Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi. Dumb landlord here.. Rented a unit to a local preacher without first receiving his rent money. I am a religious man, with a sore spot for hard working men of religion.. Offered to work with him by allowing him to pay his security deposit over four months. But he was required to pay his rent by the 1st of each month. Except this man never paid, and probably never intended to pay.. After two months, I went to court and filed for eviction. He sent his older brother to the court session. the court ruled in my favor, and ordered the tenant to pay their back rent and move out. They are currently moving out. But the older brother just spoke to me and told me that they are not paying the back rent, and it is like a hospital bill. no one can make them pay.
I heard that there is a way to get a tax lien against judgments like this to eventually collect. Wondering if any other landlords with more experience than me can help.
In the future... do NOT hesitate to get official with a "pay or quit" the minute the law allows.
That is what starts the "shot clock" for the legal process.
Quote:
...the court ruled in my favor, and ordered the tenant to pay their back rent and move out.
They are currently moving out.
This, getting the property back so you can re-rent it...
is about as good as you can expect to EVER see. Sad but true.
Learn this truth, take your lumps... and move on.
And never believe a single word that any preacher says.
The pejorative notion that one who says they are a preacher, cannot be trusted is complete and utter nonsense. It makes about as much sense as believing that neighbors can't be trusted, because yours borrowed a rake and didn't return it.
If he is actually a preacher, where does he preach ... or did he simply say that he was a preacher? If he actually is a preacher, you should be able to contact him through where he works/preaches and apply enough social pressure to collect your back rent there.
My suspicion is that he only said he was a preacher to gain your trust. And, by failing to get solid work or personal references, you 'learned a lesson' for next time, but, may be out of luck this time.
Given this and if you can't get around the prohibitive TX laws, I would personally go hell-bent (pun intended) to broadcast far and wide throughout your area what this "preacher" has done. As long as you stick to the truth there's not a thing he or his family can do about it. Get a local reporter to write a story on one God-fearing man's battle for justice against a pseudo preacher man; talk about him on scam" websites, get him on any "bad tenant" site you can find - etc, etc.
You don't turn the other cheek on scum like this - try and see that you're the very last person he's able to do this to, at least in the state of Texas! Good luck!
Well if you have a judgement you can attempt to collect. And as you keep trying to collect make sure that you go to court and renew the collection. You will probably never see your money but you can make sure he remembers and sees the collection in his record. Some day he will want a house or something will make him need to settle the debt.
Now repeat after me.
NEVER EVER let anyone move in without
1. Passing background check
2. Having the income to cover rent
( if they can't cover deposit and first month without making payments how the hell are they going to come up with full rent)
3. Max 45% DTI ratio and x credit score
4. Signed lease agreement
5. Security deposit paid in full
6. First month rent
7. No evictions or judgements ( these are a automatic denial)
If they can't meet your requirements say no. And a unpaid rent judgement is nothing like a hospital bill. I turn away about 80% of the people who want to rent from me for not meeting the requirements I have set. There are plenty of great tenants. Why should you have to deal with a crappy one.
This is a business. It's going to make you money, and hopefully help you in the future to retire early, have a income stream, or maybe pay for your nursing care etc
go to his church and see the board- if he cannot pay to Caesars what is Caesars he should be held accountable- could he be hurting others even more? - there is more at stake here than your rent, trust No man is the rule- and what you have lost from the goodness of your heart will be someday replaced- so forgive him in your heart,,, but go to his elders- he might be scamming others. the church may offer some recompose from his pay etc
You may not get any money out of it, but it will show up on his credit report every time he goes to buy a car, a house, rent from another landlord...
Plus, they will hound him to the gates of hell.
We got a new phone number eight months ago. We still get twice weekly calls from a collection agency for the person who had this number before us. They not buying that business of us not being Ms. Broome.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
