Hello Landlords....

Please how do you handle your difficult Tenants?

Let me tell you the story. Some months ago, My Tenants went to report us to Mediation Centre at Local Govt after we returned half of the rent they paid. What happened?

They lived in our Apartment for two years. They live in a Mini Flat. A Big Room And Big Parlour, Two Toilet, Two Bathrooms and a Kitchen with rent of N170,000 per year somewhere at Ipaja-Ayobo, Lagos.

My dad was building the house and built those rooms for himself as his personal room but he died in 2006 so when my mum got some money, an Engineer convinced her to convert those rooms and put out for rent to get money while we manage the remaining which she agreed. She finished the house and decided to convert those rooms to Mini flat and rent out.

My mum put the rent at 170K as we speak despite people telling us it's too small that it should be around 200K to 250K but because my mum is a working-class woman and doesn't solely depend on the proceeds of the Apartment like that so she just decided to leave it at that as her contribution to help society

We live in the same compound but our apartments are different but we are both under the same roof in the bungalow.

Their rent expired and they refused to pay last year June.

When his rent expired, my mum sent him a text message reminder that his rent has expired.

The next thing the tenant did was to send my mum a text message saying he will NOT be paying the rent until after two months.

My mum showed me the text message. I felt that was not right atall. Yes people owe rent but there is a way they go about it and it's not by sending just a text message to the owner of the house.

Before then, he came to us and said he can't be paying for light becos we share prepaid meter and we pump water with light. The government brought the prepaid meter while he was there so he saw it but before then, we used to pay post paid NEPA Bill and that was expensive. The prepaid meter was a huge relief to us.

He said we should connect his apartment line directly back to the NEPA Pole which we didn't agree becos NEPA has prepaid metered our house.

We told him we have applied for a second prepaid for his Apartment and even paid 10K as settlement to the officials just to get it but we are still waiting for it to come.

Ever since then, he stopped bringing his own money for Prepaid recharging. When we noticed we called electrician to cut his apartment off becos we can't be paying for light and water for a family of 5 (husband, wife and three children).

Now two things, he said he is not paying for rent and he would not be paying for Prepaid aswell. He wants NEPA from pole and wants to be collecting huge bill.

At that time, I began to feel that maybe he wants to move out and he is just trying to buy enough time to carry out his plans.

So he stayed for two months in our apartment without paying anything. No word from him. No physical explanation on why he is choosing to owe rent just that text message he sent yet he goes in and out of the house seeing us daily.

We also choose not to go to his Apartment to start asking for rent. We were just watching him despite the fact that we needed the money at that time to do some projects but we endured and found an alternative.

After two months, one Sunday evening like that, my mum got alert of 170K. Immediately my mum returned back half of the rent and told him to start looking for a place to live.

The next day, this man ran to Mediation Centre to report us that we returned half of his rent. The Lawyers sent for my mum. My mum was surprised to get a letter from them.

When she got there, After the Lawyers heard my mum side of the story, they were on my mum's side completely. They backed her up and told her to request for what she wants immediately so they can carry it out.

She told them she wants the Tenant to leave the apartment peacefully.

The Lawyers told the Tenants to leave the Apartment and gave them a compulsory date. God was on our side. God backed us up.

The Lawyers also scolded him for telling my mum to give him light separately from NEPA Pole after we have been given Prepaid Meter from the Government especially now the Postpaid NEPA Bill is so much and keeps increasing day by day.

After the whole Mediation things, I'm sure they were disappointed that they lost.

Fast Forward to this Sunday morning, they came to tell us they are leaving and we should open the Main gate for them. My mum asked them to return the Keys to the Apartment locks which they refused.

My mum sent them a message to repair all they damaged in the house weeks back becos we got information that they damaged their toilet after a plumber came to work in the compound. They refused to give a peaceful answer and started raising their voices this early morning. My mum was also angry too.

The husband and wife teamed up to start causing trouble with my mum this morning. The wife even called my mum a witch.

Now they have parked out, they did not even give us the keys to the Apartment locks and did not return the Main gate small entrance keys to us but just left it on the mouth of the gate and went their way.

