I hate how some people use that phrase, "common courtesy" to try to get you to do something, or try to explain away their shortcomings. They are in the act of being DISCOURTEOUS in the process of wanting me to give them "common courtesy".

Most recent:

On trash day, I noticed the trash cans have not been put to the street by tenants. So I texted them: "don't forget to roll your trash bins to the street for pick up on Tuesdays"

Reply:" remind us the night before on Monday night so we don't forget"

Me: " no, I don't need to remind you...."

Tenant: "as a common courtesy I only ask you to remind me until we get used to the routine"

Really?! How about common courtesy to read and abide by what you sign, and remove the trash that you make from the property. All you have to do is put it to the street for the truck to pick up.

Seriously, When my kids were given an alarm clock, I no longer went in their room to wake them up. They had to be responsible now and get themselves up on time or face the consequences (like walking to school if they missed the bus).

It's the same principle. Once I explain what is expected of the tenant, They are now responsible to do it. Do I need to remind them every day to do everything in the agreement or else it's my fault if they don't? LOL!!

What are some other phrases that tenants (or others) use that just get on your nerves / push your button? Something you have heard recently that made you shake your head or wonder "what the...huh?"

DJ, you should have just told the knuckle-head, "This is your reminder...now go get yourself a pen with a sticky note and post it inside your front door."

A couple I never get tired of hearing:

"It was like that when we moved in"

Yes, what is it w/ tenants not knowing what day to put the trash out? The opposite also happens, they leave the cans at the curb for days.

Also I'm just dog sitting, it's not mine. I'm watching fluffy for my relative who is in the hospital; when the other tenant and neighbors tell me otherwise.

DJ,

(Before autodraft) “ I wrote the check on the first but was too busy to drop it off.”

“Can we paint?”

Brad, we don't get the "Can we paint?" question in our grey houses, but still do in the Off-white houses.

When a prospective tenant says, "We left our last place better than it was when we moved in..." I always wince. If they only knew how many times people say that!

as the famous Mark Twain said...“I’ve found that common sense ain’t so common.”

A couple of you made me laugh. Thank you all.

We spoke, calmly, on the phone the next day. He then realized that he had all the information about trash handling in writing and had signed off on doing this when moving in. Told him how I set reminders and alarms on my phone all the time. He said he can put up a note to remind himself - good, now you're getting it!

We"ll see next Tuesday...

It's not a BIG deal, just one of those things.

When looking at the place "My dog is housebroken and really quiet" or "My dog is really sweet and is an ESA"

When not paying rent "My aunt died and I had to pay for the funeral"

Talkin to a tenant and they say ...well to be honest.

Or they say .. I'm going to be honest about this.

"Checks in the mail" and "you were serious about that".

my wifes fav when dealing with tenants "drop the gun and grab the cannoli".

Wish we could post pics on these posts like FB. I would love to show you the huge BAGS of trash our recent eviction had piled up on the ground around his unit. We kept getting after him. Dogs kept getting into them and it was all over!

So he finally picked it up, threw it up on a dead truck in the yard. When they came & picked up the truck, it all slid off onto the yard again! I kid you not.

You can't make this stuff up.

If you read anything on social media or in the comment sections on some news sites, it's typical these days for someone to do wrong and then make every excuse for why it's someone elses' fault. We live in a society that does not want to accept fault (hey, I'm always the good guy!) or apologize.

Ever see apologies like this, "I'm sorry IF I offended you, but..."

So the sorrow (if there is any) is conditional only if you were offended (and you really shouldn't have been, you're just a sensitive losers) and then the "but" seeks to explain away and justify.

It's a non-apology apology. Created to make you look like the bigger person by denigrating the person you offended and shrug off their hurt. It's sort of the opposite of the snowflakes who are offended by everything.

Other phrases followed by my mental responses....

1) "We're looking to start fresh... " What did you do to your last land lord to grow stale?

2) "I should have a job by the end of next week..." And you want me to trust you to do that and not get canned in a week?

3) "It'll just be me and my fiance for now..." How soon will your drunk uncle and ex-con buddy be moving in?

4) "My dog is soooooo friendly!" He's not house trained, is he?

What's I've found is good tenant mostly let their actions speak for themselves. They don't feel the need to "talk you up" about how awesome they are. They simply present the facts, apply, and follow directions. As Mr. LL himself says, "They are cooperative."

One of my screening criteria: Applicant must be cooperative and punctual during the screening process and behave and speak courteously to manager and contractors at all times.

If it's bad during screening, it will be worse during the tenancy.

Bad Behaviors have Patterns.