2ManyCurves's Journal, 21 November 2013

Hey, 2MC. If anyone tells you that your problems aren't very big, they obviously don't know how life works. The biggest problems that affect our lives, while maybe not all that big compared to other people's, are still our biggest problems. They are what we think about and stress about, what we lose sleep over, and what hinder our progress. I'm sorry this is all hitting you at once... losing a good household friend is so hard, even if it is expected. You love your son and worry for him, and to have a vacancy so close to the holidays impacts you financially. You're getting hit from all angles. I hope things work out with the property and you fill it quickly with a better tenant. But, more than anything, don't let it get you too down. The world will be a better place for you soon... as long as you don't give up the chance for it. Keep smiling! 

Yowza - I'm so sorry... definitely about the cat. Even when it's time for pets to go (we had to put our previous dog down after 18 years) it still hurts. It's been five years and I still have her collar - can't bear to get rid of it. Tenant ... oh my ... HATE tenants like that and in my experience most of them have been like that ~~ does the lease say anything ?? Violation, notice, etc?? I mean, it won't help your income but maybe you could garnish or lien via small claims court? 

Oh yeah...the lease is well-drafted with tons of provisions which could lead to garnishments. It requires notice--the lease term had not even expired as of yet. There are tons of provisions for potential fees, etc. But, I can't really get blood from turnips. I'd end up wasting my court costs only to have them file bankruptcy and wipe out their obligation leaving me even further in the hole. I suspect they are very close to bankruptcy given the condition of the house and the fact that I learned the utilities had been shut off a week due to unpaid bills. Just got home from inspecting the property. It was, not surprisingly, trashed and there were multiple disconnect notices for utilities posted outside the home. I discovered where the rents have been going. There was a ton of beer cans scattered throughout the yard and a four foot tall pit on the front porch was loaded with beer cans. It appears there has been some serious parties that have taken priority over rental payments. I suspect if they had just cashed in the aluminum from their beer collection, they could have kept the water on at least. I ended up having to lock myself inside and call the police when they came back unannounced after dark. I am not sure what their plans were, but they scared the crap out of me. And, the tenant wife was screaming at the top of her lungs that she knows landlord/tenant laws, etc. etc. They had taken everything from inside the house before I got there except for the animal feces they left laying all over what had once been the carpet. Ehhh...I am defeated tonight. Clearly, bad things do not happen in threes. My rough estimate is $2,000 roughly to replace the carpet, the front door that they tore down, and the back door that they tore down if I do the work myself. The rest will just take some elbow grease to clean up. On the way there, I received a call from someone who wanted to rent it possibly. I told her she could meet me there, but warned her that they had just moved out and I was uncertain of the condition of the home. Of course, once the prospective tenant got there I was already locked inside the house praying the police would hurry to escort the former tenants off the property. The former tenants proceeded to scream that the house was falling apart and I was a terrible landlord, etc. etc. Poor lady. She probably felt like she had stepped onto the set of Jerry Springer. The police made the former tenants leave thankfully. I guess all there is left to do is put on my big girl panties and plan on cleaning and pulling out carpet this weekend. Just going to have to fix it and suck it up as the price of doing business I suppose.