Landlord / Tenant horror stories
- Thread starter Perchy
- Start date
I can tell of tenant horror story, from the tenants perspective. 
When this gets settled the landlord will feel like it was a horror story...
A friend of mine moved house 6 months ago. Three months ago he received a $3000 electricity bill. He contested it and the supplier and infrastructure stated that the readings were correct. Told the landlord that the house might have faulty wiring causing such a bill, the landlord disagreed and said not my problem. My friend decided that he wouldn't push the matter, paid the bill and hoped that would be the end of it.
Three weeks before Christmas he received the next quarters bill, $2800. Uh oh. Calls up the infrastructure company and supplier stating the problem is persisting, they check the readings, the integrity of the meter etc, no problem on their end. It is established by the infrastructure that the wiring of the house must be at fault, as with no electrical devices running, the meter is running as if the house was pumping juice at full capacity. Relayed the info to the landlord who is trying to dodge any conversations from the tenant. The same landlord has refused to fix the oven for 5 months.
Over the next couple weeks I can see this heading to the tribunal and if the landlord has to pay back the excess charges from faulty wiring, it won't be pretty....
When this gets settled the landlord will feel like it was a horror story...A friend of mine moved house 6 months ago. Three months ago he received a $3000 electricity bill. He contested it and the supplier and infrastructure stated that the readings were correct. Told the landlord that the house might have faulty wiring causing such a bill, the landlord disagreed and said not my problem. My friend decided that he wouldn't push the matter, paid the bill and hoped that would be the end of it.
Three weeks before Christmas he received the next quarters bill, $2800. Uh oh. Calls up the infrastructure company and supplier stating the problem is persisting, they check the readings, the integrity of the meter etc, no problem on their end. It is established by the infrastructure that the wiring of the house must be at fault, as with no electrical devices running, the meter is running as if the house was pumping juice at full capacity. Relayed the info to the landlord who is trying to dodge any conversations from the tenant. The same landlord has refused to fix the oven for 5 months.
Over the next couple weeks I can see this heading to the tribunal and if the landlord has to pay back the excess charges from faulty wiring, it won't be pretty....
Haha CJay - your friend is a good tenant.
What happens if he didn't pay it? Would the electricity co come after him?
What happens if he didn't pay it? Would the electricity co come after him?
Nice.. not
I found this to keep my interested for the time being..
http://www.sclqld.org.au/qcat/list.php/Residential_tenancy_matters
wow $12K in rent arrears!
I found this to keep my interested for the time being..
http://www.sclqld.org.au/qcat/list.php/Residential_tenancy_matters
wow $12K in rent arrears!
Wow would you pay up, 3k is alot!
No way would I have paid that bill.
Had a tenant move into a rental house in May/11.
After the first month rent payment, they were always late, but within the time limit. In Sept, their cheque bounced.They postdated the replacement for the last day of the month. Still within time limit. This cheques bounces too. We immediately issue Notice to Quit. They won't leave and our closest hearing date we can get is 24 Nov/11.
We win, Director tells us verbally they are to be out by 8 Dec/11. When the written order comes in the mail, they are permitted to stay until 15 Dec/11.
In the meantime, after the 10 days from the written judgement, we apply to have it made into an Order of the Court, so we can have the Sheriff evict.
The tenants have reqested an extension for the appeal, which is dated for 3 Jan/12. This is resheduled, because the adjudicator is our lawyer..conflict, so rescheduled for 9 Jan/12.
Tenant doesn't serve us properly, so in essence, we haven't been served. Won't matter, all they are trying to do is stall. They would just ask for substituted service, and prolong it more.
We will be showing up for 9 Jan/12 with more Hearing dates for the tenant to appear, for the rent still outstanding.
Finally today, have received good news, these tenants have left. We have changed the locks and taken back possession of the property.
A good cleanup..and back on the market within a few days.
Even when you do everything right, it can still take months to evict.
After the first month rent payment, they were always late, but within the time limit. In Sept, their cheque bounced.They postdated the replacement for the last day of the month. Still within time limit. This cheques bounces too. We immediately issue Notice to Quit. They won't leave and our closest hearing date we can get is 24 Nov/11.
We win, Director tells us verbally they are to be out by 8 Dec/11. When the written order comes in the mail, they are permitted to stay until 15 Dec/11.
In the meantime, after the 10 days from the written judgement, we apply to have it made into an Order of the Court, so we can have the Sheriff evict.
The tenants have reqested an extension for the appeal, which is dated for 3 Jan/12. This is resheduled, because the adjudicator is our lawyer..conflict, so rescheduled for 9 Jan/12.
Tenant doesn't serve us properly, so in essence, we haven't been served. Won't matter, all they are trying to do is stall. They would just ask for substituted service, and prolong it more.
We will be showing up for 9 Jan/12 with more Hearing dates for the tenant to appear, for the rent still outstanding.
Finally today, have received good news, these tenants have left. We have changed the locks and taken back possession of the property.
A good cleanup..and back on the market within a few days.
Even when you do everything right, it can still take months to evict.
Has he checked in the ceiling cavity? You never know ....
No horror stories as such. Just 4 young guys renting a new build of mine, ruining $8000 worth of carpet in 6 months. Got off with paying only $2,800 thanks to the tribunal. Was not happy.
