What would you do

[Bobby J]

Sounds like a good plan, although I'm not sure it's legal to turn off utilities on a tenant without proper procedure.

Never had to get that far. Lots of loopholes in what is legal, esp. if it is their money you are using to pay the electric bill. If they can not pay you, how are you going to pay it? You are not turning it off. It is being shut off by the utility company. ;-)
Like I said, you would not believe how fast the money shows up.

 

[Lynnie]

Successful Eviction!!

Tenant did not abide by terms of lease or eviction notice so we are now considering moving forward to sue for back rent. Not something we want to do, but we have to look after ourselves in this economy.

Have any of you landlords here ever had to sue in a situation like this? We are not litigious, but this turned ugly despite our generosity time and time again....and, we are out quite a bit of money. Quandry!

 

[30ABandMan]

Successful Eviction!!

Tenant did not abide by terms of lease or eviction notice so we are now considering moving forward to sue for back rent. Not something we want to do, but we have to look after ourselves in this economy.

Have any of you landlords here ever had to sue in a situation like this? We are not litigious, but this turned ugly despite our generosity time and time again....and, we are out quite a bit of money. Quandry!

Well, we know they didn't abide by the lease but what did they do to violate the eviction? Are they not out yet? Did you offer them some sort of deal to go away and they didn't take it? DISH!!!

 

[SHELLY]

Successful Eviction!!

Tenant did not abide by terms of lease or eviction notice so we are now considering moving forward to sue for back rent. Not something we want to do, but we have to look after ourselves in this economy.

Have any of you landlords here ever had to sue in a situation like this? We are not litigious, but this turned ugly despite our generosity time and time again....and, we are out quite a bit of money. Quandry!

 

[kathydwells]

That is exactly what I thought. If they couldn't pay their rent, how will you recover back rent? What good will suing them do? I mean I feel your frustration and you did what I would have done, but not sure what else you can get out of them. They obviously don't have any $$ or wouldn't they have been paying their rent?

 

[30ABandMan]

That is exactly what I thought. If they couldn't pay their rent, how will you recover back rent? What good will suing them do? I mean I feel your frustration and you did what I would have done, but not sure what else you can get out of them. They obviously don't have any $$ or wouldn't they have been paying their rent?

Very well said...and awesome visual!

 

[Bobby J]

Successful Eviction!!

Tenant did not abide by terms of lease or eviction notice so we are now considering moving forward to sue for back rent. Not something we want to do, but we have to look after ourselves in this economy.

Have any of you landlords here ever had to sue in a situation like this? We are not litigious, but this turned ugly despite our generosity time and time again....and, we are out quite a bit of money. Quandry!

Move on and along unless you truly feel these folks have the money and are hiding something. Shelly's visual sums it up. She is a smart cookie.

 

[Chandra]

Unfortunately, suing for back rent is no guarantee that money will mysteriously appear.

I have sued both a landlord for withholding a deposit and a tenant, as previously mentioned, for back rent. In the case of the landlord, the judge ruled in my favor and I never saw the money. I would have filed for a lien on their property, but I shortly discovered that they were subletting to me.

In the case of the tenant, after a couple of months of payments - arranged through mediation and ruled in my favor - they stopped paying. By some miracle, after a year, either their conscience got the best of them or they needed to clear their credit, they quietly paid.

 

[Lynnie]

We have learned that things 'aren't always as they seem.' There are discrepancies with $ from tenant. The lease was breached in more ways than just not paying rent, which was discovered when we entered the property after the tenant vacated. Again, we are not litigious, but there is a line to be drawn even in an economy like this, when people blatantly attempt to take advantage. And, there were issues from day one, which is all documented.

We are presently trying to contact the tenant to work out a plan and are not hearing from them. After a couple of more attempts, we will file a law suit and ask for a garnishment of wages. Whether or not we receive the money that is owed, which is now several thousand dollars, we will be granted a judgment and from here, we will be in line for any assets this person acquires. Credit will be further ruined and if and when this person does attempt to repay us, we will have earned interest as granted by the legal system.

I appreciate all of your comments. Unfortunately, there is more than blood in this turnip.

 

[SHELLY]

We have learned that things 'aren't always as they seem.' There are discrepancies with $ from tenant. The lease was breached in more ways than just not paying rent, which was discovered when we entered the property after the tenant vacated. Again, we are not litigious, but there is a line to be drawn even in an economy like this, when people blatantly attempt to take advantage. And, there were issues from day one, which is all documented.

We are presently trying to contact the tenant to work out a plan and are not hearing from them. After a couple of more attempts, we will file a law suit and ask for a garnishment of wages. Whether or not we receive the money that is owed, which is now several thousand dollars, we will be granted a judgment and from here, we will be in line for any assets this person acquires. Credit will be further ruined and if and when this person does attempt to repay us, we will have earned interest as granted by the legal system.

I appreciate all of your comments. Unfortunately, there is more than blood in this turnip.

...keep us posted--you'll provide a valuable service to present and future landlords.

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