Comments on: How Much Really, Really, Really Bad Tenants Cost

By: Gabby Gomez

Gabby Gomez — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:51:46 +0000

This is the sad state of afairs that you can’t go after them to get your money. Report them to http://www.bad-tenant.org – hopfully it will be more difficult for them to rent again. -

By: Apartments Canada

Apartments Canada — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 12:28:05 +0000

That’s terrible. Thanks for the interesting read.

By: berealct

berealct — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 17:00:28 +0000

Good tip. I’ll try it if we’re still smelling the cats.

By: H Lee

H Lee — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 14:27:47 +0000

Try Zinsser B-I-N shellac primer. It sticks to almost anything, and most people agree it’s much better than Kilz for odor control. It basically entombs the odor–it’s often used after fires to control smoke damage smell. That’s what our specialists have recommended we use on the plaster walls in our moneypit, er, new house.

By: berealct

berealct — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 13:44:42 +0000

I feel your pain! I found that the smell worsened when we started demo and only got better after the first layer of sub flooring came out, the bottom layer was sprayed with some kind of bleach concoction, and sprayed with Kilz. We’re still having an issue in the basement- the odor there is very strong despite painting the ceilings, floors and walls with Kilz.

We’ve even discovered that the smell is outside the house – on the decks, around the foundation & stairs!

The expense isn’t so bad because we were planning on it but if you’re not…

By: H Lee

H Lee — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 01:52:58 +0000

We just purchased a house that was used as rental, planning to use it as our single family home. The day we closed, the overpowering scent of cat urine was suddenly present.

We’re facing around $30K in remediation as on that scale of cat urine smell (1-10) the house is around a 15. New hardwoods, subfloors, trim, stairs (yes, stairs), drywall, venting (cats just love to pee in vents as it turns out), doors, paneling in the kitchen, tile in kitchen, etc. Really, what doesn’t need to be replaced? Ah! I know…the windows.

Cats in houses? Not so much. They’re too unpredictable and wild, and most people don’t know much about managing them. And the damage they leave has a way of lingering long after they’re gone.

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 18:20:19 +0000

I feel your pain. I just hope that my tenants left my house in better shape than yours.

By: Artur

Artur — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 19:34:24 +0000

That is a lot of money but its not unusual. How do the cost effect the total return for this investment. When approving new tenants, especially for a single family home, I try to visit the home where they now live. This weeds out many of the prospects that would leave a home like this, but not all of them.

By: Chris Lengquist

Chris Lengquist — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 22:49:13 +0000

Did they not know any of this was going on? I sometimes make a pain of myself with my tenants. But they know I care on my once at least every 60 days visit.

But, alas, that doesn’t always work, either. Sorry ’bout the bad news for your in laws.

By: RE Agent in CT » The Feed Bag

RE Agent in CT » The Feed Bag — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 00:42:09 +0000

[...] Jessica Berganski makes investing look like hell in How Much Really, Really, Really Bad Tenants Cost [...]