A Landlords Rant- Lessons Learned

This is completely unrelated to running unless you consider it running someone ragged.

Lessons learned and misconceptions about landlords and tenants.  I've mentioned this before but if you're considering being a landlord.  Run away!  RUN AWAY!

1. A landlord must be rich - This is the biggest misconception that I run into. A landlord still has a mortgage, still has bills and still must make repairs. There is no "rich" in landlord. Unless someone has many properties or a spouse/significant other to support them, many landlords have 8 to 5 jobs.
2. Somehow tenants think a landlord doesn't really need the rent- See #1
3. A landlord isn't greedy is they charge a late fee- We enter into an agreement called a lease. Whether it is month to month or a years lease, there is an agreement that the tenant pay rent and if not, there is a late fee.  It's not greed.  It's part of the agreement.
4. A tenant may think it's none of the landlords business what the tenant does - The landlord hopefully has an interest in their property and it is completely their business. Until it come to tenant to tenant disagreements.
5. A landlord is not a parent or referee that needs to keep the peace between tenants. You are all adults.  Grow up.  See #4 and don't get the landlord in tenant to tenant disagreements.
6. Landlords shouldn't think that people think like you do. This is a tough one for me to get past.  Not everyone has the same belief or ethics or cleaning habits that I do.
7. Some people don't mind living with roaches. This is not something I can understand at all. See #6
8. Some people have no problem living in a house they aren't paying rent for.  Somehow they think they are victims and they are owed. 
9. It's a good tax write-off. The interest is deductible and the other expenses are deductible as well.  This doesn't mean bad money decisions can be made.
10. Most of the time the rent covers the mortgage for rentals.  Depending on the mortgage and the rent amount that is a true statement.  However, if the place is vacant, you need to make your mortgage payment regardless.
11. Sometimes tenants trash the house and cause more damage than the deposit covers. Not much to say to this very true statement.  See #4 and #6
12. Rules are made to be broken is not something a landlord needs to follow.  Set your standards and stick to them. It's not a popularity contest. The tenants don't need to like you.
13. Give the 5 day notice (or whatever the first step is for eviction). See #12.
14. The check isn't in the mail.
15. Don't give them another day.  You may reason that that it's only one day or two days but don't fall for it.  It's a stalling technique and you can also change your mind and be a nice person later.

That's enough venting for one day.  I think.  Where's my wine to go with my whine?

Getting My Day in Court

I won!
I should be happy!
Even Ecstatic!

But for any winner, there is someone who isn't so happy.
It's not a good day for them.
And frankly, besides being glad that the day is over and the judgement was in my favor,
it's not a good day for me either.

As a landlord, there are difficult decisions to be made when someone doesn't abide by the rules.
The number one rule is pay rent and hopefully pay it on time as well.

But even if you can't pay it on time,
pay a little.
Pay Something!
Make an effort to say YES.
Yes, you do want to live there and don't expect to live for free.
Don't blame the landlord for filing for an eviction after you pay zip.
After you miss all the dates you said you would pay something.
Don't push and put the landlord in a position where there are no more choices.

It's not easy being a landlord knowing that you have no place to go.
That your kind heart which takes in and cares for pets has no place to go.
I know you're good people.
And so am I.
It's not personal.
I wish you luck and I'm sorry our relationship had to end this way.

RAK #19

This RAK (random act of kindness) caught even me by surprise.  Shopping at Trader Joes I noticed the bundles of unopened daffodils at the cash register for $1.20.  What a deal!  Fresh, cheery, bright yellow daffodils would certainly brighten up my kitchen so I picked one up for myself.  I was still out running errands and one of those errands was putting on my handyman hat, going to a rental and changing the flapper in a toilet (although the words toilet and clean don’t go together the toilet water is clean.  Honest!).   I changed the flapper, looked at the flowers in my car and knew they were meant for this renter.  They would provide cheer for days to come. 

Ramblings

I'm off today (woo hoo!) and will work on unpacking and paperwork.  After dragging out the move for weeks, we ripped off the band-aid and finished moving.  Here's what happened..

1. Show my house to prospective renter on Sunday night
2. Renter implies that he wants the house on Friday
3. John and I look each other and say OH CRAP and begin feverishly packing, arranging truck, housekeeper, carpet cleaner to be out Thursday.
4. Communication with potential renter becomes spotty but finally on Wednesday he says he's renting a different house.
5. We still move everything on Thursday (day before Ragnar race)
6. Saturday, after Ragnar race, show house to another prospective tenant, who needs it ASAP and takes possession on Monday.

Although we were screaming while the band-aid was ripped off  I'm glad that it is done. So now comes the process of figuring out where everything goes.  John may disagree but I think I'm doing very well on identifying stuff to give to goodwill.  We've already made 3 trips to Goodwill and I have another 2 boxes ready to go.  It is so unsettling to be in a state of flux when unpacking.  Soon life will be "normal" again (whatever the heck normal supposed to actually be).

I have made progress towards my 101 Things List including add a blue, pink or purple streak to my hair.  Using permanent hair color added a dark fuscia, probably more of a red to my hair for Ragnar.  Since that wasn't dramatic enough I also used blue, which was temporary but the pictures don't show off it well. 

Alice and Chuck also opted for blue hair.

Now that the marathon and Ragnar is done, I don't have running plans.  I think I switched over to the eating plan because I've put 4 pounds on in 2.5 weeks!  Ack!  I've signed up for a Crater Lake 13 mile run in August but don't have anything else on the schedule. If I don't have a goal I'll continue on the eating plan.  Train for 5K's, which there are an abundance of?  10K's, which there aren't as many?
 What do you think I should focus on? Have you been in this situation? What did you do?