Gross , Really , really gross , tenant move out

[Matthew Paul]

I have a small 1 bedroom SFH . Rented it to an old guy who drank . Well his son moved in who was helping him , then the sons crack whore girlfriend moves in to the small place . Well the place was filthy 4 years ago . I figured as long as the rent was paid it was more money , I was gonna have to clean paint and replace a lot anyway . Well today was the move out day , the old guy went into a rehab home . The son got locked up 3 month ago and the prostitute found another sucker to house her . Family members came to do the clean out . They had gloves , tyvec suits , duct tape their sleeves and ankles . Pitch forks , shovels and a 30 yard dumpster . Took 4 of them 3 hours to remove everything and it ALL went in the dumpster , clothes TV , They went to the bed and there were BED BUGS . Walls are yellow from smoke , grease all over oven . ( trash it )

I set off 6 bug bombs , tomorrow I will bleach the entire house and set up a heater to get the building hot enough to kill the bed bugs .  i will use a propane chimney heater and let it rip . Then the cleaning starts . 

Looking to have it all done in 2 weeks , new kitchen cabinets , bath cabinets ,and sink , new baseboard heaters and new paint . 

[Joseph Hammel]

I had one on par with that. It was someone that I inherited though. Your lucky the family helped.

[Sam Shueh]

Welcome to ownership of rentals. 

[Jonathan W.]

@Matthew Paul at least he’s in Rehab.

[Matthew Paul]

Originally posted by @Joseph Hammel:

I had one on par with that. It was someone that I inherited though. Your lucky the family helped.

At first they wanted me to do it , I reminded the daughter she was also on the lease and responsible  for  damages and the clean out costs .  the minute I told her I would hire a hazmat qualified team to do it to the tune of $6000 she got the family together .  We came to an agreement for the rehab costs .  As crazy as it sounds even though they were filthy and gross , rent was always on time and never had any problems . They were there 8 years 

[Theresa Harris]

@Matthew Paul I'm glad you were able to get the family to do it, but ewwww.  Good luck with the renos...post pictures of your progress.

[David Niles]

And everyone thinks its big $$ and glamour being a landlord, lol.  Good luck. 

[Isaac S.]

FYI, bug bombs don't work....go to DoMyOwn.com and read up on bed bug treatments....you will probably need three products Temprid FX, Gentrol IGR, and Cimexa.

Be sure to read all the instructions, you will need PPE.

you will and should treat 3-4 times, once every 5 days to a week.

Good luck, do not be casual about bedbugs, they are much easier and cheaper to deal with while vacant.

[Scott Mac]

Government gives some people housing and they quickly let it fall into a state of filth and depravity.

Not all, but some.

[John Collins]

Originally posted by @Matthew Paul:

I have a small 1 bedroom SFH . Rented it to an old guy who drank . Well his son moved in who was helping him , then the sons crack whore girlfriend moves in to the small place . Well the place was filthy 4 years ago . I figured as long as the rent was paid it was more money , I was gonna have to clean paint and replace a lot anyway . Well today was the move out day , the old guy went into a rehab home . The son got locked up 3 month ago and the prostitute found another sucker to house her . Family members came to do the clean out . They had gloves , tyvec suits , duct tape their sleeves and ankles . Pitch forks , shovels and a 30 yard dumpster . Took 4 of them 3 hours to remove everything and it ALL went in the dumpster , clothes TV , They went to the bed and there were BED BUGS . Walls are yellow from smoke , grease all over oven . ( trash it )

I set off 6 bug bombs , tomorrow I will bleach the entire house and set up a heater to get the building hot enough to kill the bed bugs .  i will use a propane chimney heater and let it rip . Then the cleaning starts . 

Looking to have it all done in 2 weeks , new kitchen cabinets , bath cabinets ,and sink , new baseboard heaters and new paint . 

Pro tip, before you paint, seal everything with a high quality primer. Worth the extra $. 

[Nathan Gesner]

I'm glad it worked out. You could have made much more money by getting rid of them, cleaning the place up, and raising the rent to market value. Paying rent on time is not the only thing that a good tenant does.

[Joseph Hammel]

I had a smoke stained room once and an oil based primer was all that would stick. There are cleaners like TSP also.

