Landlords in our region are facing lots of challenges these days.
And while we want to discuss issues such as low rent increases the media continues to attack landlords.
After all, we are easy targets and easy for the media to define.
Another Landlord Is Trouble
According to a report on CBC News, landlord Lee Cowan of O’Leary says her rental unit has been trashed.
The landlady say when her tenants not only trashed her nice 3-bedroom property they moved out without proper notice….they didn’t even tell her!
What Damages Did The Tenants Do?
A lot.
The landlady said the damages included:
– Appliances destroyed
– Basement was flooded and now smells horrible and has damaged the enter unit
– Cabinets have been ruined
– Drywall has been destroyed all over
Landlords and Facebook
Cowan has posted her story on Facebook and received a lot of positive replies.
Positive Replies and Support Are Not Enough
“I have gotten thousands of responses,” she said.
“To say thank you to these people is not a big enough word. I can’t think of a big enough word to say how many people have said, ‘We care.
We don’t know you but we care.’ They’re offering me all this support.
They’re kind, caring people. Maybe they’ll help change the system a bit, so this doesn’t happen to somebody else.”
But no financial support and no answers!
Tenant Screening
These types of terrible stories are becoming more and more common in our region.
We used to think “Oh, those bad tenants are only in Ontario or Quebec.”
Sadly that isn’t true now
As this story shows, landlords need to be careful who you rent to.
If you rent to the wrong tenants you could be out thousands of dollars.
You could be ruined financially?
What Can A Landlord Do To Avoid Bad Tenants?
Smart landlords will do proper tenant screening.
Cowan simply took the money and rented to these ‘tenants from hell.’
Being a landlord in 2013 requires more than just accepting month.
You need to do proper tenant screening, including credit checks.
Don’t be a landlord victim! Always do tenant credit checks and make sure you are renting to good tenants.
