Worst Tenant Experience

My worst tenant came with the property. I changed managing agents when I settled because the agent when I purchased had let the tenant instal Pay TV despite being behind in rent. The original managing agent had told me what a good tenant this person was. Tenant almost straightened out arrears as we put them on Centrelink then his de facto left. Tenant bashed up another tenant, broke the windows in another flat and when he was evicted stole the airconditioning system. My managing agent handled everything and did a great job. Having a good managing agent removed a lot of stress. I was 200 km away from the property travelling to a meeting several hundred k’s away when I got the news. Agents organised window replacement, locks etc, principal went and spoke to the other tenants.
I figure it works both ways with agents. good ones take the stress away, but they’re in a pretty thankless position being the meat in the sandwich between the tenant and us. If the agent rings me and the tenant wants a repair or something minor even if they are not strictly entitled to it, it gets authorised straight away. This is partly selfish on my part. My agent handles a lot of property. My property is at the cheaper end of the market so it’s not a great moneyspinner for them. If i help them keep a tenant happy I’m making their job easier and I’m also making it more likely the tenant will stay longer so ultimately more money ends up in my pocket. I also send my agent flowers once a year

Ours was a solicitor. He’s obviously one of those ‘victim’ mentality people.

Unfortunately, they lost their house in the Canberra Bushfires last year. They have onsold their land for a massive price – more than their house cost, so add to that their insurance payout, and hey, instant $600K or so.

I offered to provide furniture, and that they could keep it after 12 months. It was a brand new townhouse, so had some issues that the builder would have to fix – providing he was told about them. The guy refused to allow anybody access except between 8.15 and 8.30. Not finished by then, well, come back tomorrow and i might let you in.

Short story, they must have found their new ‘dream house’, plus their insurance that paid for the rent had run out, so, let’s find a way to break the lease shall we. they took US to the tribunal, where the tribunal apologised for keeping Dr ****** waiting (?!), and allowed him to gain a break in the lease, but also ordered us to pay compensation of $700 for not having the problems fixed – plus some money for some other problems that they only now decided to mention!!

I will never again rent to a solicitor! We’ve since sold that townhouse – too much hassle.

Cheers
Mel

My parents have had a stack of rental property ever since I was 8. Back about 14 years ago, my mother had trouble with one of the tenants. And it got too much for her to sort out, so I took over.

– as the story goes, it was a 4 pack block of flats in a lower socio economic area. A young 18yo girl, first time out of home, living upstairs got friendly over several weeks with the charming tattoed electrician downstairs. This guy had come recommended by his uncle who was living in one of the other properties we had.

– Anyway, one night they have a party. The electrician and his mate get the girl drunk, then have their way with her sexually, against her will apparently.

– they tell her male flatmate that if he says anything, then they will put him in a wheelchair.

– first consequence. she comes around the next day seriously distraught, not revealing why, and gives immediate notice. = loss of one good tenant.

– second consequence. I am ropeable after talking with the male flatmate. We talk to the girl’s parents and the male flatmate to get them to go to the police. they don’t want to. apparently she had been flirtatious, but apparently not enough to invite being raped by two assholes.

– third consequence. I ask the electrician to leave. He decides to go away for 5 weeks without paying rent before telling us where he is. Therefore we have a flat with his stuff in it, and he obviously knew how much time he could be away before we could legally enter the flat and take the stuff out.

– so he shows up one day. I am there on the spot asking him to leave. He wants to have a fight. I said I had found out he was on probation and I’d let him throw a punch and immediately have the police there and go to all limits to see him charged with breaking probationary rules. He backs off. And says he is leaving that day.

– the mistake i made was to say leave the key on the kitchen bench when you’ve gone. The next day, we go up to the flat, with another key, and he has trashed the place. Punched holes in all the walls. Pulled the oven out of the wall and smashed it with a sledge hammer. ripped up all the curtains, rubbed sh.t all through the carpet and on the ceilings. smashed the kitchen cupboards, and all the bathroom tiles.

– apparently one other tenant was home at the time, but didn’t want to get involved.

– we got the police in, and got this response:
“did you see him do it”
we say no
they say
“then there’s nothing we can do about it. claim it on your insurance.”

I was younger then, not so young now.

So, when I hear about all the upside on the forum, I look back on the 37 years I have been involved in rentals (parents had 15 rentals) and wonder if the downside is being glossed over. I should add that my parent’s properties were in a reasonable area when first built, and we had reasonable tenants. But as the properties aged in style and the suburb demographic went south, sheet happened…….
BTW, I wasted a lot of breath telling my parents to sell these properties and buy something in a better suburb.

Bruce
Mooloolaba, Qld

wow I have my first tenants moving in on Friday but I think my pm is pretty good…but I am very nervous now after hearing all these stories….