[bimmerfrk]

Ok so I got a bit of a problem here:

My wife and I have a house in north west CT. I am renting the house. I have asshole tenants that have been late on rent since the second month they moved in. They were 1 1/2 month behind in beginning of September but magically caught up some how.

Now they are 1 1/2 months behind again and will be 2.5 month behind in December. Got a lawyer to start the eviction process and they were served this Monday. My question is does any one know the maximum these people will be living in my house? My lawyer said it could be up to 4 months if they play their cards right in court. It's a couple they have 3 grown kids and one toddler or baby... God knows :-?

Does anyone rent property and have experience with this type of thing. I have the money to pay for the house but don feel It is fair to let people live there for free while I fight a stupid legal battle against them. What can I do And how will I know when they move out. I need to secure my property and live in NYC. UGH FML

[flyingfortress]

good luck. unfortunately the law is on the side of the tenants always. they will most likely mess the place up before they are removed too.
i am glad i got rid of my duplex a few years ago.

[upstatedoc]

Originally Posted by flyingfortress

good luck.. they will most likely mess the place up before they are removed too.

Are you trying to make him feel better?

[KingOfJericho]

I think four months is your best case scenario. As was already mentioned, the law is on the side of the tenant, and heavily so. I've seen much worse (up to a year) and you will likely never recoup those legal fees. It's terrible that landlords don't have more recourse. I hope they paid a security deposit you can lean on for something of an offset.

[Joekerr]

Can't make you feel better here...you are screwed. And as others said...they probably will mess up the place too. My sister in law and her husband moved in to a place that had been previously rented (they bought the place), tenant before they left grabbed the chandelier and literally ripped it out of the ceiling for something to sell I suppose...there were just wires hanging out of the ceiling and it was all messed up.

Plus the place was beyond filthy. It was pretty bad, I couldn't believe they didn't go after the seller for damages, but on the other had, they had planned extensive renovations anyways that was going to have a lot ripped down anyway.

Good luck!

[P1]

How much deposit did you get from these losers? I hate to say it, but try to find a middle ground here. You're pissed, but if you push these people too hard they will destroy your house. Possibly beyond what you took from them in the form of a deposit.

I am having anxiety just thinking about it.

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by P1et

How much deposit did you get from these losers? I hate to say it, but try to find a middle ground here. You're pissed, but if you push these people too hard they will destroy your house. Possibly beyond what you took from them in the form of a deposit.

I am having anxiety just thinking about it.

This. I would try to keep it as civil as possible.

I was the president of my condo association for the last five years (despite moving out two years ago) and I see this shit happen all the time. Someone gets a warning letter after a minor complaint then they fly off the handle and want to destroy the people who complained.

What do they say when you speak to them about being behind on rent?

[El Cheapo Loco]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

This. I would try to keep it as civil as possible.

I was the president of my condo association for the last five years (despite moving out two years ago) and I see this shit happen all the time. Someone gets a warning letter after a minor complaint then they fly off the handle and want to destroy the people who complained.

What do they say when you speak to them about being behind on rent?

Speaking from experience, there is nothing to be civil about this stuff. These people have proven to be bad tenants so it's time to boot them out. Once you have a lawyer to handle your eviction process, there is no need to have any conversation with the tenant. Your lawyer will handle all communications and might even advise you to not contact the tenants.

If these people are malicious, it will take a few months and a few court appearances. You will lose all the rent the time they decided to fight, lawyer's fee, and the money to repair/renovate the home. Next time hire a property management company and the chance of this happening is a lot lower.

[MidwestGolfBum]

I have several rental properties but have hired a management company to take care of all the crap like this. I do remember there was a time earlier this year that we had an eviction. I don't remember all the details but it was fairly simple to prove that they were people who needed to be thrown out in court. They tried to fight it as long as they could but after a few missed deadlines on responses, missed appearances, etc. the judge basically ruled in my favor. I think the entire process was 2.5 months. The tennants did destroy a few things and actually stole a sink (what the hell?) and every lightbulb in the place (?) before they left. I have always required first and last month plus security deposit, so by the time we replaced carpet, fixed the holes in walls and did all the other things to make it livable again I was only out a small amount thankfully.

Having a management company when you can't be nearby all the time is really helpful.

