This is why a lot of landlords don't like to rent to young people (tenants, evicted)
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........When I went inside, it was like stepping into an oven. .......
I find this to be a strange quirk of some low income people. They will crank the heat up until it is so hot you can barely breathe and then walk around in shorts and t-shirts, and open windows and stand in the doorway with the door open talking to neighbors. Then they complain bitterly about the power bill.
I've seen it so many times, that it doesn't appear to be some sort of individual mental health problem. I just simply do not understand it. Some sort of cultural thing? A wiring defect in their brain that they can't tell when they are warm enough? They can't understand cause and effect? I don't know what causes it.
More on topic with the original question: many landlords will not accept first time renters because of the amount of training it takes to teach them how to be a tenant. If it is your choice to accept first time renters, you must accept that you are in for a training period, and you also must teach them that you are not their parent and you are not going to take care of them like their parents did. They can be very resistant to accept any responsibility for themselves.
Late last week new tenants moved into an apartment. A young couple. This morning they called and said heater wasn't working. Since it was kinda cold outside I said hold on I will be right there. Drove half an hour to get there. When I went inside, it was like stepping into an oven. Puzzled, I asked them what was wrong? They said they were trying to get temperature to get higher but it wasn't. I was starting to sweat as I had to explain to them that the thermostat I put in only goes up to 80.
Given my comfortable temperature is around 65-70. But damn, Who finds >80 to be comfortable?
I went ahead and checked the furnace and everything was working fine. Just that the upper limit was 80 and they wanted it to be higher.
Since their rent covers all utilities, I'm guessing they don't care about conservation. I will wait to see how high the energy bill is for this month and then will raise their rent accordingly.
Speaking as a millennial, young people...
I guess you weren’t very clear in the walk-through, huh? That kind of information is pertinent and you should’ve made a point to not only tell your tenants that you have a limit on your thermostat, but it also needs to be mentioned in the lease.
You drove 30 minutes without asking any kind of clarifying (vetting) questions? When somebody calls me and says the air-conditioning or heating isn’t working, I ask questions… A lot of them. First one being, what’s the temperature in the house. Second one, what’s the thermostat sat at?
Im curious, how do you plan on raising the rent accordingly? Are they month-to-month or have an annual lease?
I guess you weren’t very clear in the walk-through, huh? That kind of information is pertinent and you should’ve made a point to not only tell your tenants that you have a limit on your thermostat, but it also needs to be mentioned in the lease.
You drove 30 minutes without asking any kind of clarifying (vetting) questions? When somebody calls me and says the air-conditioning or heating isn’t working, I ask questions… A lot of them. First one being, what’s the temperature in the house. Second one, what’s the thermostat sat at?
Im curious, how do you plan on raising the rent accordingly? Are they month-to-month or have an annual lease?
You’re a new landlord aren’t you?
Month to month. I switched to month to month for everybody after the moratorium.
I've done this long enough to know for some people no amount of prep will change how they behave. Got about 2 dozen units. Gotta have a weirdo every once in a while.
I always respond right away with new tenants to see how accurate their reporting are so I know what to expect from them in the future. Truth be told, I don't mind going out of my way for it. I want to know how they act and the only way to know for sure is see things for myself. I'm not going to trust their reporting.
I've had a tenant complain the water spigot isn't working. No water is coming out. Then when I get there I see a hose that is kinked.
My point is I assume everyone is an idiot before I accept they have common sense. That's just how I operate. I wanna know how accurate their reporting is and the only way to know really is to see these things myself.
See, I don't treat landlording like most people. For most, it is a side gig. For me, I have made it my full time job. Quit my engineering career a few years back.
I find this to be a strange quirk of some low income people. They will crank the heat up until it is so hot you can barely breathe and then walk around in shorts and t-shirts, and open windows and stand in the doorway with the door open talking to neighbors. Then they complain bitterly about the power bill.
I've seen it so many times, that it doesn't appear to be some sort of individual mental health problem. I just simply do not understand it. Some sort of cultural thing? A wiring defect in their brain that they can't tell when they are warm enough? They can't understand cause and effect? I don't know what causes it.
More on topic with the original question: many landlords will not accept first time renters because of the amount of training it takes to teach them how to be a tenant. If it is your choice to accept first time renters, you must accept that you are in for a training period, and you also must teach them that you are not their parent and you are not going to take care of them like their parents did. They can be very resistant to accept any responsibility for themselves.
I have noticed this in low income people as well. It is not just cranking the heat up to maximum. It is also leaving everything on all the time 24/7.
Sounds like passive-aggressive resentment over having to pay rent. Perhaps they believe you are charging too much.
Maybe they are just screwing with you. Some people are just a--holes.
The current 2 bedroom apt we live in is FREEZING in the bedrooms & bathroom... while the Living room & Dining & kitchen are Hot box. When the changed the carpets 7 years ago I found out you could see 2" of daylight at the bottom of the outer walls! I showed it to the apt mgr. She had the Maintenace workers take off the outer Vinyl siding there is NOT a bit of Insulation int the wall! And they replace the walls Without adding insulation! So, in Winter we use electric heater With the Furnace on 82! Which is crazy but better than freezing! I have the vents in living, dining & kitchen closed!
Besides abusing their privilege it is kind of baffling that they can't read a thermostat. When I have free utilities I try to conserve and/or not abuse. But they'll claim the lease says utilities are included. They're naive still having not gotten use to do things like set the thermostat and/or pay utility bills in their name and not just toss some a few bucks to reimburse someone
That being said I know those who like to hang around a in a T shirt in the middle of winter or a sweater in a air conditioned room in the summer.
One of the most amusing aspects of the TV show, "Golden Girls" was that they were always wearing sweaters or long sleeved shirts, regardless of the season. The show was set in Miami - south Florida. Even the winter temperatures are warm. Even for Golden Girls or women of an age. Today's average high in Miami is 79 degrees and the average low is 64 degrees - not exactly wear a sweater indoor weather.
And how could they ever wear sweaters during the hot humid south Florida summers? If it was that cold in the house, why not change the temperature on the thermostat?
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