Is landlord heartless?
- Thread starter pickle pickle
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These discussions quickly come down to morals 
.
My question is really - was this tenant working, did they have life insurance through their super??
I once worked in an office where a tenant went to the news paper crying poor and hard done by as the nasty landlord was trying to evict them and the mean agent was helping. What the newspaper didn't report was that the property had flooded and the damage was extensive so the tenants HAD to move out so that the repairs could be done. The owner offered to pay for a week in a hotel while repairs were done - they wouldn't leave, the agency took them out and showed them every property in their price range and said "which one?" - still wouldn't leave. Then they went to the paper and had a cry, asking for charity and blaming the nasty landlord and immoral agents. These tenants were awful, rude, demanding, hard to deal with. Best thing about this newspaper article? They referred to each other as the 'partner' however, she claimed to us he wasn't living in the property and was getting a single parenting pension from centrelink........that came back to bite them.
There are two sides to every story and in my experience, the side that stays quiet is often the side which has taken the higher moral ground.
Dazz - Tee hee hee
. My question is really - was this tenant working, did they have life insurance through their super??
I once worked in an office where a tenant went to the news paper crying poor and hard done by as the nasty landlord was trying to evict them and the mean agent was helping. What the newspaper didn't report was that the property had flooded and the damage was extensive so the tenants HAD to move out so that the repairs could be done. The owner offered to pay for a week in a hotel while repairs were done - they wouldn't leave, the agency took them out and showed them every property in their price range and said "which one?" - still wouldn't leave. Then they went to the paper and had a cry, asking for charity and blaming the nasty landlord and immoral agents. These tenants were awful, rude, demanding, hard to deal with. Best thing about this newspaper article? They referred to each other as the 'partner' however, she claimed to us he wasn't living in the property and was getting a single parenting pension from centrelink........that came back to bite them
. There are two sides to every story and in my experience, the side that stays quiet is often the side which has taken the higher moral ground.
Dazz - Tee hee hee
I've been thinking about this one. I believe it comes down to what sort of person you are, how much leeway you can afford to give the tenant, and what sort of tenant relationship you have.
Perhaps we are "different" because we don't have a lot of tenants, and we self-manage, so we know our tenants and have direct contact with them. That might only be once a year at lease renewal time, but there IS a relationship.
Being realistic, if a tenant passed away and the partner was left in the house, I think my first reaction would be to tell them that we are holding four weeks' bond, and to take a little time to get things sorted out. I would let them know that we could not "carry" them for too long, but would be happy initially to let them use their held bond until they sorted out funerals, insurance etc.
I know from personal experience what it is like having to arrange a funeral, after having spent a horror few months watching someone die. Each step is like wading through treacle. I experienced first hand the fantastic, caring attitude of insurance companies, health insurers, banks etc. Not one of these big institutions didn't bend to allow us some leeway. We still had to follow rules and regulations, but not one person on the end of the phone didn't have fantastic attitude and empathy for us and each went out of their way to smooth the path for what we needed to do.
I know that even ten years ago, we couldn't have given more leeway than using up the four weeks' bond, and that our financial position now is much more strong, and we would do what we felt was right, depending on the tenant, the relationship and the circumstances.
It was humbling to see several of my mother's tenants at her funeral to pay their respects. It cuts both ways and I will never forget seeing their faces lining up to give me a hug and some kind words.
I also understand that many landlords have never met their tenants, never formed any sort of relationship, and would let the PM handle things.
There is no right or wrong answer, with each landlord doing what they think is the right thing. God forbid not having any sort of compassion.
It is not the sort of person I want to be. If I lose a few weeks rent, so be it.
And lots of my opinion and attitude comes down to having a relationship with our tenants. They respect us, we respect them. If not, they don't stay long.
Perhaps we are "different" because we don't have a lot of tenants, and we self-manage, so we know our tenants and have direct contact with them. That might only be once a year at lease renewal time, but there IS a relationship.
Being realistic, if a tenant passed away and the partner was left in the house, I think my first reaction would be to tell them that we are holding four weeks' bond, and to take a little time to get things sorted out. I would let them know that we could not "carry" them for too long, but would be happy initially to let them use their held bond until they sorted out funerals, insurance etc.
