Metro Apartment Manager, July 2005

Q: Is this the tenant from hell? She moved in on April 15, signing a lease for a year. Two weeks later she complained I hadn’t disclosed to her that the water bill she’s paying also provides water for a small studio next door. Unfortunately, she’s right; I forgot to make the disclosure. Then, when she didn’t mow their lawn for three weeks — this is springtime in Oregon and it was a foot high — as the lease required, I went over and mowed it. She came out to give me part of the rent, but complained I came on the property without notice. Finally, she said last week — it was the 18^th — she’s moving out because I violated her rights, but she wouldn’t give me keys until the end of the month, because she’s paid through that time. When I said she’d only paid part of the rent, she said she told me a social service agency was paying the balance. How do I get out of this?

A: Whatever your religious persuasion, it’s a fact: tenants from hell do exist. I know from first-hand experience. But, however bad you think your situation is, it doesn’t qualify. A true tenant from hell will not only tie you in knots over rights and responsibilities, but also cause you to incur significant legal bills while destroying your property.

Most disagreements between tenants and landlords can be worked out easily, because most often one or the other doesn’t understand rights and responsibilities. Some information, some knowledge, some training, and all is put right. Problems become more complicated when there is error on both sides, which is the case here.

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