Is this how some people live in people's houses?
Is this how some people treat landlords and landlady's that give them their own apartments to live in?
This is how people carry problems to houses they are moving into.

I'm happy they have gone and I give all glory to God almighty.

But now, We would have to start spending money to call Welder to break the Apartment locks of the back entrance gate just for us to enter the house through the back. I have not entered the Apartment to see if they repaired their damages.

P.S: The agent that brought them told us NOT to collect Damages from them so we did not. He said that if we collect damages, most tenants will use the opportunity to purposely spoil and damage things in your Apartment and later say "After all we paid for Damages".

Right now, We are just tired but I know that their Karma is waiting for them anywhere they go to.

We plan on not putting the Apartment for rent again at least for now.

This is becos I don't have the energy to be talking to tenants. My mum doesn't have the energy aswell. We don't have the energy for drama. We just want peace but some tenants are just problematic and are just ready for trouble everytime.

My question now is

Landlords in the house, how do you manage your Tenants living in the same house with you?


Admin please move to Frontpage.

...

My dad was building a 12 room face I face you around lasu area.. It got to point, he was unable to continue with the project because of financial issue. Tho what was left then was just roofing. That was how an igbo man met my dad's caretaker and told him he is interested in completing just two rooms to his own taste and after that, he would stay in the rooms for 2years before he starts paying the rent. The caretaker told my dad. My dad felt it was a nice idea.... So he allowed him. It's been 4years now.... Baba Igbo haven't paid the rent for once. And he is saying he is not going to leave. I have requested that my dad should allow me handle the issue.... But he is saying no.



Tho some tenant mad..... Like wise some landlord self no well. I personally don't buy the idea of landlord living in the same compound with the tenant.

You're so lucky that the damages isnt as bad as you currently have. It gets worse for some...lucky you

Now you can put the house in order and charge what you want. Let him go and terrorize his seniors outside.

By the way, better to rent to a responsible single next time, one that you could verify where they work. You dont want wahala biko.

I wish we can hear from the tenant.

U guys are indeed calm and from the look of things,una no be wahala people.

Well as for tenants in Nigeria,they are the worst kind humans to ever manage. In fact,as I speak to u now,I am also a tenant but I don't behave like one because of what I see some landlords go through in life.

One thing I have always assured my landlady is that,I will not owe u and if I can't pay u,I will immediately relocate because,u built your house to reap your investment.
Even when she increased her rent from 650k to 900k,which i only told her I can't pay such having stayed for 3 years and she asked me how much I would pay,which I said 800k would be fine by me and she accepted.

Everything is about understanding and many people especially tenants find avenues just to evade responsibility from the earlier agreement and some are hiding under the guise of Covid 19 to manipulate their landlords when they can find subtle ways of telling the truth of when to pay to avoid problems.

In life u get to meet different kinds of people,therefore do not be in panic mood and renovate your house and let it out and evaluate the best among the prospecting tenants and choose the best.


Good luck to you guys.

sisisioge:
You're so lucky that the damages isnt as bad as you currently have. It gets worse for some...lucky you

Now you can put the house in order and charge what you want. Let him go and terrorize his seniors outside.

By the way, better to rent to a responsible single next time, one that you could verify where they work. You dont want wahala biko.

Them no dey write for face

Oyindamolah:
Them no dey write for face

Na deliberate action fa...

1. I had once written a reference letter for a staff as requested by his prospective landlord.

2. My friend and her husband attended a structured interview orhanised by their prospective landlord to rent a house.

sisisioge:


Na deliberate action fa...

1. I had once written a reference letter for a staff as requested by his prospective landlord.

2. My friend and her husband attended a structured interview orhanised by their prospective landlord to rent a house.

Okay fa...
Fa ko fadeyi oloro ni...

Shit mehn, we dey cope o. That's how one of our tenants starts cooking inside his room, d wife go leave toilet dey poo for bathroom, rinsing plate directly from the tap.. They gave him warning, baba said im no fit change... Las las im chop permanent strike.. He packed out just yesterday.

I simply KILL them. They know who their landlord is. That's why they don't joke with me.

Thanks for your answers everyone. I really appreciate.

