of their home.
Last edited by NoMoreSnowForMe; 01-10-2014 at 12:11 AM..
I rented a 3 bedroom home to a family of 3 (husband,wife, teenage daughter) last month. I had to go fix some drywall and the first time I went there I saw a very messy house, I thought they're still moving (they moved from out of town) so no problem, had to go back again, bags of trash in the kitchen not taken out, dirty dishes in different places, a lot of stuff on the floor on ALL rooms, including some silverware on the living room floor (while they're watching tv), messier than before and now I started getting a little nervous; had to go back once again to pick up some stuff (they were away for the weekend) and saw the same mess all over and had to use the bathroom and it's GROSS!, the tub is getting black, mildew is growing in the corners and the toilet has urine spots all over! The bathroom is newly remodeled and was very clean when they moved in a month ago.
Welcome to the world of being a landlord. No matter how well you screen your tenants, there's always a chance that you'll get someone who is not to your liking. Just hope that you don't get one who turns out to be a total nightmare. I couldn't help but note your post from less than one month ago in another thread, which I've posted below. My, of my, how things can change quickly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by usermi
Finding a tenant is the easiest part for me, the area is hot for renting and I'm very meticulous about the pre-screening process, I don't pay any other company to do it, I do it myself.
But...I must say that I have to agree a bit with NoMoreSnow. Unless you had permission to be in their house while they were away (even though you own it), you really had no business entering the premises that third time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe
I couldn't help but be concerned about the fact that you have been in their home 3 times in one month. The first two times to fix things. The last time you went in when they weren't there to get stuff. Did they know you were going in when they weren't home? Why do you have stuff in their home?
My next-door neighbors live like that. You can't see the floor in any of the rooms of their house and the kitchen is piled high with dirty dishes. They keep their cars very clean, so you can't always tell by the condition of the cars.
Anyhow, once a year we end up at the neighbor's house for a party, and their house is spotless then, so that kind of mess can be cleaned.
I also don't think the bathroom could be growing mildew in that short of a time unless something was done improperly during the remodel.
Thanks for the advice, I'm sure my lease agreement contains something to protect me against this type of tenant, I haven't had a chance to read it since I'm rehabbing another property plus a full time job, this weekend I'll sit down and see what I have.
The property is meant to be a rental and is in a great location. I learned a valuable lesson, first time I rented I put it really cheap not knowing the rental market to well and had a TON of very well qualified applicants (great job, great credit, clean record) and they even went higher to get the house, once the first renter left I made the mistake of putting the rent to high and my pool of qualified applicants dwindled big time and I wanted to lower the price but it was nearing the end of the month and didn't want to lose one month so ended up giving the house to this couple, I knew I was taking a chance, I knew they weren't the quality of renters that I was hoping for, definitely not the quality I could pick from first time around, I will never do this again! now at this point I prefer to lose a month and get lower monthly rent but put someone I feel totally comfortable with, this one is on me, I got desperate.
To answer the question of one person, I always advice the renter when I'm going to the house, so the third time I was there it was with their consent. Also I did check their last landlord (an apartment complex in a different city) and they said they were late with the rent only once and they did lose their deposit, this concerned me and asked if this was common there and she said yes, I asked if they had any special notes and the answer was no, but again I was talking to a secretary, I wished I would have spoken maybe to the manager or something b/c I'm pretty sure they left that place a mess but of course the secretary just knows what the computer tells her, she just knows they lost the deposit.
Oh, my car is a big mess but I keep my house clean and clutter free.
There are lots of folks who have lots of dirty dishes in their sinks for days on end. Should they all be evicted? This is insane to think so. Not all folks keep their rental in a clean sanitary condition...just not gonna happen.
So lets say the OP does evict them. Next renter has the same lack of housekeeping skills....evict them too? Put a clean up deposit in the lease and charge them for it. And if you are worried about bugs pay for pest control or include the cost in the rent.
Maybe get them an outdoor trashcan with a lid. Get the kind with the lid that is attached via a hinge.
Let them know that you noticed garbage bags piled up in the house and inform them to place the full garbage bags in the trash can that is just outside the house. Put the new trash can nearest the side or back door so they don't have too go far. They sound lazy and you want to make this easy so they comply. Else they'll save up the bags longer for when they get their shoes on and walk farther.
Also let them know they shouldn't have plastic bags of garbage sitting inside the home unless it's in a trash bin. Liquids could leak out of the bag and ruin the floor. they should have a habit of taking any full trash to the outside trash can immediately.
As far as dirty dishes in the sink, - that's not going to ruin your home unless they have spilled things running down the cabinets or spilled food on the carpets. Same with clothing or items on the floor. As long as it's not something wet, this most likely won't ruin your floor.
Focus your attention on things that will ruin damage the home and still be present when they move out.
EVICT. I can't stress this enough. I had a family who destroyed my house with their filth from them and their illegal pets. We are going to court for damages. The lease should say says that they are responsible to keep the premises clean. Put notice of eviction and get them out. Did you do a background check? How come the eviction didnt show up?
If your lease doesn't address this, does your state code say anything? In my state, the landlord tenant guidelines say that a tenant has an obligation to safeguard the property by practicing good housekeeping practices, among other things. One of the reasons a 3 day eviction may be served in my area is for ongoing damage occurring to the house. Extreme bad housekeeping would fall in that category. You would need photos in order to evict on those grounds if your state has anything similar.
Wow Sounds like your state is a lot more landlord friendly than Delaware.
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Sounds like your state is a lot more landlord friendly than Delaware. 