[upstatedoc]

Originally Posted by MidwestGolfBum

I have several rental properties but have hired a management company to take care of all the crap like this. I do remember there was a time earlier this year that we had an eviction. I don't remember all the details but it was fairly simple to prove that they were people who needed to be thrown out in court. They tried to fight it as long as they could but after a few missed deadlines on responses, missed appearances, etc. the judge basically ruled in my favor. I think the entire process was 2.5 months. The tennants did destroy a few things and actually stole a sink (what the hell?) and every lightbulb in the place (?) before they left. I have always required first and last month plus security deposit, so by the time we replaced carpet, fixed the holes in walls and did all the other things to make it livable again I was only out a small amount thankfully.

Having a management company when you can't be nearby all the time is really helpful.

WTF? Why are people such dirtbags?! Pisses me off..

[bimmerfrk]

Originally Posted by P1et

How much deposit did you get from these losers? I hate to say it, but try to find a middle ground here. You're pissed, but if you push these people too hard they will destroy your house. Possibly beyond what you took from them in the form of a deposit.

I am having anxiety just thinking about it.

I have 3 months. But on the first they will be already 2.5 months behind. That gives me a half of a month worth of deposit to get them out. I doubt any judge will throw a family out during the holidays...

I just hope they are as bad at paperwork and going to court as they are at paying rent. Yea i got a great lawyer in Hartford that is handling everything form me.

One thing i am not sure about is how to actually know when the tenants leave. I don't just want the house sitting unlocked and vulnerable as i am in NY and cant drive 2 hours every day to check if they moved out or not.....

Yea and i really hope they don't fuck the house up. This is the worst shit in the world to have to deal with around the holidays.

Originally Posted by MidwestGolfBum

I have several rental properties but have hired a management company to take care of all the crap like this. I do remember there was a time earlier this year that we had an eviction. I don't remember all the details but it was fairly simple to prove that they were people who needed to be thrown out in court. They tried to fight it as long as they could but after a few missed deadlines on responses, missed appearances, etc. the judge basically ruled in my favor. I think the entire process was 2.5 months. The tennants did destroy a few things and actually stole a sink (what the hell?) and every lightbulb in the place (?) before they left. I have always required first and last month plus security deposit, so by the time we replaced carpet, fixed the holes in walls and did all the other things to make it livable again I was only out a small amount thankfully.

Having a management company when you can't be nearby all the time is really helpful.

Yea I'm hoping this will be my best case scenario.

[MidwestGolfBum]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

WTF? Why are people such dirtbags?! Pisses me off..

I don't get it either, I knew going in that this kind of thing was possible, so prepared myself for that with a "slush fund" of sorts to take care of repairs that needed to be made or just random upgrades that have been deemed necessary. Thankfully the tenants that do things like this are few and far between in my experience.

[El Cheapo Loco]

Originally Posted by MidwestGolfBum

Thankfully the tenants that do things like this are few and far between in my experience.

I beg to differ. In Cali where the rental law is so skewed it is very common.

[Maestro]

This is the reason I will not rent property again, in order for you to be a landlord you have to be a bigger ass than the people you rent to.

I am not sure what CT renter laws are and how pro-renter they are, however, most states and courts are very unlikely to toss out kids especially babies. The fact they made attempts at payment most likely will go in their favor.

When I rented, as others side I had someone manage it for me, in my case it was a friend since I would out of state. She had lots of experience managing property and knew how to void bad renters. She would tell you never rent to a single women and especially one which is likely to have a kids. When people would come to rents she would have them fill out a credit app, which has some good information about who they were. She would go to their current property and talk to neighbors and the current landlord if possible to find out what kind of people they were.

She found good tenants and they never gave me problem. One time they were a few days late on rent she told them about and warned them about the late fee and they paid the rent and late fee even though she said they did not have to pay, they were late a second time and before she said anything they paid and include the late fee. Can not complain about that.

[jlstyle]

I've evicted several commercial tenants before and it was fairly quick (less than 2 months) but I know that it takes minimum of 3 months to remove people from their homes. For my case, even though lawyers did most of the work, I was still on their ass as much I could do get them moved out faster and it wasn't such a great experience.
Such a waste of time..