Posted on 09/08/2012 1:46:29 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Janet Sluizer knew she was taking a bit of a chance when she turned to Craigslist this summer to find a tenant for her apartment in the Mission.What she didn't expect was that she'd be spending thousands of dollars in a struggle to evict a roommate who she says hasn't paid rent beyond the first month.
"This is a nightmare,"Sluizer said.
It's a nightmare that landlord advocates say is all too common in SanFrancisco, where 64 percent of residents rent.
.....According to [Janan]New[executive director of the San Francisco Apartment Association], a combination of confusing rent ordinances and an abundance of free legal resources for tenants make it difficult for inexperienced landlords to evict someone on their own.
[SNIP]
"A lot of the situations in other counties would be dealt simply with a 30-day notice and that's the end of it,....In San Francisco,you just can't do that."
According to SuperiorCourt records, seven unlawful detainer suits have been filed against [Louis]Podover in San Francisco. Landlord attorney Drexel Bradshaw has a term for those who game the system by paying only the first month's rent and delaying eviction proceedings: professional tenants.
"They move in, they take advantage and they end up living rent free," he said. "A few days before the prospective subtenant is forced to move out, they'll find another landlord of whom they can take advantage."
[SNIP]
[Sluizer] said she takes full responsibility for not getting anything in writing from Podover as soon as he moved in, something that landlord attorneys said is a recipe for disaster. She said she's offered to pay movers and cover a motel for two weeks for Podover, anything to get her piece of mind back.
"This guy is having a field day on my dime," she said. "I just want him out of my house."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
“Some people just don’t know how to evict a bad tenant.”
Not all landlords have a shotgun handy.
Dear Neil, as a “journalist” you should know that one can give someone a “piece” of their mind, but in this case Janet Sluizer is seeking “peace” of mind.
This is what happens when our youths are taught to “sound out” spellings. Neil must have went to a progressive school. LOL.
“...kind of like a Roach Motel for freaks.”
Austin serves that purpose in Texas....but now, there are so many freaks that crime is getting to be a serious problem. There is a vicious rape reported on the TV news about every other day now. The merry band of cops on bikes isn’t getting the job done any more.
“...wall it off...”
Fill it with 50ft of sea water. Skim-off and burn floating debris. End of problem.
Hiring a good property management company is well worth the cost. They will run credit checks on all tenants, including any lawsuits they have filed, do property inspections and minor repairs, and if needed handle evictions. People who think “I’ll do it myself and save money” don’t usually know the headaches involved.
It would be awful if somebody broke into this lady’s house in the middle of night and beat the hell out of this guy. He might not feel secure anymore in staying there.
She’ll be lucky if he doesnt claim squatter’s rights and end up owning the house
Landlords beware in liberal states and cities
What we do around here is remove the front door.
That would be sad - an old friend got rid of a squatter by going one step short of that. His brother is an undercover cop who looks like a stereotypical Brother Speed biker (fat, hairy, greasy, tattooed, VERY strong, and a nice Harley - actually a great guy, but some people would not think so at first glace). Cousin moved out and biker moved in. Three nights in a row, biker fired multiple shots inside my friend's room during the night (blanks, I think), but in that area the police never came of course. On the fourth day, the squatter was gone forever. I guess it's hard to sleep with only two layers of drywall between you and gunshots.
That’s a great story!
I recall an incident in my youth. My dad asked me to accompany him to check out one of my grandmothers rental units for squaters. My dad stopped with his lights out above a quarter block away from the house and noted a light went on. Then he went into action....on a normal day my dad looked mean, on a bad day like this he look maniacal. He zoomed up the front steps, crashed into the place and the next thing I saw was one guy flying through a window to the ground below, about 8 feet, and the second guy getting shoe leathered down the front steps with my dad holding a 45.
True story and something I never forgot....I never messed with my dad either by the way. In fact had I fallen off a building and my dad yelled stop as I was heading to the ground, I would have...immediately.
Ahem. It should be: "Neil must have gone to a progressive school."
Pull a credit report.
If not references from a previous landlord, at least credit and background checks. I require a credit and background check on every person 18 years of age or older. It also helps if you get the money up front and have them sign a lease agreement BEFORE you turn over the keys.
I have manged property for 27 years and I am as picky as the owner of the property will allow.
I’ve never dealt with tenants; are you allowed to ask for W-2?
Ahem, no kidding. That’s why LOL ends the thought.
In Ohio you are allowed to ask for proof of income. I always require the proof. Too many people will try to say they get paid under the table. If they want me to rent to them, they better have some kind of proof to back up what they say. Years ago, we required a tenant earn 4 times the rent. We have since reduced the required income to only 3 times the rent with no bad outcome.
LOL Funny.
My Dad wasn’t quite that way but I would not have wanted to ever tangle with him.
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