Posted by J. Carabelli on November 08, 2003 at 14:28:13:
Revenge is never a good business model. I have been managing apts for over 15 years and you never win. Even if you get a judgement, how are you going to collect? Why put yourself through the aggravation?
Consider that you just paid tuition for a year in the university of hard knocks, and learn from the experience. How can you not get taken the next time, or at what point do you cut your losses and evict the tenant. I have learned that co-signers never work. Pay the cost of a credit check and don’t accept them as tenants if they have bad credit or no solid means of support.
One month of vacancy waiting for the right tenant is cheaper than what you went through.
FYI, it was the first time I moved someone in ;-). He was 25 and brought dad, who is a local business man. I asked him to print his own credit report buck he lacked a credit card and had no checking account. Dad paid the S.D. and the first month’s rent. To protect myself, I made the tenant sign a “under penalty of perjury in the state of CA” type of sentence that he was never evicted, convicted etc. *** The tenant was a Prop. 36 drug addict, used the place as flop house for other junkies and did unspeakable things to the unit, apart from stealing a new TV… Thousands of $ and moths later, I wonder if I might fight back somehow. The probation officer asked for a police report and the police said, the TV was worth less than $ 400. The damages were “a civil matter”. ** HAS ANYONE EVER FOUGHT BACK? The guy owes child support etc., but the damage has been so disgusting, vicious and pointless that I am willing to give it a try. Thanks, Chris