The Accidental Slumlord

I HAVE NOT MEANT A LANDLORD YET. THE ONES I DEALT WITH BECAME SLUMLORDS AS SOON AS THEY CLOSE THE DOOR THE FIRST ONE I TOOK TO COURT YOU KNOW THE COURT IS ALWAYS ON THE LANDLORD/SLUM SIDE. HE WOULD SHOW UP AT THE DOOR ON THE FIRST OR BEFORE THEN IF HE WAS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, MADE PLENTY PROMISES NEVER KEPT ONE. SECOND LANDLORD SHE THE LANDLORD FROM HELL WHEN SHE WENT TO WORK SHE WOULD TURN THE HOT WATER OFF YOU GOT HEAT IN JAN WHICH SHE WOULD TURN OFF WHEN SHE WENT TO WORK,L&I SITED HER ON 19 THINGS THAT HAD TO BE FIXED BUT ITS NOT WHAT YOU KNOW ITS WHO AND IT WAS NOT EVEN HER PROPERTY AND SHE HAD NO RENTERS LICENSE I FOUND OUT LATER IT RAIN IN THE APARTMENT SO SHE GOT IT FIX ON THE INSIDE DUH I STARTED PUTTING IN ESCROW AND SHE TOOK ME TO COURT I GUESS SHE WOULD INTERCERT THE MAIL SO NATURALY I GOT EVICTED AND HAD TO LEAVE MY SUFF SO I RETURN TO COLLECT MY THINGS 15 DAYS LATER AND SHE WAS RESPONISABLE FOR IT AND SHE ROBB ME OF 50,000 THOUSAND PLUS WORTH OF THINGS, OLD COINS DATED 1800 STAMPS PRESIDENT PICTURES SIGNATURES INVITE TO OTHER PRESIDENTS ALL THE WAY BACH TO THE TRUMANS SPORTS CARD SETS FROM THE 60S AND 70S SHE WAS A MESS THEN THE NEXT LANDLORD WE MADE A RENT TO OWN AGREETMENT FOR 55,000 AND IT TOOK 2 YEARS TO GET A STOVE EVERYONE SHE HIRE TO DO WORK SHE FIRE BEFORE THEY FINISH SHE NEVER WANT TO GIVE YOU A RECEIPT ALWAYS WANTED HER MONEY IS CASH THEN SHE DIED NERVER GOT THE DEED FROM HER AND AFTER SHE DIED I REALIZED SHE DIDN'T OWN THE PROPERTY IT WAS A FAMILY MEMBER THAT DIED 30 YEARS AGO SO I THINK I MAKE THE TOP TEN SLUMLORD LIST. ONE DAY I MIGHT GET A WORKERABLE HOUSE.

So reprehensible. The "accidental" is crap. No way did he not walk into this situation choosing to be a slumlord. He bought a house in shambles and left it that way, feeding off the desperation of low income people and not caring that their health is in jeopardy because he is a cheap elitist. $213 on carpet is not even close to what needs to be done, but he walked away believing he was justified and didn't have to do anything else. Toxic mold, anyone? The water damage should have been treated, the walls treated with antibacterial paint, and new plumbing installed. This writer for Newsweek gives the magazine a bad name. He should be treated like Joe Pesci in the movie "slumlord" and forced to live in the rattrap he is so proud to own until he repairs everything that needs to be done.

I can believe that a long distance landlord could be unaware of the conditions to begin with, but he stayed in the same mindset after he viewed the property. $213 in carpet does not address the real issue. There was no accidental in you becoming a slumlord. You bought a property in disrepair and left it that way. Over time it was destined to only get worse. The property should have been fumigated, treated for mold, and antibacterial paint placed on the walls to protect against the mold that most certainly is in the building from the faulty plumbing. And, FYI, basic repairs such as carpet cleaning and leaky faucets fall to the tenant, but major issues are your job as the owner. You are a disgusting example of an elitist who wanted a quick income property to add to his status. No way should you be allowed to profit from your nastiness. Newsweek should let you out of your contract. You sully the reputation of the magazine. You excuses are typical of the current attitude of our society, and you have no business utilizing Kennedy quotes or experiences to bolster your perspective. Life is unfair, but it is the responsibility of those more fortunate to take a stand and fix what they can. You choose not to, and instead perpetuate your disease. Shame on you.

