Eviction - finally!

After 4+ months of promises, promises but no money, our property manager and I finally decided to file eviction notices on a tenant.  To her credit, she was a really good talker but never never followed through on anything she said she would do or did what we told her needed to be done. 

The property manager posted her three day notice - which, of course, she ignored.  Next step was to file a court date.  On Tuesday, November 9 our property manager and the attorney went to court.  In an unusual move, the tenant actually showed up.  She had the nerve to tell the judge that our accounting was wrong and that she had paid rent but it wasn't credited.  The judge asked if she had documentation.  "No."  He rescheduled and moved the party to Friday, Nov 12.  This time the tenant was a no-show and we won the judgment. 

Fortunately she's gone.  Whew.  I am so relieved.  After months of promises of every shape and size, I'm glad to have a vacant apartment bringing in zero dollars than an occupied apartment bringing in zero dollars. 

Furnace checks

We hired McCreery to check the boiler in the 8 plex and the forced air gas furnaces in the 4 plex.  They send a technican and a trainee.  It took them 7.5 hours to do it all.  That was on a Friday.  The next week the nights got cold and the tenants turned on their furnaces.  Two of the four wouldn't work.  WHAT THE HECK?  We hired them so that wouldn't happen. 

Two days later we got the call - no hot water at the 8 plex.  We called a different plumbing/heating guy who came out.  He looked at the boiler and asked "so what did McCreery do?"  Good question.  We know they didn't do  and we know we won't be hiring them again anytime soon! 

It gives me gas

When we were doing the fall maintenance on the furnaces on the 4 plex, we discovered that the gas meter on the vacant unit had been "booted."  Apparently we aren't the only ones that the former tenant ran out on.  We have a default account set up with the gas company so when a tenant moves, the company automatically transfers it back to us.  We found out that doesn't happen when the tenant runs out - and the gas was turned off for non-payment and it didn't even cross my mind to check. 

Anyway, I met the gas guy there yesterday to have the gas turned back on yesterday so the apartment won't freeze up! 

Meanwhile, Dwight got the new door put up for the tenants next door and the furnace fixed at Mom's house.  Whew! 

Windows, water, and whine

Saturday, Oct 30 - we dropped by the 8 plex to put a new chain on the toilet flapper in #1,  put a lockbox on #6 so Kevin can replace the broken kitchen window, and check the boiler and hot water heater for #7 & #8.  In checking the water heater I discovered the bathtub faucet wouldn't turn off - Yikes!  So, just turn the water off to the tub! Yea, right.  There isn't a shut-off for the tub.  Diego to the rescue.  He finally go the water turned off.  We'll handle that later.

The tenant in #2 feels unsafe and wants deadbolts because they lost their keys, had the locks rekeyed, left the door unlocked and thinks someone went into their apartment.  Is that our problem?  We decided it wasn't.  They can call the property manager and pay for deadbolts if they want them.   

Off to the 4 plex to deliver a snow shovel to the tenant in #103 who volunteered to do snow duty this winter.  Someone wanted in and punched holes in the hollow-core front door.  Good grief.  So, we were off to Home Depot to buy a new steel front door.

The current plan is for Diego to take off work early Tuesday to install the door in #103.