I know from personal experience what it is like having to arrange a funeral, after having spent a horror few months watching someone die. Each step is like wading through treacle. I experienced first hand the fantastic, caring attitude of insurance companies, health insurers, banks etc. Not one of these big institutions didn't bend to allow us some leeway. We still had to follow rules and regulations, but not one person on the end of the phone didn't have fantastic attitude and empathy for us and each went out of their way to smooth the path for what we needed to do.
I know that even ten years ago, we couldn't have given more leeway than using up the four weeks' bond, and that our financial position now is much more strong, and we would do what we felt was right, depending on the tenant, the relationship and the circumstances.
It was humbling to see several of my mother's tenants at her funeral to pay their respects. It cuts both ways and I will never forget seeing their faces lining up to give me a hug and some kind words.
I also understand that many landlords have never met their tenants, never formed any sort of relationship, and would let the PM handle things.
There is no right or wrong answer, with each landlord doing what they think is the right thing. God forbid not having any sort of compassion.
It is not the sort of person I want to be. If I lose a few weeks rent, so be it.
And lots of my opinion and attitude comes down to having a relationship with our tenants. They respect us, we respect them. If not, they don't stay long.
If I as a LL fall on bad times would my tenants be willing to put their hands in their pockets and pay extra rent to help me get through?
Double standards all around.
Regards
Andrew
"...Be the change you want to see in the world..." - Ghandi.
Exactly...
Otherwise, arent; you taking on this childish mantra ?
"The world's not fair.. so I'm gonna be not fair to the world - fk em no noe cares aobut me, why shoudl I care about anyone"
Ghandhi was suggesting YOU do the right thing and don't worry about what everyone else does.... do the things you want to see in the world regardless of how others are cting, stop waiting for others to do it first and compalining how unfair everything is.
Not tell everyone else that you think you are the only one doing the right thing
that is unless the landlord is a shopping centre, these guys will not budge for their own mother unless it suits them
EEEEEEEEEXACTLY!!!
what would you do if the landlord was an eldery widow, with no pension, but just the income from her property that she had to live on?? so she has to pull strings or go without food for 1 month because the tenant has a problem,
I think its still the ME ME ME generation/society that the article is appealing to! If I was very wealthy, I would put her up in one of my cheapest properties or id assist her in finding somewhere else, but free rent wouldnt be an option, 30 days will become 2 months, 2 months will become 3 months, 3 months + lease will become 6 months with 3 months in arrears
About 15 years the Uni I attended published an article in it's student newsletter about how to get the most out of your LL, what tricks to use to get free time extensions, costs borne by LL instead of student blah blah.
In response they got a letter from an external student who pointed out she had the IP from a marriage break-up and the rent she got kept her in Uni and helped keep her 2 young kids.
You can't generalise about LLs.
In response they got a letter from an external student who pointed out she had the IP from a marriage break-up and the rent she got kept her in Uni and helped keep her 2 young kids.
You can't generalise about LLs.
Being a University, I presume the person who wrote the article actually did some research before publishing, and henceforth, what you call "tricks" are most likely valid under the respective state RTAs, and therefore fully legit.
Tips and tricks are only called as such, as most wet behind the ears uni students straight out of school simply don't know what their rights are. They are many and large. If all student Tenants exercised every right under the RTA against their Landlord....the Landlord would be in a world of hurt. They survive on Tenant ignorance of the Act.
The only time you hear about a Tenant exercising their rights under the Act, the Landlord's immediately label them "problem or difficult Tenants". Nothing could be further from the truth. They have simply used a dormant power over the Landlord that was always there. It hurts when you wear the Landlord hat, but there is no escaping the fact.
kinda the same vein as my APN talks.
i don't understand why people even come to see me talk, personally. it's all free information and avaliable to anyone yet it appears most people are not either 1) able to find it, 2) able to understand it, 3) able to apply it, or 4) all of the above.
i am contantly amazed when people say i've opened their eyes, but the information was available for free and in the public domain all along.
information is power - it always has been. know your rights as a tenant / citizen / developer / prisoner - whatever, and you wil be a force to rbe reckoned with.
like the WW2 spies - always play a higher power card when cornered.