I'm kind of surprised you didn't see this coming. How did you think a "profit" of a little over $100 a month was going to cover property taxes, insurance, and repairs? Who sold you on this idea? A thorough tenant screening goes a long way toward avoiding late rent payments and property damage, as does collecting a deposit prior to move-in day. Finally, you should never rely on a property manager to do all of the work for you. Don't buy a property unless you can make relatively frequent visits to check on its condition or unless you have a trusted friend or family member who can fulfill this role. Finally, tenant/landlord laws vary from state to state, and you should be aware of your obligations under these rules. These things are all simply common sense, and shouldn't require an education to figure out.

I sense a tone of east coast elitism toward the people of Pocatello, Idaho. Having spent part of my life in that area, I'm a little dismayed at your portrayal of these people. I think your view is distorted by your limited experience. If you visit low rent districts in your area, you will also find uneducated people living in squalid conditions (the wealthy and educated can be pigs too).

The story of a noob getting a reality check would be mildly amusing, if not for the repercussions of these kinds of investment decisions. The time to do the research is not after the fact. If you decide to continue in renting, check out information from people who have succeeded and follow their advice. A good place to start would be at clarkhoward.com.

Daniel, it's obvoious you've never been a tenant, or you wouldn't be so surprised.

Are you a doofus for not doing your homework? Absolutely..

Are you required to clean up after tenants who don't pay their rent? Probably not.

Are you supposed to some how know the conditon of your rentals? No, that's the job of the manager.

Tenants have the responsibilty to notify the manager when something is broken. As it appears that did not happen, one can assume the tenants know they are pigs and don't want to be evicted.

I don't think you are necessarily heartless or evil. Just stupid.

well, darn. i didn't mean to double post, or mispell veteran. so sorry.

wow, the author was soooo generous in replacing disgusting carpet and linoleum for a VETREAN of our country. nice. as for the baby, he left there knowing that child was crawling around on filth. how can he sleep @ night, knowing that? i've also had some slumlords, and no matter how hard i tried, the carpet (that they SWORE was cleaned before we moved in) could not be cleaned to a standard that was safe for my kids to play on. I realize the tenants have responsbilities, but they should not extend to structural repairs or carpet replacement, and some places require by law that carpets be changed ever 5 yrs in rentals. he should make sure he's in compliance w/ the local laws, or that property could wind up costing him even more than it is currently. perhaps the tenants should contact the local codes department, or legal aid.

wow, the author was soooo generous in replacing disgusting carpet and linoleum for a VETREAN of our country. nice. as for the baby, he left there knowing that child was crawling around on filth. how can he sleep @ night, knowing that? i've also had some slumlords, and no matter how hard i tried, the carpet (that they SWORE was cleaned before we moved in) could not be cleaned to a standard that was safe for my kids to play on. I realize the tenants have responsbilities, but they should not extend to structural repairs or carpet replacement, and some places require by law that carpets be changed ever 5 yrs in rentals. he should make sure he's in compliance w/ the local laws, or that property could wind up costing him even more than it is currently. perhaps the tenants should contact the local codes department, or legal aid.

another money-hungry yuppie trying to make money. This landlord should feel guilty - as the property owner it is his responsibility to keep this property up. Don't bring the neighborhood down, they don't want to live next door to your mess. Stupid yuppie.

It was clearly apparent to me in reading the article that Mr. McGinn would not have bought the carpet and linoleum if he was writing the story. It was basically a ploy to show us how compassionate he is. Mr. McGinn in his lack of compassion for the down and outers doesn't understand that he himself may be a simple job loss away from their fate. Its not has if there are not armies of unemployed journalists at the moment. Thanks to immigrantion policies there are now armies of unemployed engineers, of which I have recently become one.

What someone who is accustomed to urban living with granite countertops might consider dingy is not necessarily the same as what those of us who don't live in such fancy surroundings would consider squalor.

This was the landlord's first visit to the place, so I think he's entitled to a bit of a break. Also the condition of the housing wasn't indicated to be such that it was dangerous to the baby - just unattractive. And deciding which places a child should live is up to the parents, not the village. Apparently, there's plenty there for them to choose from, based on the article, if they don't like the conditions in the duplex.

What kind of pansy metro thinking is it to say renting apartments is exploitive? Your tennant can't afford to live anywhere else. You are providing them with a place to live that fits their income. Please get over the liberal guilt you wussy.

How on earth can the author believe that severely worn carpet and linoleum DON'T detract from the property's value? OF COURSE replacing the worn flooring with new stuff increases the value of his property, at least, as long as he doesn't improve the property so much it's overimproved for the area. He seems to be having difficulty distinguishing the difference between things he can raise the rent for (new flooring should already be figured into the rent he charges) and things that increase the value of his property at SALE. Author, if you're out there, do some reading up on renovating real estate for sale, and also on "flipping" houses - it might help you out to know that stuff.