Last week I met 3 girls that were looking at an apartment. They made comments during the showing (and remarkably this is the 2nd or 3rd set of "prospects" that have said this at showings) that their current landlord isn't providing heat (whether it's a physical furnace or the furnace isn't working, etc).

Fast forward to Friday of last week - the girls call and want to hand me their rental application. They then proceed to advise me (in person and AFTER they handed me the apps) that they just came back from court. I said "oh, you took the landlord to court for the no heat issue"? (this is what they said they were doing earlier). The response was "no, the landlord beat us to it - BUT WE WON"! I said "what do you mean by YOU WON"?

The tell me that they withheld rent because the LL didn't have the heat working, no electricity, blah, blah, blah - ALSO that NO ONE showed up for court and the Judge gave them until the end of the month to move out - so THEY WON.

I look at the applications and notice that the LL listed is one of my friends. Uh-oh. So I call him to get "the rest of the story".

Kind of "funny" - He pays for the heat and doesn't have a thermostat IN the apartment but a sensor that is set to call for heat when needed (he has it set at 68 and said it's actually 70 degrees inside the apartment most times). He then goes on to say that they are very slow payers - they moved in April - he "worked" with them (against his better judgement but it worked out at this time) with the SD - they paid when they agreed. Then in June - no pay - they caught up. Then again in August no pay - didn't pay until Sept in full.

Then Oct - NO PAY - said "enough is enough" and filed on them when they didn't pay when promised (unfortunately at the end of Oct) so that's why the court date in Nov.

THE MORNING OF COURT DAY National Grid shut their power off (before court) so now they are indicating that the LANDLORD shut it off. Also - he was represented in court by his attorney.

I looked up the court records (that's how quickly they posted it) and I wouldn't say they won other than the judge gave them until the end of November to move. They have a judgement with warrant to be vacated by 11/30.

So between knowing who their LL was (and getting some background on them) along with the fact that the court updated the records ASAP - it's a win for me!! I denied them LOL.

Charlie, charlie, charlie: WHY did you deny them a place to live? I emptied a kleenex box it was soooo sad no heat for those poor Teni's

Kleenex please...

NOW they may need to find a nice 3 unit cardboard box under a bridge some place.

Kleenex please...

That mean landlord (um slumlord) that would not turn on their heat.

Kleenex please...

Where is rent control when they need it???

Bravo Charlie you did your checking on them.

Charlie are there other landlords that would have told you a different story about these tenants? Just to get the deadbeat out of their unit???

It's funny that deadbeat tenants like these 3 would think that you as a landlord just fell off a truck and has no clue about being a landlord. PLUS they think that someone will take their word for it and believe them about no heat and feel sorry for them. HOWEVER they will find a landlord that is desperate to rent their unit that they will take these 3 lying tenants. Charlie I am sure you know of a landlord in your area that would take them just to fill a vacancy this time of year.

Ok got the Kleenex to clean up the cats hair ball...

Ha ha ha! Good one.

Good for you. As it's said "You can't fix stupid".

These type people amaze me.

When they answer on the line where it asks "have you ever been evicted?" they say no. When you look you see multiple filings. When you ask they reply " we moved out the night before the sheriff came". To them that means they didn't get evicted.

Pass the tissues. Wow that's quite a story

You have to translate what tenant's say.

This time of year all of the beats who got their gas meters locked are now panicking because the temps are falling. Cheaper to move and get a new account in another name then settle up the past due bill.