All Forum Posts by: Jim Bryant

So, I have this tenant who is sort of a drama queen.  You may remember the story about a tenant who had a brick thrown through her window (thrown by a babysitter in rage over her being a bad mother, apparently), well this is the same one.  She has complained that the AC was, making funny noises (it was fine), that there is an issue with the metal roof (there isn't), that she thinks she has carpenter ants (not likely) and just generally annoyance.

Has anyone had an issue with a tenant who always seem to have, often imaginary, issues?  How did you hand it?

I'll be back on the 19th.  I guess shoot me a message here and let me know where and when you'd like to meet up. 

Hey good to hear from you, Anthony.  As you can see above I work out of DePue.  I am currently out of the country, but would be great to get together.  The wife and I usually work at the Metro early in the morning, so we're in Princeton almost daily.  

Also Jeff if you're still out there, I haven't been paying attention to this enough lately.  We could compare notes as well.  I usually work in Bureau county but it look like we're about to buy our first duplex in Peru.  

There's also a guy from LaSalle I've been talking to, we should try to get together and at least share our list of people not to rent to :D!

Jim

I'm going to take a look at the google forms thing, that sounds like a great idea.

Yeah I know what you mean, Meagan.  The smoking thing is not too much of an issue, in Illinois marijuana is still illegal and this is a working class area, so still plenty of people who smoke.  The fact that I have a minimum income and credit score has deterred my exhibitionist friends every time.

Bianca sounds like someone who is upper middle class, no doubt.  The "winners" I get usually give up right after I tell them the qualifications.

Wow, thanks for all the stories!  It comes down to being able to see picks.  Some potential tenants are not very self-aware or they don't think that having pictures of them straight up smoking weed will be an issue.  

I did have way more responses than actual "serious" inquiries, but I would imagine that is normal with all tenant-finding tools.  I mean, after all you are only going to have one "successful" inquiry.  

Great news, they caught the perpetrator and now they have to pay!  For your amusement, here's the situation:

The lady who rents is a single mother and she had a baby sitter take care of the kids while she's at work.  Apparently the last babysitter wasn't very good and there was a pay dispute.  So, maybe to get back she accuses her erstwhile employer of child abuse, on facebook of course.  My renter decides to post this message on facebook with a pithy (with requisite bad grammar and spelling) retort of her own.  

Out of her concern for the kids, I guess, the old babysitter throws a brick through the window, in the dead of winter, in the house where those very same kids sleeps.  She, however, did not notice that my crappy little village has a surveillance camera on main street and just happened to notice a car going around the block 4 times.  

So, anyone else want to invest in the Illinois Valley?

Ok no prob, we're paying for it because it's less than the deductible.  They filed a police report and in our presence (not mine since I'm overseas) and there was a brick in any case.  So yeah, hopefully it doesn't happen again.  ****** thing to do, break  someone's window in the dead of winter, there are kids living there. 

Gregg thanks for your comment in particular.  I think it was an unrelated party or at least someone who had a grudge but doesn't reside in the home.  Renter's insurance, hahaha, believe me these are the renter's insurance types (well I guess I'm not either).

So my renter's house has just been vandalized.  I guess someone broke a window and we're in Illinois and it's still winter. 

What's my liability for that? Should I replace the window through my insurance or is it on them?

I'm inclined to help out in some way, on humanitarian grounds, but it isn't like the furnace is faulty or something like that.