Tenant pours bag of quick cement in toilet

Investor · Upper Marlboro, MD · Member since 2015 · 43 posts · 35 votes

A friend of mine had a disgruntled tenant who they were about to evict. The tenant poured a bag of quick cement in the toilet and has destroyed the system.

Is there any kind of insurance that could have been purchased in advance to cover such an incident. Of course recourse from a tenant with no money is useless.

Asking as a scared new landlord. Geesh!!! Things people will do to harm you.

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Peter TverdovBusiness Member

Developer · New Brunswick, NJ · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes

What type of property class was this? Evict and also take them to civil court for damages. I know you won't collect but having that on their record...they'll be living in a box the next 7 years after that stunt.

[email protected]732-289-3823

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Bjorn AhlbladPro Member
Investor · Shelton, WA · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 6k+ votes
6y
@Nicho Pruett It happens. Thankfully this is extreme behavior and you can sort out most of it by careful screening of your tenants. Inherited tenants can be a problem if the prior LL got tired and stopped caring about who comes to live in the building. Screen, screen, screen.
7 Reply
Tal Perry
Flipper/Rehabber · Miami, FL · Member since 2019 · 29 posts · 14 votes
6y
Screen your tenants properly and you will avoid a-lot of this. Also consider short term rentals because most of the time travelers wont be there to destroy your place and wont beat it up the way long term tenants do. Also treat your tenants well. Dont be a jerk when dealing with them. A lot of landlords become frustrated and take out their anger on the renters. Even if the renter is at fault always be kind and courteous. And try to put some distance between the two of you by hiring outside companies to handle the evict process.
5 Reply
Peter TverdovBusiness Member
Developer · New Brunswick, NJ · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
What type of property class was this? Evict and also take them to civil court for damages. I know you won't collect but having that on their record...they'll be living in a box the next 7 years after that stunt.
[email protected]732-289-3823
22 Reply
Steve Vaughan
Rental Property Investor · East Wenatchee, WA · Member since 2014 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
6y
Tenant horror stories spread like wildfire. I heard of one cutting a hole in the living room ceiling and roof , then had a bon fire in the living room for heat, using the kitchen cabinets for wood. Texas, 1993.

If someone poured concrete in the toilet, most likely you'd just have to replace a toilet that was nasty anyway. $100 and an hour or two of labor. Big whoop. Don't let fear (false evidence appearing real) stop you.
20 Reply
Jason D.
Rental Property Investor · St. Petersburg, FL · Member since 2017 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y
@Nicho Pruett if that's the worst you have to endure, you're doing a great job. Cement in a toilet is a $100 repair for a new toilet.
Proper screening with verified previous renting history will eliminate a lot of this. Buying "A" or "B" class rentals will mitigate this as well.
4 Reply
Joel OwensBusiness Member
Moderator
Real Estate Broker · Canton, GA · Member since 2010 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
6y
One time another landlord investor opened the front door and a refridgerator from the top of the second floor came down at him.
The former tenant supposedly had put the fridge at the top of the stairs and attached a rope around the fridge and then tied it to the front door downstairs on the inside. This way when someone opened the front door it pulled the rope and the fridge came barreling down the stairs.
Residential tenants can think up a million creative ways to do something except pay the rent! Glad I am out of that space.
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4 Reply
Account Closed
Rental Property Investor · Canton, OH · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
@Joel Owens

Yeah...I think I also saw that move in Home Alone 2 (with a tool box instead of a fridge). It didn't work out too well for Daniel Stern!
8 Reply
Jim K.
Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
6y
@Nicho Pruett Not at all the best possible way to screw a house's wastewater drainage system with concrete. The toilet is probably the only problem point, with the possible exception of the bend on the bottom of the stack. Whoever is telling your friend the whole system is shot is doing it to make a buck.

There are ultimately only two useful protections against this -- have tenants who are worried about losing their good names and being involved in a criminal mischief case, or know how to fix it yourself when it happens.

You can try to be a good landlord, you can try to be nice and friendly, but ultimate a bag of concrete costs five bucks and a very large number of people know what it does when it's mixed with water.

