I will pay you to go away!

Was moving from my house to live in downstairs apartment of my wife's elderly grandparents to save money and to help them out with property. Tried selling house from November to February (worst time to do so...). Had no offers so I had brilliant idea to rent it out. So, eagerly wanting to find tenants I held an open house and this couple with 3 kids walked through, said they loved the place and had cash on hand to give deposit and first months rent that day. I still had them fill out application and did what I thought was a thorough background check using a suggested website (thanks a lot google). All looked good and so I gladly took the cash. They wanted to move in asap so I busted my butt to pack and move out that weekend. They end up moving in 2 weeks early. Do they pay for those 2 weeks?, no. They are late with the first rent payment... oh great, good start. Following month, they are a few days late with payment... noticing a pattern already. Oh and he can't get a job because he was arrested on drug felony 8 years ago.. Then a few weeks ago they want me to sign this paper saying that there younger sister (who's only 18) is moving in so they can put power in here name. After many lies about the situation I decide not to sign paper, then all hell brakes loose. They only paid 1/3 of the rent on time and I still haven't seen the rest after 2 weeks being due. They call up screaming at my wife who had been managing the property. Upset because we want to do a walk through of the place and collect back rent. Then couldn't get in touch with them in any way... I needed them out!! So was all ready to start eviction process. Call lawyer, he wants $1k. Town wants $100. Court fees? Lost rent?... Option B, my wife reads about doing a "cash for keys" contract. I am paying them $2,000 cash to move out. As crazy as it sounds and as hard as it is to hand them money it is the only way to get them out fast and without damaging my house. He told my neighbor friend before all this that he would flood the place if I evicted them... real piece of work, both of them. So they have until July 1 to get out. They get half now and half when I inspect the place after they have moved out. I guess I'm not cut out to be a landlord, but then again after this lesson I feel like I have earned my degree in picking and dealing with bad tenants... It can only get better right? Not sure if I will re-list or re-rent. The extra money is nice... if you can get it.

I think I would offer 1/4 up front and the rest after the inspection. If their previous land lord gave a good reference, he must have been trying to get them out of his/her place. Most leases I have seen give the land lord the right to inspect their property as needed. Sometimes the lease requires notice, but not always. It might be dependent on your state and if it is land lord friendly or renter friendly. Sorry you are going through this.

I have known many people who rent out property they own and it's always one horror story after another.

Sorry you have to go through this. I have had many oportunties over the years to buy or flip rental properties but I always declined. Growing up my dad had a few properties and it was always one headache after another. His experiences always kept me from doing.

I can remove them for half that price and in a matter of minutes . Really a sad story , I hope you get the place back free of any major damage . I can see why renting is such a headache , you either have to pay them or a lawyer/state to regain control of what's yours . That's not easy when the tenant isn't paying their part . Hope it's remedied quickly for you .

Being a landlord is a business not to be entered into lightly. Being a long distance landlord even with a realtor managing it is a very bad idea. Some get lucky but you and I did not. You may want to get a lawyer to assist. Mike

so sorry. I have a 2 bed room house sitting empty after renting it for 5 years and problem after problem. the empty house will eventually rot into the Florida earth, but it is a better alternative then renting it and the problems.

76 is right give them as little cash up front as possable and the rest when every piece of lint that could be possably theirs is out of the house and you have the keys. Get a sighned NOTORIZED CONTRACT DESCRIBING THE AGREEMENT TO MOVE.

GOOD LUCK WITH THE TENNANT/LANDLOARD REGS OF NEW YORK!

oh yes, they showed up early to sign the agreement and take my money. SCUM Perhaps its best to relist and be done with it. Odds are not in my favor or any landlords favor I imagine. The "lady" is about to add to her litter tomorrow, I'm sure that would look good in court, me kicking them with a newborn. I would be the bad guy... They make me sick to my stomach.

I have rental properties, with both good and bad experiences. You really need to treat it as a business (as it is). Over ten years ago we wanted to make major improvements on a 3-plex. So it meant three families had to move, we were very accommodating. One family moved into a smaller apartment we had. Another family bought their own home and we helped them move. Six months later third family was refusing to move and quit paying (because we started demo on the other two units). Depending on your state rental laws it can be a nightmare. We ended up paying three months rent on their new place and moving them! In the end it was all part of the construction cost and lesson in renting property.

Rental properties are always a minefield. When I moved my business to its new location, I could have done pretty much anything I wanted. The process to evict is very long and arduous. Just remember- there are good renters out there, too. Now, finding them can be another story....

Very good renters do exist!

I would call child services to have their kids removed, then deal with the parents.

Maybe you should start asking for more up front. When I moved into my place I needed to provide first and last months rent, plus a security deposit. All told I needed over $3000 just to move in.

Increase the rent requirements when moving in, run credit and background checks, real background checks, not just a google search, get non-family references.

That should help mitigate some of the scumbaggery out there.

It could have been way worse. You could have rented to this guy.

Carter: Landlords say Newark man refuses to pay rent, trashes apartments, then ties them up in court | NJ.com

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Originally Posted by JustInTime

Maybe you should start asking for more up front. When I moved into my place I needed to provide first and last months rent, plus a security deposit. All told I needed over $3000 just to move in.

