So you wanna be a landlord...

[Nords]

The following is an excerpt from a local realtor's monthly e-mail:

"http://tinyurl.com/38x9y5 is a link to a six-picture slideshow titled 'A
Landlord's Nightmare' that is making the rounds on various networks. The
pictures don't show the true condition of the townhouse, as they were shot
after numerous beer cans had been removed to enable access. Plus, tunnels
connecting various rooms had been collapsed. The tenant was a single man
living in Ogden, UT who had been renting the property for eight years. His
property manager considered him to be one of their best tenants, as he
didn't complain and always paid his rent on time. What we don't understand
is why the property manager would publicize the fact that they don't conduct
internal inspections as part of their job."

I can't believe that these photos were taken after removing "numerous" beer cans. No wonder the aluminum market was being squeezed!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Dude must have had a 350lb liver.

 

[FinallyRetired]

At least he was health conscious, only drinking light beer. As far as the landlord, the best one can hope for in a rental is for the rent to be paid and the place to not be destroyed. In this case both conditions seem to be met, and the beer cans probably protected the walls and floor.

Edit: Just read that he stopped drinking and got his old job back!

 

[thefed]

anyone else think the pics look like fakes?

come on...


living room door blocked by cans? as well as tv, and recliner?

 

[dex]

Utah is a strange place

 

[calmloki]

Tryan? whatta you think? I'm not seeing any holes in the walls, any serious smoke damage, any rotten food... Shoot - looks like a profit deal to me - not much to be disposed of that one can't shovel out and sell for scrap. Rent got paid too? and the complaint is.....?

 

[me_no_boss]

The pics have shock value.
However, aAfter 8 years of "good tenantship", this may not be so bad. Lets see, the landlord gets to keep the security deposit for sure and the deposit's ROI since should be positive. The aluminum should be worth something.
Assuming the rent was kept up to market, then just from 100% occupancy rate had been money in the bank.
I expect to replace carpet and paint after 8 years under normal rental use. My last renter did about $1500 damage after two years. A couple years back I had to evict a loser. No fun at all to pay for repairs after someone stole your money.

In 2003, I thought the rentals were the smartest financial decision of my life. What with 5% down, the leverege was something like 30X in 3 years. Now it is still smart but it may be dead money for a few years.

 

[Arif]

The apartment doesn't look that bad from a landlord perspective. No big holes in the walls or food rotting on the floor. I've seen a lot worst. If they still have the picture page on mrlandlord.com that will get you scared.

 

[tightasadrum]

Wow! My tenants would of least offered me a beer. When no one calls about a problem in over six months, I pay a visit. Things break. No news in the rental business is not good news.

Had one tenant send me a note saying they were moving out because I had not done anything about the water problem! WHAT WATER PROBLEM? Walked into the kitchen and water squirted up around my feet. There was a leak in the wall from the kitchen drain, galvanized pipe use in the late forties. Big problem.

Give me beer cans ANY day instead of water problems. My two weeks of vacation that year was used to remove the kitchen floor, dry out the boards and put down new linoleum. Beer cans? Not a problem.

 

[Moemg]

I think the landlord should have called Coors light .Looks like a perfect place for a commercial .

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I'd have been a very happy landlord.

20 gallons of gorilla glue and I could have built a second house in the back yard out of beer cans.

Double the rent. Tell me you couldnt get a bunch of 20 year old guys to pay big bucks for a house made out of beer cans.

And who cares if they make a mess out of it?

 

[tryan]

Hey if those cans are worth a nickel a piece the owner made out on the deal ... now the roaches which followed the swill will be a seperate problem.

 

[FinanceGeek]

Hey if those cans are worth a nickel a piece the owner made out on the deal ... now the roaches which followed the swill will be a seperate problem.

If I were this fellow's landlord, I would be inclined to investigate toting all the cans to a state with a relatively high 'can deposit', I think in some states one could get perhaps 10 cents a piece for them, which given their sheer number, makes it appear that even chartered jet service would be a cost effective way to claim the redemption proceeds.

Although the pictures are a bit shocking, I didn't perceive any serious damage beyond the obvious can removal (and perhaps some airing out of stale beer smells). Personally, any inclination I might have had towards being a landlord disappeared very quickly with the rapid ascent of home based methamphetamine manufacturing operations.

 

[bright eyed]

i'd be more concerned about what's under the cans...bugs, drippings of beer...and the stench - if there was carpet that's a gonner...but the place will not smell very nice...

 

[TromboneAl]

Something's not right here.

The tenant had to eat and drink things other than Coors Light beer, yet the only discarded stuff in Coors Light Beer cans and boxes. If the guy were just a slob, you'd see some other stuff too. Also, he puts the boxes in one room and the cans in another.

Maybe the renter was a psycho or something.

 

[jnojr]

That ain't no nightmare!

I can think of many, far worse, things that he could have filled the house with other than valuable, recyclable aluminum cans

 

[Cattusbabe]

anyone else think the pics look like fakes?

come on...


living room door blocked by cans? as well as tv, and recliner?

No, its the real deal. 70,000 cans of beer on the wall, 70,000 cans of beer....

His kidneys must be shot.


Beer Can Filled Townhouse Photographs

 

[tryan]

Yeah, I've certianly had worse ... ok, story time.

Was left with a foster (and grand) mother in a bank owned SF I purchased. She managed to fill 4 garages, the basement, and the 3 bed room apartment with garbage. The clan would literally walk the streets on garbage day and come home with garbage they thought could be sold. The clean up revealed 2 cars, a rotted road kill deer in an unplugged freezer (workers barfed seeing the maggots), and 5-6 dumpsters worth of garbage.

Cans would have been a gift.

 

[Celany]

my pa has a can crusher & he loves to use it. this would keep him amused for weeks!!!

as far as nightmares go, it doesn't seem to bad. like other people said, aside from some floor damage & maybe some roaches it looks like the place is in relatively good shape. given the number of cans, it would probably pay for all the repairs & make up for lost rent, while the place was being fixed up.