Housemates went really south

[1a1a]

Long story made shorter and it still ends up being kind of long, I bought a house, got in some housemates to help with the mortgage and when I wanted to try living with my partner I didn’t feel right asking anyone to leave so I moved out instead.

 

Fast forward most of the year and two of the housemates are engaged in the most toxic and disfunctional relationship that disturbs the harmony of the house and disturbs me because I keep getting dragged into it.
 

One was given a verbal request to move on as soon as he could about 6 weeks ago. Then they had some argument and the other pulled out chunks of his hair in order to ‘stop him from walking all over her’. By which point I felt like they both sucked and they both got formal eviction notices for causing bodily harm to another tenant.

I gave them one months notice which is way more generous than the one week that is obligated. 
 

Leaving day came and went and they were both still there smoking bongs and eating kfc. Bonus, neither of them had paid rent since receiving aforementioned notice. When asked how the leaving was going they both said something along the lines of ‘it’s hard to find a place without a job’ *resumes playing playstation/pottering around the house*
 

By now between their rent and bills they never paid I’m about $2500 in a hole and getting stressed about it. My partner finds some other people who might want to move in. They end up not moving in cos this house isn’t ready but the spectre of them having paid rent already and needing 3 rooms empty by the 27th amazingly turns out to be enough to shift these two dead beats. 
 

Which brings me to my irritation. Of course they haven’t caught up the rent or the bills, I didn’t really expect them to and I’d rather they put new money coming in to securing a new home, I do feel bad asking them to leave. 
 

They’re so damn salty about being asked to leave though they left behind random junk they don’t want (the guy left all his crockery, in a big pile on the kitchen counter still needs to be washed. Who does that?!) and didn’t even clean their rooms.

When I asked about the cleaning the girl was like ‘you threw us out, you can handle a little bit of cleaning it’s the least you can do after i put up with your *** around the house’ (it’s my house, I didn’t force her to move in, I let her crash in my lounge rent free for ***ing months wow the entitlement on some people). 

Just to ice the cake, an expensive vacuum I was borrowing no longer seems to be in the house either and when I asked about this, and shared the most recent water bill, absolute crickets. 

Anyway, that’s where I’m at, buying a vacuum to replace the one that was stolen, have a bunch of junk to dump and a house to clean (not sure the carpets will recover to be honest) and the next wave of bills to pay. All because these two people turn out to be kind of scum bag mooches (and this idiot didn’t take bond off the girl. I have bond from the guy, it goes in it’s entirely to paying his share of the last electricity bill. ) I’m so vexed by their attitudes moving out, it really sucks. The financial imposition, the attitudes on them, the radio silence. One thing is for certain, the manner in which they have departed makes me so so so soooooo glad I asked them to leave. Good riddance! 

[Wiseman2]

Definitely evict all of them. They seem like horrible tenants. Document the damages and charge them for it if their security doesn't cover it. 

[Seraphim]

Move into your house and don’t get  tenants. Tenants are a nightmare a lot of the time and destroy your house because they don’t care . 

[boltnrun]

Why aren't you living in your own house? Is this an investment property?

Consider the money lost and be more careful when choosing tenants. 

[1a1a]

(in answer to boltnrun) because of a foolish ideological commitment to not messing with people’s housing security. I’ve had so many landlords tell me I’ll need to move at the end of the lease because they need the house in the last 4 years (before that I somehow lucked out with 11 years in one place; that was my home). I just didn’t want to be that landlord. It would appear I do firmly draw the line at being forced to pay their rent for a prolonged period of time with no discussion and no end in sight though. 
 

They’ll never knooooow, the arguments I had with my partner when our own lease ended about not kicking these people out just to assure our own housing security. (We found another house, bit more solvent than these losers. But if I’d known how much drama would unfold in the last 4 months I would have made a different call. What do they say, no good deed goes unpunished!)

 

The last housemate is coincidentally moving out as we speak so re occupying the house is looking like a pretty good option!

 

Gahhhh, I’m just stewing about the injustice of it all and I’d like my brain to drop it. 

[Seraphim]

Ideology and money don’t mix. 

[Batya33]

1 hour ago, Seraphim said:

Ideology and money don’t mix. 

Yes. Exactly. No you don’t need to nickel and dime to the hilt - there’s wiggle room - but I think you’re just scared to be assertive and you know at least one has violent tendencies. They’re not treating you with respect so all of a sudden you’re concerned for their housing security ?  They can afford bongs and fast food they’ll be ok. 

[itsallgrand]

Ugh I'm sorry! I hope things go smoothly going forward. 

[Kwothe28]

Can you and your partner live in the home? I really dont understand why you havent moved in your own house. 

Also, they owe you 2500 bucks(dunno if Australian ones or real US ones). But in any case that is a lot. You can freely evict them and maybe try to collect that rent in other ways if possible. Yes, you are a "evil ruthless landlord" now. And you shouldnt feel bad about it. Now you can see other side and that some tennants are also part of the problem.

[boltnrun]

Did you have a written and signed rental agreement? If not, it will be tough to prove they owe you any money.

[1a1a]

Never did I think anything could happen to shift me along the spectrum from landlord unsympathetic to landlord sympathetic ah hah. But here I am commencing the journey and thinking about what fail safes I’d have in place if I did it again (bond, eagle eye watching to see rent is behind, way less grace time). 
 

Remain incredibly grateful that at least they’re physically out!!!!

 

That’s it Batya, I was starting to think they were taking me for a ride. 
 

Aussie dollars, I can take the hit, and I get a house out of it one day. But the principle of the matter is grating. 
 

