All Forum Posts by: Ben Gleason

I have multiple posts discussing this tenant, but I will summarize.

I had a tenant living below me and over a period of 3 months he became more and more delusional.  He believed people were out to kill him, people were watching him, he was the victim of a mass conspiracy.  He was either Bi-Polar 1, Schizophrenic, or was suffering from dellusions from too much Meth.    He put cameras up facing the outside, and the day after Thanksgiving he vanished.

I eventually found a relative who informed he me that he left the county and is now living with a relative to get the help he needs.  He did not explain to me what the exact cause was.

I was able to speak with him a bit, and I let him know that we would use his security deposit to cover the rent and that there would be no penalty for breaking the lease early.  He agreed that would be best.  I let him know that we can not afford to have the apartment vacant and that we needed all of his items out.

I have not seen anyone to move belongings, and I suspect that since he thinks people in this city are out to kill him, that he may not be willing  (or even be too impaired) to drive the hour and a half over here to move the belongings.

with that said, we have checked the apartment to make sure stove is off, water isnt on etc etc, but at the end of the month if nothing has happened, what do I do with his belongings??

NYS isnt too kind to landlords, and I dont want to potentially break any laws.  I certaintly cant afford to not rent the apartment let alone pay for storage for this stuff

Fair points. I suppose part of it is that I live upstairs, and part of it is that he is convinced someone is trying to kill him.
So I suppose when it is all boiled down, lease aside, I am concerned for my safety and the safety of my wife.  I’m not sure if you’ve ever dealt with someone who is having a bipolar or schizophrenic episode, but I can easily become the target of delusion at any time. 
Aside from all of that, I’m a human being and I care about other human beings. I’m nervous, sure, but I’m concerned for his safety as well. 

 Hi! I have sent him a few messages, and I went downstairs yesterday as well to check in. Nothing. 

I am sorry I am such an amateur and asking for so much advice. My situation keeps escalating. I have 2 other posts but to summarize:

I own a home and rent the lower. My tenant displays erratic behavior, including possible drug and alcohol issues, and obsessive tendencies. He obsesses about the police, the FBI, and sometimes thinks someone is on the street looking to kill him.  

On Thanksgiving his pattern shifted into even more delusional paranoia. He was filming out of his window, parking wildly in the street, worried about the FBI. 

I have not seen him since Thanksgiving and yesterday, the 27th, a local county Crisis Management team came to the house looking for him to perform a welfare check.  Apparently on Black Friday he was at a grocery store, displayed ‘disturbing behavior’ and someone called the police on him.   Police let him go but they followed up with crisis services to visit to make sure he didn’t harm himself. I don’t have much info on what actually occurred at the store. 

I do not know where he is. I called his emergency contact, and even THEY won’t respond to me.  I have no idea if he’s in his apartment. His car is gone, but it could have been towed based on how he parked. 

At what point to I go into his apartment? How do I handle this situation without breaking any laws (NYS doesn’t like landlords that much). I  have absolutely no idea what to do here.  Do I just keep reaching out to his emergency contact? Not to sound insensitive but I have a life to live as well. 

 My point was more of a legal point, but I get you totally. I’m going to start moving my pieces into play tomorrow. 

 I actually speak to a therapist myself, and she said the same thing. She really emphasized the potential of amphetamine abuse. 

It’s scary. Since this has started even more things have come to light. He is paranoid for sure.  

I am buying cameras and installing them, moving to a property manager and just not dealing with it.  I can’t risk setting him off, and I can’t risk accidentally confirming his paranoia.