Good tenants go bad....a story of small mistakes.

Discussion in 'Property Management' started by robboat, 23rd Sep, 2015.

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  1. robboat

    robboat Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    20th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    177
    Location:
    Sunny Queensland
    Had a employed couple with a young baby renting our 2 bed house for 6 months.
    Rent paid on time, place kept reasonably clean and all looking good.

    Then they missed one weeks rent......
    Turns out the husband said he had been stood down from his work for failing a random drug & alcohol test.
    What he didn't tell me was he was involved in a "near miss" critical incident - so he had been terminated immediately!

    Sorted out a payment plan for rent arrears while they tried to sort out their mess.......
    They missed the second payment so the 14 day rent arrears Notice to Quit was issued.
    Rather that admit they were in real trouble they tried to do short term loans from pay day lenders to cover the rent - 33% interest or more.
    Needless to say the debt piled up and engulfed them.

    They finished up practically walking out of the house and leaving many things because they could not afford removals and forfeited the bond with back rent and cleaning/removal costs.

    They have moved back with family in the country.

    So many people are living just a few pay packets away from the street.....
    Too many "social" drugs that linger for a long while in the blood.....
    These were apparently reasonable people who made a series of poor choices and it has changed their lives.

    Good tenants gone bad.........

    Yes - I self manage - no problems usually. Place is now leased at 5% higher rent now!
     
    Last edited: 23rd Sep, 2015
  2. EN710

    EN710 Well-Known Member

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    18th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    3,218
    Location:
    Melburn
    Did recreational drug while having a baby? Not a sound decision at all....

    Hope it's getting better for them. And good on you for increased rent ;)
     
  3. bob shovel

    bob shovel Well-Known Member

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    Location:
    Lower Blue Mountains
    It can turn quickly. Perhaps an info leaflet is required advising of the counter measures available to beat the drug tests
     
  4. D.T.

    D.T. Specialist Property Manager Business Member

    Joined:
    3rd Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    9,189
    Location:
    Adelaide and Gold Coast
    Yea, a lot of people's lives can turn around in an instant. Sometimes their fault and sometimes not.

    All the background checks in the world wouldn't have picked this up.
     
    733 likes this.
  5. Lil Skater

    Lil Skater Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    18th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    1,109
    Location:
    Melbourne
    I see it all the time, I had one recently vacate after being great for 9 months. Never missed a payment, but it would come in bits and pieces or I'd receive payments from charities.

    Tenant never admitted a problem, but I could tell.

    Sometimes these things are unavoidable, but honesty is always the best policy!