I recently acquired a building and there is one unit which is disgusting, smelly, and dirty. There have been multiple complaints of the smell by the other tenants. The smell equals that of underwear that has been worn for 2 weeks straight in 90 degree heat with a constant Taco Bell diet. Furthermore, it is the first unit of 11 when you walk in. Every tenant walks by and new prospective tenants as well.
The tenant has been there 10 years and always paid on time. His rent is $100-$150 under market value.
It sounds like an easy decision to evict, but he is a single, older male with multiple medical conditions. He certainly doesn't have the financial means to find another place and has disabilities which require him to have close parking and a handicapped accessible unit, therefore, limiting his options to find another place. He has no local family around.
Part of me wants him out because he is hurting my investment property and he is disturbing the other tenants. I am losing $150 a month in cash flow for as long as he stays and he will never leave on his own.
The human part of me fears what will happen to the guy if evicted. He honestly might die living in his car.
If I raised his rent, he wouldn't be able to afford it, and that would lead to eviction, so that would basically be the same as evicting him because of the complaints.
I'm in a tough spot. I've only met the guy once, should it be on my conscience to keep him with a stable living environment?
The maintenance man goes in and cleans up his unit every 6 months. Here is his unit before a cleaning:
What should I do?