Nothing on paper bolt, which would have made it really hard to physically move them if they hadn’t left on their own so there’s a small mercy they left, but yeah, all on paper next time for sure! You trust people, they stop paying rent and steal your vacuum. 

[Batya33]

10 hours ago, 1a1a said:

Never did I think anything could happen to shift me along the spectrum from landlord unsympathetic to landlord sympathetic ah hah. But here I am commencing the journey and thinking about what fail safes I’d have in place if I did it again (bond, eagle eye watching to see rent is behind, way less grace time). 
 

Remain incredibly grateful that at least they’re physically out!!!!

 

That’s it Batya, I was starting to think they were taking me for a ride. 
 

Aussie dollars, I can take the hit, and I get a house out of it one day. But the principle of the matter is grating. 
 

Nothing on paper bolt, which would have made it really hard to physically move them if they hadn’t left on their own so there’s a small mercy they left, but yeah, all on paper next time for sure! You trust people, they stop paying rent and steal your vacuum. 

I think then it's at least partly on you. If there is no writing they know that too.  I've always rented and the only time it wasn't on paper was when it was a relative and I was subletting his place.  For a few months. (I actually don't remember if we had anything in writing but it was just me living there). You chose to do it this way, and obviously these are the typical risks of doing it as you did. Not about not being able to trust people.  This is business.  It's not about a journey or spectrum.  It's a typical business relationship and next time you might choose to treat it as one.  I'm sorry it's such a stressful situation! Obviously these are not well meaning or well intentioned friends.  But I wouldn't see it as any example of lack of trust in people.

[1a1a]

Well, you’re not wrong.

Had a brainwave today, maybe the friend that leant me the vacuum could contact ex housemate directly asking when he could pick it up. Still trying to influence a different outcome. Futile right? Vacuum owning friend did not reply, ex housemate still hasn’t replied.
 

Just have to chalk this up to experience. I dunno, for the rent thing yeah should have had paper work that’s just business but for letting this person have a key to my house, with still my possessions in it (I didn’t move out very effectively), that I did because I trusted him not to steal from me. And then bam, theft and silence. 

[Seraphim]

The vacuum owner isn’t responsible for the fact you loaned it to the grifters. It is your responsibility to get it back or pay for it, not his. Personally, I would be pissed you loaned it and that you had the nerve to ask me to get it back myself . 

[1a1a]

I’ve bought him a replacement and told him as much. But I’m still utterly irritated by this insult on top of all that has transpired. Asked vacuum owning friend to ask as a favour to me. It’s the principle of the matter. 
 

And I didn’t loan it, I had it in my house with the rest of my things. Grifter helped himself. 

[Jaunty]

This is all very messy and you seem mired in unimportant details.  It really sounds more like you let some people you knew crash at your place and maybe expected them to throw you some rent money now and then - all very free form with no actual agreements.

They need to move out.  

You've replaced the vacuum so why try to get vacuum cleaner's prior owner involved.

You don't need an "eagle eye" to get rent paid on a monthly basis.  

Etc.

I'm sorry you have this to sort out.   If you want to have rental property, though, you need to have some things in place next time.

[Seraphim]

26 minutes ago, 1a1a said:

I’ve bought him a replacement and told him as much. But I’m still utterly irritated by this insult on top of all that has transpired. Asked vacuum owning friend to ask as a favour to me. It’s the principle of the matter. 
 

And I didn’t loan it, I had it in my house with the rest of my things. Grifter helped himself. 

Like I have said before you need to be PROactive and not REactive . Being proactive will stop most of the situations you find yourself in. 

[Batya33]

10 minutes ago, Seraphim said:

Like I have said before you need to be PROactive and not REactive . Being proactive will stop most of the situations you find yourself in. 

Yes. This reminds me of the lost laptop when you moved. I don’t victim shame and this is basic preventative stuff. It takes time. It’s not fancy or a journey or some other trendy term. It’s crossing T’s and dotting Is. 

[boltnrun]

1 hour ago, 1a1a said:

And I didn’t loan it, I had it in my house with the rest of my things. Grifter helped himself. 

But you left someone else's personal property in a home you no longer lived in.

As it's been said, this is a tough lesson. Always get everything in writing. If your "friends" get butt hurt over having to sign a rental agreement they don't get to move in. Period. 

[catfeeder]

If you choose to run your property according to your ideologies as opposed to sensible landlord policies that comply with local laws, then you will continue to suffer the consequences. Again and again.

You can either move into your home with your partner and charge your partner a reasonable monthly rent with a written lease, or you can find a responsible family who will rent through a written lease.

If you’d rather run a boarding house, especially without owner occupation, and especially if your property is not zoned as such, then you won’t have laws to protect you against damages, liabilities and one problem with a given tenant after another at any time, and that sounds like my definition of hell on earth.

At the very least, disabuse yourself of the idea that the people you choose to house this way won’t assure you that they share your values of mutual respect, financial responsibility and care for your property—all the way up until they skip paying rent or cause fights with others or damage your property. Then suddenly it’s all on you for being gullible enough to have believed them. Uhmmm, and then try getting the squatter out of your house.

Good luck with that.

[Jaunty]

I read in your other recent thread that you have a  company managing this rental property.  

Is this the case?  If it is, you're paying them ... they should be able to help you sort out your issues with renters.

[1a1a]

Double post 

[1a1a]

10 hours ago, Jaunty said:

 you seem mired in unimportant details.  

 

Somehow seeing this written down  helped me get my mind unstuck.

 

There’s a lot of wisdom here, thank you all.

[Batya33]

26 minutes ago, 1a1a said:

Somehow seeing this written down  helped me get my mind unstuck.

 

There’s a lot of wisdom here, thank you all.

Good. I’m glad. Mostly it’s common sense. I hope it all works out.