Tenant not paying, vandalizing and not removing a big package!

[Marita Jojo]

Hello all we have a tenant who is not paying for almost a month and a half now. The eviction hearing is scheduled end of the month. They have a very big package containing a trampoline as told by them lying next to the building entrance for the last 3 weeks and are not removing despite of repeated reminders. What are the options here ? These tenants are waiting for the eviction and also starting to vandalize I believe as a saw graffiti with curse words near mailbox and I don’t think anyone else who renewed the lease will do that. Have you had similar situations and how you dealt with it ?

[Scott Mac]

Tenant buys trampoline and then doesn't have enough money to pay the rent.

That type of behavior seems to plague a lot of renters.

The longer you let graffiti stand, the more they win. If it were mine I'd remove it as quickly as possible.

I've seen security footage of a group of "let's call them minors" descend on an unoccupied house, and (with lookouts) TAG the house and the windows and the doors. Then flee like scared rabbits. An expensive home re-paint for a couple of minutes of damage. Pointless damage.

In some areas this "Art Form" is a lot more prevalent than others. If it is prevalent in your area, it's intelligent to know the difference between Gang Graffiti and Tagging Graffiti, and to ask the Police Officer who responds to tell you what it means. For instance does it mean X loves Y, or that X is slated for a drive by attack. Because if it's prevalent in your area, your residents can probably decipher the meaning of it easily.

Good Luck!