how to evict a tenant that threatens you in text

[Lynn Gadd]

I have a renter that just moved in my rental on August. Yesterday he tells me he just got laid off effective immediately and that he will be searching for a job- i replied back i was so sorry to hear that and good luck with the job search he said he was doing - his reply back was “You are a pathetic farce of a human being. Die in hell.”

Um- my property is a nice property across from nike and i as a female do not take well to that sort of verbal abuse from a man.  I want him out but know oregon has strict renter laws.  I self manage my property- any thoughts of resources to escalate this to authorities and how to evict?  

[Jeremy H.]

I personally wouldn't even respond to a text like that - unless it has to do with health/safety leave me alone. Don't care to hear about your job/kids etc. 

As far as his offensive text - well I'm not sure there is a legal basis to evict on that. I'm not even seeing it as a threat - just as an insult. There have been way worse insults...You may be able to do an inspection and find something wrong and evict for that reason. OR when he doesn't pay his rent which looks like it may be coming next...Or find some rule he is breaking and evict based on that. You basically need to lean on your lease and find a reason through there. 

Other than that, just don't renew when the lease comes up and minimize contact with this tenant. 

[Lynn Gadd]

Very true, all i can do is document everything to have the paper trail once things start escalating to the grounds where i can evict based on rent owed or damages- i just can’t imagine texting that to anybody- not just a landlord. 

[William Sing]

@Lynn Gadd I agree with @Jeremy H. If this ever goes to court for an eviction for whatever reason it would more reasonable. I hope it doesn't get to eviction, but if it does you can reach out to https://www.landlord-solutions.com/ . They take care of everything with the process if it gets to that point but recommend you look up the right forms and serve them if they don't start paying rent. For Oregon specific these are the usual go to's:
- https://store.oregonrentalhousing.com/

- https://www.rentalformscenter.com/state

[Colleen F.]

@Lynn Gadd possible you weren't the intended recipient. I have ? Back a tenant for a perplexing text and found it was misdirected but I have also recieved rude texts intended for me. If he misses payment move forward with pay or quit. Laid off people sometimes get very angry.

[Lynn Gadd]

It took half a day but he responded it was not intended for me.  There was nothing I could do anyway unless there was missed rent or damage but I was just startled by the comment even if it was for someone else.  In oregon at least you get 60 days heads up with being laid off- I would expect it more from tenants from properties in my other states, lol.  Hope it works out for him and we can all move forward.

[Lynn Gadd]

Quote from @William Sing:

@Lynn Gadd I agree with @Jeremy H. If this ever goes to court for an eviction for whatever reason it would more reasonable. I hope it doesn't get to eviction, but if it does you can reach out to https://www.landlord-solutions.com/ . They take care of everything with the process if it gets to that point but recommend you look up the right forms and serve them if they don't start paying rent. For Oregon specific these are the usual go to's:
- https://store.oregonrentalhousing.com/

- https://www.rentalformscenter.com/state

 Thank you so much for this info.

[Adam Martin]

Well that is certainly unpleasant and escalated quickly but I really don’t see this as something you can evict over.  I would just ignore it and move on with your day.  I’m sure he is in a lot of stress and he lashed out.  This is however not a tenant that is going to get any leniency from me at all so if he is late I’d file for eviction the first chance I had.  He must have missed the whole you catch more flies with honey if he were looking for sympathy from you.

we were posting at the same time so this is an edit but I would assume you were the intended recipient but go with he was just having a bad day.  He realized he made a mistake and just let it go.  

[Carini Rochester]

That he would write that to anybody is scary. It tells me to keep an eye on him, and almost certainly not renew the lease.

[Bob Stevens]

Quote from @Lynn Gadd:

I have a renter that just moved in my rental on August. Yesterday he tells me he just got laid off effective immediately and that he will be searching for a job- i replied back i was so sorry to hear that and good luck with the job search he said he was doing - his reply back was “You are a pathetic farce of a human being. Die in hell.”

Um- my property is a nice property across from nike and i as a female do not take well to that sort of verbal abuse from a man.  I want him out but know oregon has strict renter laws.  I self manage my property- any thoughts of resources to escalate this to authorities and how to evict?  

 call your attorney, 

[Matthew Irish-Jones]

Quote from @Lynn Gadd:

I have a renter that just moved in my rental on August. Yesterday he tells me he just got laid off effective immediately and that he will be searching for a job- i replied back i was so sorry to hear that and good luck with the job search he said he was doing - his reply back was “You are a pathetic farce of a human being. Die in hell.”

Um- my property is a nice property across from nike and i as a female do not take well to that sort of verbal abuse from a man.  I want him out but know oregon has strict renter laws.  I self manage my property- any thoughts of resources to escalate this to authorities and how to evict?  