It wasn't the government calling the citizen who is also a landlord names. It was a newspaper "taking the side" of another citizen, so the presentation is that citizens, I assume non landlord citizens, are calling the landlord names for being more cold than citizens should, possbily because that's what landlords are like..
But still people will insist that stereotypes are not created without reason at all as was storngly suggested to me by at least 2 posters on another thread (on a completely different topic)... so maybe they are right ? maybe you can stereotype landlord's cause they caued the stereotype by enough acting that way.
I for one suggested stereotyping and listening to stereotypes wasn't to smart, but agian people disagreed...
Not sure what you mean by your last sentence ter Stefan
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I thought being a landlord meant running a charity... I can't believe people are made to leave if they're not paying rent.
In my experience, people are always exceedingly generous and vocal about moral and ethical 'obligations': provided it isn't them who is actually expected to fork out the cash (or provide the free service).
How many people do you know who claim that they would be charitable and donate money to charities and family and friends if they won the lotto??? And yet statistically not all that many lotto winners actually follow through on this 'ideal', and when they do the 'public' rarely agree that the actual amount shared was indeed sufficient in comparision to the payout.
My advice, don't give a crap what the public will think about a decision you make, make a decision based on your own morals and personal situation - because there is always someone out there who will complain that whatever you do, it isn't enough.
How many people do you know who claim that they would be charitable and donate money to charities and family and friends if they won the lotto??? And yet statistically not all that many lotto winners actually follow through on this 'ideal', and when they do the 'public' rarely agree that the actual amount shared was indeed sufficient in comparision to the payout.
My advice, don't give a crap what the public will think about a decision you make, make a decision based on your own morals and personal situation - because there is always someone out there who will complain that whatever you do, it isn't enough.
A contract is an agreement by all parties to do certain things in exchange for other things. The parties read it, negotiate as required and show their agreement by signing the paper.
The agreement outlines the obligations of all parties inlcuding what happens when circumstances change. In signing the agreement the parties agree to be bound by these terms.
Nowhere in any agreement I have signed have I seen clauses relating to; 'feel', 'moral compass' or 'popular belief'.
The LL is bound by the terms of a lease regardless of a change in their circumstances, I see no reason why the tenant should be excluded from this obligation.
Apparently many LL's on this forum 'feel' differently.
Regards
Andrew
The agreement outlines the obligations of all parties inlcuding what happens when circumstances change. In signing the agreement the parties agree to be bound by these terms.
Nowhere in any agreement I have signed have I seen clauses relating to; 'feel', 'moral compass' or 'popular belief'.
The LL is bound by the terms of a lease regardless of a change in their circumstances, I see no reason why the tenant should be excluded from this obligation.
Apparently many LL's on this forum 'feel' differently.
Regards
Andrew
I am glad that I have managing agents to help break the emotional attachment.
Lets put it very bluntly, and I guess I will come out of it looking like a jerk ...oh well.
I work in a big company. There must be at least 100 people who I know by name and would recognize if I saw them in the street. I know bits and pieces about their lives, but they aren't in the circle of people at work that I would consider "friends".
I don't know the names of my tenants and would not recognize any of them if I saw them in the street.
1 in each category is unable to pay their rent, why is the perceived moral obligation only to help the latter?
Lets put it very bluntly, and I guess I will come out of it looking like a jerk ...oh well.
I work in a big company. There must be at least 100 people who I know by name and would recognize if I saw them in the street. I know bits and pieces about their lives, but they aren't in the circle of people at work that I would consider "friends".
I don't know the names of my tenants and would not recognize any of them if I saw them in the street.
1 in each category is unable to pay their rent, why is the perceived moral obligation only to help the latter?
I wouldn't jump to any such conclusion, it was the student union's newsletter so I'm not sure if they had.
Anyway my point wasn't about the 'tips and tricks', it was about the assumptions made by the media (in the OP's case) that the LL could afford it. People make assumptions about the LL and their state of $$ - my point was that they may be surprised about who is a LL.
As PropertyMeister said
"what would you do if the landlord was an eldery widow, with no pension, but just the income from her property that she had to live on?? so she has to pull strings or go without food for 1 month because the tenant has a problem".
