How bad were YOU as a Tenant?

[Nathan Gesner]

We all complain about Tenants, but let's be honest. We probably weren't perfect renters in the beginning and made a few mistakes.

In my case, I joined the military in 1987 at the tender age of 17. I was soon stationed in Germany and had to live on the local economy. 17 years old, no life experience, money in my pocket, legal drinking age, no parents...you get the idea.

My apartment was an $800 slum but it was furnished and included utilities. A buddy was giving away some furniture that I thought was nicer than the stuff in my apartment, so I moved it in and piled the landlord's stuff out by the dumpster. It wasn't a pleasant conversation, particularly because I didn't speak a lick of German and he barely spoke English.

I bolted things to the wall. I had a "friend" get drunk and urinate all over my bathroom, which happened to be shared with a nice couple in the adjacent apartment. Another friend got in an argument with his girlfriend and shattered my window. I lost the keys and had to jimmy the door, damaging it in the process. That all happened before I turned 18. I matured after about six months and was an excellent renter after that (seriously!) but it was a rough start.

How about you? What were you like as a young renter?

[Stone Jin]

LOL, in college my roommate set the apartment on fire by throwing a lit cigarette in a trash can.  It burned only a small patch of carpet and sub floor.  They somehow let us finish our lease but decided not to renew and sent a hefty damage bill.  My goal in vetting tenants is to not rent to my younger self.