I remember that thread lizzie.
You've distilled waaayy too much down to 2 lines.
I find brevity to be the death knell of lessons.
Link to a similar thread from 6 years back now....has it really been that long ???
http://www.somersoft.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26991&highlight=horror+stories
You've distilled waaayy too much down to 2 lines.
I find brevity to be the death knell of lessons.
Link to a similar thread from 6 years back now....has it really been that long ???
http://www.somersoft.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26991&highlight=horror+stories
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No hidden hydro set-ups Lizzie, I checked myself.
I do hope he is able to get back the excessive amounts charged, they're saving to buy their first home so they don't have to deal with any more landlord-tenant games.
I do hope he is able to get back the excessive amounts charged, they're saving to buy their first home so they don't have to deal with any more landlord-tenant games.
Nothing like the passage of years - and the passing of the emotive aspect.
Okay ... the lesson? The PM didn't take enough photos to show "where" the vomit, alcohol etc stains were actually situated - but she did take photos of all the stains themselves. Tenants claimed was confined to only the 2 living rooms - whereas was all over the entire 4 bed/2 living house. Stairs ... everywhere.
Problem was - if we'd just replaced those worst rooms, it would make the rest of the carpet look even worse.
Unfortunately - due to lack of evidence - we lost that one and therefore they only had to pay for the replacement of the 2 rooms of carpet.
Was the same house where I had to clean footprints off the 9 foot ceilings!
The mind boggles
Long pool queues with shoes on the end to deliberately mark the ceiling?
Throwing shoes upwards to kill mozzies?
This thread reminded me of two tenant stories I have.
First one was in our very early days of being landlords. Hubby moved in with me and we rented his house. We had an agent find us a tenant, young couple.
All was well until she decided to go "back on the game" after they broke up. We had several sleepless nights after her ex called to see us (asked first) to let us know she had done time in prison for stabbing someone in the neck "to see what it felt like". Great!!!
She left the house with no damage. Belated thanks to that great property manager, who clearly did all the usual checks.
Second funny one happened about ten years ago. Neighbours moved states and I gladly advertised for them to find a tenant, and they would manage from afar. Problem was that my mother was taking some tenants to the tribunal (very first time) for their non-payment of rent.
They couldn't manage to pay the rent to my mother, but every week without fail, they would call me to ask if they could rent the house I was advertising (which was $50 per week MORE than Mum's house). I got to know her voice, but didn't want her to think I was discriminating against her just because she owed my mother money.
First one was in our very early days of being landlords. Hubby moved in with me and we rented his house. We had an agent find us a tenant, young couple.
All was well until she decided to go "back on the game" after they broke up. We had several sleepless nights after her ex called to see us (asked first) to let us know she had done time in prison for stabbing someone in the neck "to see what it felt like". Great!!!
She left the house with no damage. Belated thanks to that great property manager, who clearly did all the usual checks
.Second funny one happened about ten years ago. Neighbours moved states and I gladly advertised for them to find a tenant, and they would manage from afar. Problem was that my mother was taking some tenants to the tribunal (very first time) for their non-payment of rent.
They couldn't manage to pay the rent to my mother, but every week without fail, they would call me to ask if they could rent the house I was advertising (which was $50 per week MORE than Mum's house). I got to know her voice, but didn't want her to think I was discriminating against her just because she owed my mother money
.Sorry but that's a load of c**p on some ones behalf. If the meter is still turning with everything switched off at the switchboard its a fault with the meter or its wiring.
Otherwise its easy to identify which circuit its on by turning on circuit by circuit. Most likely an electric water heater with faulty element.
I concur.
Very easy to prove which circuit is turning the meter.
One of my tenants complained about excessive charges - turned out to be the pressure relieve valve on the water heater that was just continually releasing hot water. Turned water heater circuit off meter stopped running.
If the wiring was pulling that juice then you would be on the verge of a major electrical fire. Could not be sustained for 6 months without catching fire.
Cheers
Oh wow Dazz, I'm amazed you are still in the game!
This one upsets me just from reading it, its one for the tenant though so its not always the tenant's fault!
http://www.sclqld.org.au/qjudgment/2011/QCAT/535
This one upsets me just from reading it, its one for the tenant though so its not always the tenant's fault!
http://www.sclqld.org.au/qjudgment/2011/QCAT/535
Nothing like the passage of years - and the passing of the emotive aspect.
Okay ... the lesson? The PM didn't take enough photos to show "where" the vomit, alcohol etc stains were actually situated - but she did take photos of all the stains themselves. Tenants claimed was confined to only the 2 living rooms - whereas was all over the entire 4 bed/2 living house. Stairs ... everywhere.
Problem was - if we'd just replaced those worst rooms, it would make the rest of the carpet look even worse.
Unfortunately - due to lack of evidence - we lost that one and therefore they only had to pay for the replacement of the 2 rooms of carpet.
Was the same house where I had to clean footprints off the 9 foot ceilings!
Boys will be boys
Did you get them out after the carpet replacement?
Reminds me of "The Simpsons" Movie - "Spider pig, Spider pig, does whatever a Spider pig does."
Before ...
