Were there such an award I would probably win. I just served eviction papers on a family with an out-of-work husband, stay-at-home mom, 2 kids in local schools and a 5 day old baby! I have this feeling the devil has a special suite in hell reserved just for me:-)
Funny thing is the people found enough money to completely remodel their kitchen but they couldn’t come up with the funds to pay me. I just don’t understand how that works.
Rolf
Wheat Hill MHC
(330) 426-9558
Rolf,
It is amazing how that whole thing works, what gets to me is when you see them day in and day out with a beer in hand, a house full of Rent a Center Furniture including a TV that looks like it could be used as a Drive-In Theater and a new pair of shoes that costs $150.
Rich
What an education I am getting just reading everyone’s experiences!
I have a situation where I own the land, a tennant bought a new MH from a dealer, and had it professionally installed on the property. It looks great! He pays me for the land, $375/month with 2 year balloon. He will never qualify for traditional bank financing when the balloon is due in 12 months.
There are so many reasons why he can’t pay me. His wife left him…The economy is bad…He has 2 young kids…etc.
He has essentially only paid every other month for the past 8 months, always with the promise of doing better.
Is there any alternative that might work other than eviction? I hate to see him lose all the money (5-6K) that he used for downpayment of MH.
CC
CC:
Read “The Prince” by Machiavelli. Long ago he gave the advice that it is far better for a ruler to be feared rather than loved. That advice was good then and it is still good now. You MUST get tougher with these people or they will eat you alive. They will happily spend more on beer and cigs than their lot rent and then turn around and screw you for every dime they can. Respect the residents that earn it and be the meanest SOB on earth to all others. You will have both better collections and fewer problems.
Rolf
Wheat Hill MHC
(330) 426-9558
Wow
Sounds like you speak from experience. Thanks
CC
I had to do half a dozen evictions in the past year. Every time I have to do one I have to remind myself that people make choices daily. Buy a 12 pack and a pack of cigarettes or set $$ aside to pay rent. Get some side work ( or overtime)or go fishing. Many times their choices leave them without enough $$ to pay their rent at the beginning of the month. I tell my wife that we evict no one …people evict themselves.
OK, so I must foreclose.
He missed several payments. The property is still in my name. He was making payments but the deed was not in his name.
Assuming the finance company has to foreclose on the double wide as well, can I make them pay me the rent that is due before they repo the double wide?
Can I keep them off the property until they pay, or do they have a right to repo without my permission.
The rookie…CC
Looks like an opportunity to me! Why not give them the bill for lot rent but at the same time make them an offer to take the non performing asset of their hands and save them the cost of foreclosing on him. It will give you a great asset to re sell.
Never hurts to try.
I used to be a nice guy…no, REALLY! Didn’t work. Buyers & tenants have far more stories than I have money. Being nice almost put me out of business. I rarely enjoy putting people out - but I am firm, will not hesitate to protect my interests and do not apologize for doing so. Letting someone in a MH get 30 days behind is generally not doing them a favor, as they will rarely get caught up…being firm and putting the occasional person out helps the rest of the residents remember their priorities, something most of them would not do without external compulsion. Ditto in re cigarettes, big screen TV’s and cases of beer. In this game, nice guys do not finish last…rather, they do not finish at all.
John Hyre
This thread should be reqiured reading for all newbies. We also have a strict “If you don’t pay, you don’t stay” policy. And we give the tenants a speech on this when they sign the lease. It goes like this,
"The rent is due on the 5th, it is late on the 16th (state law) If the rent is not paid by the 19th You WILL be receiving a 3 day letter to deliver possesion, so expect one. We have to have a no tolerance policy in order to stay in business, and it is not fair to our tenants who do pay, to bear the cost in increased rents, because some people do not pay. "