Tenants threatened by neighbors, don't feel safe.

[Ian S.]

We have tenants (a family) in a 3/2 SFH in a C class neighborhood that have been having serious issues with their neighbor. Their neighbor is threatening violence against them, and have gone as far as showing them guns, attempting to break into the home, etc. Police won't do anything because of the quality of the neighborhood (they basically said, defend yourselves, good luck). Fortunately we have another property in another closeby neighborhood that is vacant so we are offering to move the family in there (it's almost the same rent).

What should we do? Do we invest in a monitored alarm system for the property and pay for it ourselves? Do we build a privacy fence around the backyard? Is there any way to appeal to the police to get them to do their job? This is in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Thanks

[Dennis Cosgrave]

I had a similar situation. The tenant across the street was mentally disturbed and depending on his mood he could be erratic and threatening. My tenants did not feel safe. I tried to speak to the tenant across the street but that was a total waste of time. I decided to take legal action. I had my attorney research who the beneficial owner of the property across the street was and then he was sent a letter threatening a lawsuit if nothing was done to resolve the issue. Most landlords are not going to defend a bad tenant in court. The tenant was evicted shortly thereafter and the problem was solved.