 If I had a nickel for every threat I received... I wouldn't need to invest in Real Estate.  I try to ignore, de-escalate, tell them I'm just a humble guy trying to do his job, and disengage.  If it really gets heated our office has a panic button, security cameras, and we are prepared to protect ourselves.  We never make rent collection visits to properties. 

[Dan H.]

I do not care that he was at higher stress or that he claims it was intended for someone else.  I would give him maximum legal rent increase every time until he gives me notice. 

Currently in my market the max rent increase on MF is 10%.  I suspect a couple/few 10% rent increases would convince most tenants to look for other housing.  

Good luck

[Rick Bassett]

@Lynn Gadd I would’ve responded with a snarky comment like “obviously that text was meant for a family member, not me”.

Sometimes kicking the hornets nest is just too irresistible 😎

[Cathy B.]

Quote from @Lynn Gadd:

It took half a day but he responded it was not intended for me.  There was nothing I could do anyway unless there was missed rent or damage but I was just startled by the comment even if it was for someone else.  In oregon at least you get 60 days heads up with being laid off- I would expect it more from tenants from properties in my other states, lol.  Hope it works out for him and we can all move forward.

I'm curious about the 60 day heads up that you mention.  I thought most employment in Oregon is at will and can be terminated at any time.  I'm pretty sure every employer of mine has handled layoffs this way. Employees get no notice of being laid off until it happens.

There are some industries that are resetting due to the high interest rates.  It is definitely affecting developers ability to have projects that pencil out, which translates into less work for others down the line.  Expect more layoffs while the economy resets.  That being said, most people I know that were laid off have been able to find other employment.

[William Sing]

Quote from @Cathy B.:

Quote from @Lynn Gadd:

It took half a day but he responded it was not intended for me.  There was nothing I could do anyway unless there was missed rent or damage but I was just startled by the comment even if it was for someone else.  In oregon at least you get 60 days heads up with being laid off- I would expect it more from tenants from properties in my other states, lol.  Hope it works out for him and we can all move forward.

I'm curious about the 60 day heads up that you mention.  I thought most employment in Oregon is at will and can be terminated at any time.  I'm pretty sure every employer of mine has handled layoffs this way. Employees get no notice of being laid off until it happens.

There are some industries that are resetting due to the high interest rates.  It is definitely affecting developers ability to have projects that pencil out, which translates into less work for others down the line.  Expect more layoffs while the economy resets.  That being said, most people I know that were laid off have been able to find other employment.

 Companies that have 50 employees or more are required by the state to submit that they will be doing layoffs or terminating business. I believe every state has something similar to it. Usually it is called "WARN". You can see Oregon's program here - https://www.oregon.gov/highered/institutions-programs/workfo...

If you then google "WARN LIST [STATE]" in google it will usually come up as well, but this is how people see if there are major layoffs coming or not. Here is Oregon's list:https://ccwd.hecc.oregon.gov/Layoff/WARN

If you are hearing of potential cuts in your company and your company meets those standards, you can check the designated WARN website and see if you need to start a job hunt yourself. 

[Account Closed]

"how to evict a tenant that threatens you in text"

He didn't threaten you. He insulted you. You have nothing to escalate. 

[Cathy B.]

Quote from @William Sing:

Quote from @Cathy B.:

Quote from @Lynn Gadd:

It took half a day but he responded it was not intended for me.  There was nothing I could do anyway unless there was missed rent or damage but I was just startled by the comment even if it was for someone else.  In oregon at least you get 60 days heads up with being laid off- I would expect it more from tenants from properties in my other states, lol.  Hope it works out for him and we can all move forward.

I'm curious about the 60 day heads up that you mention.  I thought most employment in Oregon is at will and can be terminated at any time.  I'm pretty sure every employer of mine has handled layoffs this way. Employees get no notice of being laid off until it happens.

There are some industries that are resetting due to the high interest rates.  It is definitely affecting developers ability to have projects that pencil out, which translates into less work for others down the line.  Expect more layoffs while the economy resets.  That being said, most people I know that were laid off have been able to find other employment.

 Companies that have 50 employees or more are required by the state to submit that they will be doing layoffs or terminating business. I believe every state has something similar to it. Usually it is called "WARN". You can see Oregon's program here - https://www.oregon.gov/highered/institutions-programs/workfo...

If you then google "WARN LIST [STATE]" in google it will usually come up as well, but this is how people see if there are major layoffs coming or not. Here is Oregon's list:https://ccwd.hecc.oregon.gov/Layoff/WARN

If you are hearing of potential cuts in your company and your company meets those standards, you can check the designated WARN website and see if you need to start a job hunt yourself. 

Hmm interesting.  It looks like its for company closings or mass layoffs (33% or more of workforce) for companies with a large workforce, which is probably why I've never heard of it.  Doesn't seem to apply to many situations where employees are laid off unless the company is really in trouble.  It also appears to be a federal law (WARN act signed by Congress in 1988), not an Oregon specific one.
Thanks for the info .  . . I learned something new!