[John Teachout]

For the smoke, wash the walls and ceilings with TSP and warm water. We had a really smoky house and after washing the entire house, started over and did it again. Then you will want to use either a shellac based primer or at minimum an oil based primer. We used original Kilz oil base. And then the usual two coats of top coat. Came out well but that residue needs a lot of cleaning. Do not make shortcuts in that regard.

We also replaced ALL the flooring in the entire house. We kept the cabinets (painted them) but it's challenging to clean the insides enough to mitigate the smoky odor.

The range was salvaged by elbow grease and cleaning products. Replaced the burner pans.

[Matthew Paul]

It was a fun day today cleaning the place . Now it an 450 sq ft SFH on a slab with ceramic tile floor . So i went in armed this morning with Bleach , Dawn dishwashing liquid , Fast orange degreaser , a pump up sprayer and a sponge mop .

I mixed up a 50/50 water and bleach solution and added Dawn to make it cling to the walls . ( I use semi gloss paint you will see why )  A big commercial fan and a radio . I bleached every surface twice , yellow stuff just oozzing down the walls , the white ceiling fan was dark brown . Took 3 hours to bleach it all and the walls came out better than I expected . I then mixed up the Fast Orange degreaser And mopped the walls cleaning even more . By this time the floor is soaked and full of crap and I said the hell with it and broke out the garden hose . Yes I hosed out the house , sprayed the ceiling , walls , everything and just kept sweeping the brown water out the door . 

Am I done ?  No, I am at the 60% mark  but ,its a night and day difference . Kitchen cabinets are out , bathroom was left with bleach sitting to sanitize it . The smell is a strong mix of chlorine and oranges , much better than before . 

I dont think I will need the TSP , It looks like if I mix the bleach stronger , rinse and spray the Fast Orange and rinse it will be clean .

Now this is why I use Semi Gloss paint and ceramic tile on concrete surfaces .  The water just rolled off the paint , and tile is tile . 

[Matthew Paul]

here are some before pics 

The walls were white

Just a little crud on the WHITE ceiling fan

lucky for me the family removed the stuff , this is after the first bleaching and sweep out 

This is looking up at the ceiling where the fan was the clean area is a second coat of bleach and dawn . the dark area was hit one time . The lower part of the pic is the same wall as the picture above (on the right )

When I left yesterday all windows and fans were running . Going over today to mop the walls and hose the place out . Preparing to put back together . 

[Joseph Hammel]

I had an inherited tenant that was supposed to be evicted as part of the P/A on my 16 unit but the seller didn't get rid of him. It was worse than that. I saw the unit once before the purchase. Literally spent 30 seconds in there. Long enough so I did not puke. I should have took pics. 

[Nathan Gesner]

NIce pictures. I've had a few like this. I hired a carpet cleaning company to steam-clean the walls, ceiling, trim, and baseboard. Then paint it with an oil-based kilz primer, then regular paint. Also replaced the flooring. The places look and smell brand new.

[Matthew Paul]

Originally posted by @Scott Mac:

Government gives some people housing and they quickly let it fall into a state of filth and depravity.

Not all, but some.

This wasnt a voucher , just regular old gross tenants

[Matthew Paul]

Finished the cleaning 95% today , I have about 18 hours into it including demo of cabinets . It doesnt look too bad .

Just a little bit of sludge 

free oven for who ever wants it .   There was NO way I was cleaning that 

And yes thats a garden hose and I was using it . Walls were bleached twice and then mopped with 409

Ceiling is actually white again ready for paint , the lines are the rafters 

Now I have to touch up drywall , paint , caulk , install a small kitchen , and bathroom vanity . I should be done in 2 weekends . Earlier if I have extra time .  I figure I will have less than $1800 all in and maybe 60 hours . 

I really cant complain , the tenant was there almost 10 years , the filth was gross . But I did a complete gut rehab on this 20 years ago . The cabinets were due , and paint was due . They didnt damage anything besides filth . The deposit wont cover it . This is a tenant who NEVER missed a payment and was NEVER late . He is in a nursing home in bad shape . There is no point going after the difference . 

[Isaac S.]

you're the real deal! I have much respect for your work ethic, and getting down and dirty! Been there, done that.

Thanks for the updates and stay prosperous and healthy.