Increase the rent requirements when moving in, run credit and background checks, real background checks, not just a google search, get non-family references.

That should help mitigate some of the scumbaggery out there.

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Unfortunately, some states limit your to collecting the first month, last month and security deposit (can't be more than 1 months rent).

I lucked out I got a guy and his lady friend who rent my house in Westbrook , he has completely remodeled the place , keeps the yard work up and pays his 300.00 a month early !! It is cheap but he has down much work there and paid for all the material , he want 3 more years there and then will retire up north , I will sell it then.

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Originally Posted by bigburtchino

Very good renters do exist!

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I am one of them! I get along great with my landlord (he scraps too). Its all about finding the right fit. The first reply I was going to make was it sounds like it is a sh!tstorm of BS you have to go through down there in the US. Around here the eviction process is much more simple from what I understand. But then I've never thought of screwing over my landlord that way. I'm sorry to hear of your troubles, I hope all works out well.

I'm not the type, but if a tennant wanted to tie up a landloard, it would be a cakewalk here. It can take months, if not years, to evict someone. Now, if it's a company, it gets even harder, as sometimes you can't prosecute the members. If that company has no assets, then you can't really collect anything.

Someone had a huge mess like that a couple of years ago. I don't know all the details, but it wasn't pretty!

A landowner needs to know! The term "Squatters Rights", has no legal definition, that doesn't mean a squatter can't take possession of a piece of property. Here in California once a tenant pays 30 days of rent, the property owner has to fallow all of the proper legal means of eviction, easier said than done. In many states unoccupied property, can be occupied until titled owner reoccupies that property. The Pilgrims were really just squatters, we called them "Colonies" and "Settlers".

The concept of squatting has been around for hundreds of years and more occurring in recent years. I'm not in favor of squatters, but property owners should also be aware of the laws!

A squatter can even legally obtain the property, through the practice of "ADVERSE POSSESSION". How does a squatter live in, stay for the long run, and eventually own the property being seized. To qualify for adverse possession the squatters occupation of the land must be:

1. Continuous: Must have daily uninterrupted control of the land, usually for a certain number of years.
2. Hostile: The trespasser must occupy the land in opposition to the owner’s true rights.
3. Open and notorious: Must possess the land openly for all to see.
4. Actual: Must actually possess the land.
5. Exclusive: Sole physical occupancy.

A different shade of "GRAY", THE WORLD OF LAWYERS AND THIEVES!

well, one week left and I still haven't heard those magical words yet "we're all moved out!". Haven't heard a single word actually. Holding out hope that they are not that dumb as to face eviction and lose out on my final payoff. I can guarantee that 12:01am July 1st I will be at my door with police to forcibly remove them from my property. Hopefully it wont come to that, but at this point anything is possible.

Good luck. In most places it would take months if not years before you could legally forcibly remove them...

I found out the hard way that it is even harder to evict when they have young children. When you do your inspection, make sure to check for FISH in the A/C system. I sold my rental house several years ago.

In the "cash for keys" contract it explicitly states:

10) Occupant agrees that he hereby waives any protection allowed under all applicable New York State Laws, if he/she does not fulfill the terms of this agreement. Occupant further agrees to be solely responsible for Owner's legal fees, should any be required to regain possession of this property, plus any unpaid rent/late fees

That to me means that there is no eviction period. On July 1st they are trespassers.

Well heard from tenants yesterday, they found a new place and will be out on the 1st. Holding my breath that it goes as planned. New tenants (brother/sister in law) are moving from current military base in NC and will be here on the 18th. Worked out well that they can now live there as they needed a place fast and in the right area. They plan to stay through the winter and then when they leave I will think about renting again or just selling. I feel like I had the worst experience this time and that it can only get better and that I will be better at picking a proper tenant... or not...

Maybe they will move out this next weekend before the 1st, hope it works out for you!

I would've tripled my insurance on that place to an insane amount. And served them an eviction notice, why reward scum for being scum ?

Trust me, it has kept me up a few nights. It was not my first choice to give them money to leave, but for me it was cheaper and quicker than an eviction, plus any damage they would have caused if evicted. Sure I could sue them but cant get blood from a stone. I do plan on suing for back rent once they are moved out. Maybe get lucky and see a little bit of that money back to me..?

Look into companies that manage rentals. I have no idea what it costs, but it takes away a lot of headaches, they have more exerpience screening, and more experience with evictions.

Under no circumstances accept money from them if they don't leave on time as planned. If they give you $1.00 it it technically some part of rent and restarts the entire non-payment period over. This relates more to the eviction process itself but also be careful with the "agreement to waive protections" portion. In New York the courts are highly sympathetic to the renter and may not recognize that element of the contract, unless someone in the legal profession has suggested otherwise and I could be wrong. Sorry to hear about your troubles, best of luck.

They are out! I changed the locks and now I hope to never ever see them again. Well except for in small claims court for unpaid rent. But then never again!! Glad to have my house back, maybe I can finally sleep tonight.

Winning judgement in court is the easy part collecting normally never happens. If your going to be a landlord approach it like its a job and educate yourself and surround yourself with professional advisers.

Its easy to make a very expensive error when it comes to owning a rental. I know this first hand when the property management company rented to a person that did huge amounts of damage to my house while I was stationed overseas for 4 years. Good luck, Mike