5 Reply
Nicho Pruett
OP
Investor · Upper Marlboro, MD · Member since 2015 · 43 posts · 35 votes
6y
@Jim K. Thanxxx so much.
0 Reply
James Wise
Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Nicho Pruett:
A friend of mine had a disgruntled tenant who they were about to evict. The tenant poured a bag of quick cement in the toilet and has destroyed the system.
Is there any kind of insurance that could have been purchased in advance to cover such an incident. Of course recourse from a tenant with no money is useless.
Asking as a scared new landlord. Geesh!!! Things people will do to harm you.

I've dealt with 100's of bad tenants throughout the years. Cost to insure this will far outweigh the losses you encur when they do this stuff. The silver lining her is tenants pouring concrete down the toilet is fairly rare. I've only personally seen it done to a couple of my properties and we evict roughly 100 people annually.
2 Reply
Anthony Rosa
Rental Property Investor · New York City · Member since 2019 · 703 posts · 538 votes
6y
If it was only the toilet where concrete was poured then most likely its only the toilet that needs replacing.
Tell your friend to remove the toilet and run water into the drain for a few minutes. If it doesn't back-up they are good to replace the gasket and toilet.
4 Reply
Franklin Romine
Visalia-Fresno, CA · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 863 votes
6y
@Nicho Pruett
Not taking action and not investing will have a much larger financial impact on you than any tenant problem I have ever experienced or seen in my 10 years of being a landlord.
4 Reply
Rob B.
Chicago, IL · Member since 2018 · 546 posts · 227 votes
6y
As others have noted, this sounds like an extreme; and while I'm sure there are a million and one horror stories folks might be able to share, that all goes to say these complicated situations can arise and you have to be prepared for the worst. Still, set the tone with your tenants early on from day one. Communicate often and the ideal tenant will reciprocate. In this instance though, I'd still recommend court as an act of recourse. You can mitigate the risks of something like this happening through effective screening processes. Make sure your lease is ironclad and in an instance like this because this is direct damage done with malicious intent, I'd still pursue legal action.
0 Reply
Rachelle C.
Realtor · Ruskin, FL · Member since 2015 · 36 posts · 28 votes
6y
@Nicho Pruett
Depending on the type of insurance the landlord has most coverages do covers liability, vandalism, fire, hail, windstorm, and malicious mischief.
The landlord needs to speak with their insurance agent which I'm sure they have if the whole toilet drain system is ruined by the cement. That's more than just a toilet replacement.
0 Reply
Peter TverdovBusiness Member
Developer · New Brunswick, NJ · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @James Wise:
Originally posted by @Nicho Pruett:
A friend of mine had a disgruntled tenant who they were about to evict. The tenant poured a bag of quick cement in the toilet and has destroyed the system.
Is there any kind of insurance that could have been purchased in advance to cover such an incident. Of course recourse from a tenant with no money is useless.
Asking as a scared new landlord. Geesh!!! Things people will do to harm you.

I've dealt with 100's of bad tenants throughout the years. Cost to insure this will far outweigh the losses you encur when they do this stuff. The silver lining her is tenants pouring concrete down the toilet is fairly rare. I've only personally seen it done to a couple of my properties and we evict roughly 100 people annually.

How many tenants are you managing and in what market that it's 100 people...I assume a year?
[email protected]732-289-3823
1 Reply
Joe SplitrockPro Member
Moderator
Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
6y
@Nicho Pruett this is an act of vandalism. A standard insurance policy may cover it, but placing claims like this increases the risk of cancellation of policy.
As others stated, tenant screening is the key. I also think it is helpful to deal with tenants in a respectful manner - even if you are evicting them. Some landlords are hot heads and end up creating unnecessary escalation of problems.
Ultimately if you own enough properties and rent to enough people, bad things will happen. Problems are a sign of success.
3 Reply
James Wise
Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Peter Tverdov:
Originally posted by @James Wise:
Originally posted by @Nicho Pruett:
A friend of mine had a disgruntled tenant who they were about to evict. The tenant poured a bag of quick cement in the toilet and has destroyed the system.
Is there any kind of insurance that could have been purchased in advance to cover such an incident. Of course recourse from a tenant with no money is useless.
Asking as a scared new landlord. Geesh!!! Things people will do to harm you.

I've dealt with 100's of bad tenants throughout the years. Cost to insure this will far outweigh the losses you encur when they do this stuff. The silver lining her is tenants pouring concrete down the toilet is fairly rare. I've only personally seen it done to a couple of my properties and we evict roughly 100 people annually.

