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LandlordLaura
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Posted: Mon Jul 7th, 2008 03:18 pm |
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| halds -- how are you doing? Is all OK?
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LandlordLaura
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Posted: Fri Jul 4th, 2008 04:58 am |
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Boy, although it is easy to feel bad for HER situation, you also have to feel bad for YOUR situation. She is not able to pay rent, but, you are also not being PAID rent. Would you work for someone and then be OK with them if they did not pay you? That is what is happening for you! You certainly cannot be any more understanding that what you have been to date.
Give your Tenant a definate time limit to pay you the money that she owes to you. Each month that she gets behind actually amounts to another huge debt that gets piled up on her shoulders.
I hate to ask, but have to: How have you been able to verify that the things that she mentioned have actually occurred? Have you been able to check with the Court to verify the Case she is testifying as a witness for? Did you call the hospital to verify that she has been treated? Has her employer verified that she is on disability or will be returning to work in the future?
As Yolanda posted, you would protect both yourself and your Tenant best if you serve her with the necessary paperwork to protect yourself legally, letting her know that you do feel for her and regret her recent problems but that you also want to avoid becomming a bigger burden to her and help prevent her from living above her means in a downwardly spiriling situation and piling up further debt. Let her know that you have to pay your mortgage when it comes due each month and that you are getting behind and are risking the loss of your property due to your inability to pay.
As OH landlord mentioned, you can always offer to help her get information about housing assistance due to her current situation, if you feel you can, but protect yourself and your Tenant from further financial stress by ending the situation sooner, rather than later. You can always offer to take her back as a Tenant in the future once she is able to get back on her feet.
Please keep us posted and let us know how you decide to proceed.
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OH landlord
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Posted: Tue Jul 1st, 2008 12:38 pm |
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| If you wish to keep this tenant, you might contact her and suggest that she apply for some rent assistance form various organizations. Here most churches, the Salvation Army, County Family Services, the city's Housing Administration Office, and the local Housing Authority all have emergency assistance payments available. They would pay a couple of months of rent for her while she recovers and gets back on her feet. Considering her circumstances, I can't imagine that they would turn her down. It might be a huge relief for her knowing someone would help her out. And if she has been a good tenant until now, you may be able to retain her and she would be able to get back on track. Something to consider...
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Yolanda
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| Joined: | Wed Mar 1st, 2006 |
| Location: | Texas USA |
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Posted: Fri Jun 27th, 2008 03:07 am |
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| Halds, nice to hear from you! You have been missed. This is a very difficult situation and as an LL we can be sympathetic, but you must decide at what point will you no longer allow her to live rent free. I would speak to her via telephone to see if you can reach a compromise. I would then send this tenant a letter by CMRRR. Depending on the conversation would determine the tone of the letter by asking her to remit payment, start making partial payments, she has 30 days to vacate, or whatever arrangements you have decided. You can be sympathetic but straight forward in the letter. If she is the type of person you describe, she can understand that she is putting you in a bind and you need to make some decisions. If she is not working, was raped and had a heart attack, she will more than likely not be able to pay her rent. If you want to help her further, allow her to break the lease, move, and not charge her the remainder rent, if any. You have been very gracious and considerate in working with her and allowing her to live rent free for two months. Will your mortgage company do this for you? It is up to you as to how much longer "you cannot bring yourself to tell her to move." As you very well know, tenants who cannot pay rent, regardless of reason, will not be able to "catch up". It is not an easy decision, but one that needs to be addressed immediately. Good luck to you and keep us posted!
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ozzy92
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| Joined: | Wed May 31st, 2006 |
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Posted: Thu Jun 26th, 2008 07:52 pm |
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That sounds awful. I can see why you would be reluctant to evict.
I can't tell what her financial condition is or yours. My guess would be that she hasn't contacted you simply because of all the stress of all this, and is just avoiding the problem, or hoping it will go away. It could also be that she doesn't want to ask for more from you. But I can't really know.
I think you need to decide what amount of money you need and when, and try to setup a payment plan with her. If she is still getting paid for work, or is getting disability or any other income, she may be able to pay some, but doesn't want to ask you to allow that. It's entirely possible that she has no money if she isn't working at all, and can't pay anything. If that's the case, you'll need to accept it and decide when and if to ask her to move.
And make sure to get any agreements in writting!
Come back and tell us what happens!
Last edited on Thu Jun 26th, 2008 07:52 pm by ozzy92
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halds
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Posted: Tue Jun 24th, 2008 02:14 pm |
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It has been a while since I've been on this board. Perhaps a good sign since I have not had many problems managing my four rental houses over the past year or so, and all my tenants have been good and renewing their leases...except this one recent dilema.
One of my tenants is a single woman middle aged, employed, hard working with two teenage daughters and a son in the militray in Iraq. She does not make a lot of money but has always been able to pay rent on time every month. Good moral character and someone we have known for a while.
Her son recently got leave from duty for a few weeks and she went to California to meet him on his return home. This strained her finances a bit. But while she was there she was raped, and has to make a couple trips back for the criminal prosecution, which has strained her even more. Trying to understand her situation, I let her miss May rent and she assured me that she would be able to make it up. Then she had a heart attack ( I guess from the stress of it all), and was in the hospital and could not pay June rent yet and not working.
So now we are looking at 2 months of back rent with July a week away. I can not bring myself to tell her she has to move. But I can not continue missing rent either. In the past she would be at my doorstep begging forgiveness if rent were even one day overdue. Now she does not come around.
Normally I do not have problems telling a tenant to pay or quit, but this is the first time that I do not know what to do. She is not someone who would try to take advantage of a situation. But her silence of late has me worried.
Any suggestions?
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