Some time ago, one of my daughter’s tenant did a runner after 3 months of not paying the rent. The usual agent’s incompetence, tenant not showing up at tribunals etc. To cut a long story short, she was left with an empty house full of all the tenants earthly possessions, yet with little material value.
On legal advise she paid for removal and storage $1,500, ad in the Sydney Morning Herald advising where the stuff was. After I beleive 4 weeks storage, auctioneer fee $500, got back some $500 from the auction so lost $1000 plus the cost of the ads.
The ads and the auction apparently are only necessary if the content in question has more value than the cost of procedures, so she could have just remove and store, and later do a garage sale.
After I helped with the clean up of the backyard, that include removal of 200 beer bottles, she has now new tenants and a bit more experience.
This Saturday morning at 6AM I was woken up by some persistent banging that sounded real close. I got up and looked through my kitchen window to discovered that a scruffy looking long hair/bearded type was hauling my next door neighbours possessions in a truck parked in their driveway. He took off shortly loaded to the brim direction the tip, with furniture and electric all crushed up in a pile, only to come back with extra help, two trucks and more scruffy guys.
However their quest to clean up the house that the tenant had vacated after 4 months of unpaid rent leaving everything behind including a few millions fleas was short lived. The police came with two paddy wagon and took everyone away to the police station. The rest of the weekend was very quiet and some of the stuff is still in the driveway under the rain.
Perhaps the extra precaution my daughter took was not that silly after all. Has anyone had to do this removal business? Is it true that you can just place everying on the footpath?
“What you want in your life occasionally shows up…
what you must have… always does.” . . . . . Doug Firebaugh
May God Prosper you.[biggrin]
MarcYep,
I’ve done it 4 times in the past, 1 about 6 years ago and 3 in the last 3 months. First one was a house. The 3 most recent ones there was no houses and no household goods involved. All industrial sheds. Residential situations and people’s personal ‘stuff’ is way too difficult.
When we cleared out the house, cleaned up after 3 boys who were into drugs and behind 3 months in rent…despite chasing them for the past 18 months. You know the story, 7 weeks behind…take time out of your personal life to go around and plead with them to pay. They hand over 4 weeks worth of cash and go “great”, as soon as I walk out the door they are only 3 weeks behind and the whole cycle starts again. My father and I got a big rash on our sides and under our arms where we carried the flea infested carpets out.
The best bit was when I was out on the front verandah cleaning a path to the front door with a shovel and wheelbarrow. A real heavy looking character pulled up in a 70’s V8 and demanded to know where the tenant was. I informed him that I was the Landlord and obviously didn’t know, but if he finds him, tell him I’m looking for him. He turned around and said if he catches up with him he won’t be saying anything to him, simply taking an iron bar to this guys spine. I gathered I wasn’t the only one he owed money to. It seemed I was also down the priority scale somewhat.
How people live with the stress of everyone chasing them for money is beyond me. Doesn’t stop them spending though. When cleaning up there was letters of demand for multiple mobile phones, multiple credit cards, video store rentals, Myer cards, and still banks and other financial institutions were trying to feed these guys more credit…amazing…that’s half the trouble right there.
Six weeks after the disgusting clean up, the tenant unexpectedly turned up on our PPoR doorstep and handed us all of the back rent he owed in cash. He apologised for the mess he made and parted with a cheerio. After I picked myself off the floor, went back inside and had a celebratory cup of tea.
We’ve never cleaned up residential messes again and don’t anticipate we’ll have to any time soon.
The 3 industrial incidents were minor in comparison. A forklift, truck and locksmith do wonders. We sought advice from lawyers before doing it. With all of their hand wringing and “rights, rights, rights of the tenants”. Their advice was pretty much the same as what your daughter received. No way Hose A.
Within two weeks the clowns were out, place was cleaned up and advertised and new lessee’s have moved in. You wouldn’t know they were there. They try it on of course, but you call their bluff and they fold like a pack of cards. It helps being big though. It also helps the tenants not ever being able to find out where your PPoR is. Lesson learnt and applied since the residential place 6 years ago.
I honestly believe there is a very big untapped market out there for services to quickly evict tenants who are a joke. This is where you get into the murky waters of screaming mothers and children with residential props….no way Hose A. The police would be round there quick as a flash and that’s you done for months.
I remember replying to your original thread Marc…the only true solution to avoiding this drama is don’t get involved with people’s personal lives…whatever that entails.
Cheers,
Dazzling
“No point having a cake if you can’t eat it.”
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