How many tenants are you managing and in what market that it's 100 people...I assume a year?

Run a $50M portfolio in the Cleveland, Ohio market. Yes, we evict approx 100 people every year. Lots of take over evictions when landlords who are in over their heads reach out to us to stabilize their properties in addition to your normal run of the mill evictions.
2 Reply
Peter TverdovBusiness Member
Developer · New Brunswick, NJ · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @James Wise:
Originally posted by @Peter Tverdov:
Originally posted by @James Wise:
Originally posted by @Nicho Pruett:
A friend of mine had a disgruntled tenant who they were about to evict. The tenant poured a bag of quick cement in the toilet and has destroyed the system.
Is there any kind of insurance that could have been purchased in advance to cover such an incident. Of course recourse from a tenant with no money is useless.
Asking as a scared new landlord. Geesh!!! Things people will do to harm you.

I've dealt with 100's of bad tenants throughout the years. Cost to insure this will far outweigh the losses you encur when they do this stuff. The silver lining her is tenants pouring concrete down the toilet is fairly rare. I've only personally seen it done to a couple of my properties and we evict roughly 100 people annually.

How many tenants are you managing and in what market that it's 100 people...I assume a year?

Run a $50M portfolio in the Cleveland, Ohio market. Yes, we evict approx 100 people every year. Lots of take over evictions when landlords who are in over their heads reach out to us to stabilize their properties in addition to your normal run of the mill evictions.

Lol that's like all of Cleveland. That's a crazy amount.
[email protected]732-289-3823
0 Reply
Matt M.
Specialist · Easton, PA · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
Hey all, the worst thing I’ve ever seen in a house...
google search- vacant house knife on rope video . The videos will be right there in the search.
This happened in Philadelphia. Scary..
2 Reply
Ola Dantis
Multifamily Syndicator · Houston, TX · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
@Nicho Pruett

When I saw this post, I was thinking where in the world is this?

Don't let it be Maryland... Don't let it be Maryland and guess what? It is in MARYLAND!!!!

Overly creative tenant if only they use that creativity to pay rent on time and not get evicted!

0 Reply
Tom S.
Real Estate Investor · Burlington, VT · Member since 2010 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
@Nicho Pruett To your original post, you mentioned it "destroyed the system". Do you know how extensive the damage was? As others mentioned, just the toilet or how far into the pipes?
0 Reply
Dennis M.
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 9k+ votes
6y
This would be my luck when I show up to my property ...Open the door and my toothless redneck tenants drop a few full paint cans that swing down from ropes above and bust my head wide open . I could see that or maybe a blow torch on my head when I open the door ! This person was Obviously bored watching home alone reruns . As others mentioned these stories are beyond rare and if that fear of a busted 100$ toilet keeps you from investing then you don’t have what it takes anyway ! I’d rather fix toilets and have to get my gonads kicked into my throat by these idiot tenants ...than make somebody else wealthy everyday for the next several decades at a soul sucking w2 job

. Atleast with rentals you have a fighting chance to get wealthy over time ,that’s not going to happen working for somebody else !
0 Reply
Tim Miller
Rental Property Investor · Laurel, MD · Member since 2016 · 383 posts · 382 votes
6y
@Nicho Pruett sorry that people don't read what you are asking. Unfortunately I don't know if there is any insurance that would cover that. My advice is to have your friend ask his/her current insurance agent. I hope that the cement was contained to the toilet only and not to the sewer pipes.
1 Reply
Charlotte Dunford
Investor · Johns Creek, GA · Member since 2017 · 463 posts · 488 votes
6y
@Nicho Pruett check out landlord insurance which will cover vandalism like this.
1 Reply
Kurt Steigerwald
Member since 2018 · 3 posts · 1 vote
6y
@Jingwen Dunford. Allstate does cover vandalism in Texas. I insure about 200 landlord policies(llp’s) it’s an additional coverage you can add to your policy. It’s normally 5-15% more in premium. I had a client whose tenants flushed a kilo of coke down their toilet along with concrete when there house got busted. Because the cops had the house cordoned off for a couple months the land lord had Allstate not only fix the toilet sewer system, but also paid three month loss rents due to the police tearing up the toilet/sewer system looking for evidence. The vandalism endorsement is worth it if you have shady tenants.
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