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June 2009 
Learning Curve for a Landlord
Posted on Apr 17th, 2008
by 
Professor
Professor
LEARNING CURVE FOR A LANDLORD
My second trip downtown to be interviewed by a detective occured today in a spartan room with a camera perched overhead. There, unfortunately, will be more of these chats. I've had to call 911 a few times for tenants acting out inappropriately (one is hospitalized, in a home for the mentally bewildered, and out of the picture) and I may have to get involved to help prosecute societal miscreants that have serious needs--needing to be taken off the streets. Who lives in your sub-neighborhoods? Do you demonstrate actively that you care whom they affect and how? What can you do? Jail won't resove their problems.
The second floor tenant says he won't pay and he won't leave. He acts as if he has taken this stance before. He throws trash and tv's smashing from his second floor perch. Filing an eviction notice costs $99 in Youngstown, takes time, and the law stands by your side. But when the ax falls, it's in their hands. One of the landlord books at the library suggests that one can pay the offending tenant to vacate the premises, that it's cheaper and faster than evicting. Pitiful. It could so easily backfire. Vigilance and diligence is the order of the day, progressive action. Proactivity positively paves the way before there's a problem. It's a lot late now.
Last night 2:30 am I couldn't sleep. I got up to see about the gravel-crunching footsteps I heard faintly outside my window. Even in the shadows it was unmistakably the second floor tenant going back and forth to the house three doors down and across the street. A silver four-door cruised slowly by, turned around and pulled into that drive and around back of the house three doors down and across the street. Nothing was happening for a while, then two newer flashy cars took off up the street, a Cadillac and a two tone Chrysler. I went to bed and fell asleep. I awoke later as (possibly) the same silver car was just leaving now from the back lot outside my window.
The bad news is that Youngstown, Ohio is the per capita "Murder Capital" of Ohio, USA, and lately, maybe of the world. The good news is that I live on the so-called good side of town. The bad news is that they're passing out samples of crystal meth to school kids and that crack and heroin are already rampant problems. Could it be that Youngstown's infamous organized crime bosses have all gone... underground? The good news is that somebody has to be a good guy. You, maybe. If I were a good wise guy, I wouldn't be here. But, I am here, for now.
It's not even my gig. I might-could just cut and run. The owner/landlord is out of town; I'm just filling in as property manager/junkyard dog. There may be a job opening here all too soon, one way or the other. Have a nice day in the neighborhood. .
My second trip downtown to be interviewed by a detective occured today in a spartan room with a camera perched overhead. There, unfortunately, will be more of these chats. I've had to call 911 a few times for tenants acting out inappropriately (one is hospitalized, in a home for the mentally bewildered, and out of the picture) and I may have to get involved to help prosecute societal miscreants that have serious needs--needing to be taken off the streets. Who lives in your sub-neighborhoods? Do you demonstrate actively that you care whom they affect and how? What can you do? Jail won't resove their problems.
The second floor tenant says he won't pay and he won't leave. He acts as if he has taken this stance before. He throws trash and tv's smashing from his second floor perch. Filing an eviction notice costs $99 in Youngstown, takes time, and the law stands by your side. But when the ax falls, it's in their hands. One of the landlord books at the library suggests that one can pay the offending tenant to vacate the premises, that it's cheaper and faster than evicting. Pitiful. It could so easily backfire. Vigilance and diligence is the order of the day, progressive action. Proactivity positively paves the way before there's a problem. It's a lot late now.
Last night 2:30 am I couldn't sleep. I got up to see about the gravel-crunching footsteps I heard faintly outside my window. Even in the shadows it was unmistakably the second floor tenant going back and forth to the house three doors down and across the street. A silver four-door cruised slowly by, turned around and pulled into that drive and around back of the house three doors down and across the street. Nothing was happening for a while, then two newer flashy cars took off up the street, a Cadillac and a two tone Chrysler. I went to bed and fell asleep. I awoke later as (possibly) the same silver car was just leaving now from the back lot outside my window.
The bad news is that Youngstown, Ohio is the per capita "Murder Capital" of Ohio, USA, and lately, maybe of the world. The good news is that I live on the so-called good side of town. The bad news is that they're passing out samples of crystal meth to school kids and that crack and heroin are already rampant problems. Could it be that Youngstown's infamous organized crime bosses have all gone... underground? The good news is that somebody has to be a good guy. You, maybe. If I were a good wise guy, I wouldn't be here. But, I am here, for now.
It's not even my gig. I might-could just cut and run. The owner/landlord is out of town; I'm just filling in as property manager/junkyard dog. There may be a job opening here all too soon, one way or the other. Have a nice day in the neighborhood. .
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