Cyphar:
My dad was building a 12 room face I face you around lasu area.. It got to point, he was unable to continue with the project because of financial issue. Tho what was left then was just roofing. That was how an igbo man met my dad's caretaker and told him he is interested in completing just two rooms to his own taste and after that, he would stay in the rooms for 2years before he starts paying the rent. The caretaker told my dad. My dad felt it was a nice idea.... So he allowed him. It's been 4years now.... Baba Igbo haven't paid the rent for once. And he is saying he is not going to leave. I have requested that my dad should allow me handle the issue.... But he is saying no.



Tho some tenant mad..... Like wise some landlord self no well. I personally don't buy the idea of landlord living in the same compound with the tenant.

It's always Igbos. Do business with an Igbo person fully at your own risk

How i wish we can hear from the tenant

ModelLook:
Hello Landlords....



[b]My question now is

Landlords in the house, how do you manage your Tenants living in the same house with you?


Admin please move to Frontpage.

Welcome to the club of tenants from hell.

One of the reasons I don't even batt an eyelid when people come to post about their landlords is because they will never tell you the true story. Then some landlords have been taught the hard way they take it out on good tenants.


1.Never rent out your apartment to some set of people, they can pay more than what others want to pay but they will damage your apartment beyond repair and before you get the subsequent rent na war, especially if you are collecting the rent yourself.

2. Have a strong agreement that covers all bases, that they would have collected and read through the terms and conditions and if they agree, it will be signed even before they make the transfer for payment.

3. Never be in a hurry to let out your apartment oo, interview, scrutinize, someone can even do this job on your behalf ask whatever questions you feel necessary, na your house.

4. I am generally weary of some of these non professional agents parading themselves about, lots of them are just after the 50k or 100k they will share among themselves, they don't really care about what happens later on.

5. If you don't have time for 2 and 3 you can get a lawyer. But you should have the time since you people will be staying in the same house, a lawyer will prepare the docs for you.

6. If you are the praying type abeg pray, we do pray for things that the system is supposed to take care of in this country. Getting a good tenant is rocket science in this country, an average Nigerian doesn't want to pay bills.

7. All those security levy, compound cleaning money if you can collect it yearly please do, one of my mum's tenant wife is saying they don't pay security levy in her father's house that it's because my mum is a woman that's why the CDA is disturbing her for security money, it's just 700 naira ooo.
You can see there are levels to the madness. I never get their time.

8. Collect caution charge abi is it damages, whatever name they call it. If they don't damage you can return it when they are leaving.

9. Separate your prepaid meter from your tenant, since you are already working on that no problem. If it's only one prepaid you guys have for now you guys should manage till the new one comes. Never ever allow them to connect directly and collect bill, they will pay only 10k out of 20k Nepa bill monthly and by the time they are leaving, you will have to pay what is more than the house rent as Nepa arrears.

We personally did not let out one property at all till prepaid came more than 8 months later because of this singular reason, the billing in that area was crazy, the bills they will get is more than what the tenant is paying as house r ent so how will he pay in full, at the end its the landlord that will be stuck with arrears when the tenant moves out.


10. Be fair and considerate sha, times are hard lots of people can't pay houserent as at when due. We do collect 6 months from some sane tenants sometimes.

11. Finally do not let your house to yahoo boys if you want peace of mind in that compound.


At least we have had some peace, it's remaining the one that doesn't want to pay security money. I never get their time

Hmmmm, this only common among a particular tribe. They always make themselves Lord of the house. Thank God, they left. They also like spoiling people's houses before leaving.

NoToPile:


Welcome to the club of tenants from hell.

One of the reasons I don't even batt an eyelid when people come to post about their landlords is because they will never tell you the true story. Then some landlords have been taught the hard way they take it out on good tenants.


1.Never rent out your apartment to some set of people, they can pay more than what others want to pay but they will damage your apartment beyond repair and before you get the subsequent rent na war, especially if you are collecting the rent yourself.

2. Have a strong agreement that covers all bases, that they would have collected and read through the terms and conditions and if they agree, it will be signed even before they make the transfer for payment.

3. Never be in a hurry to let out your apartment oo, interview, scrutinize, someone can even do this job on your behalf ask whatever questions you feel necessary, na your house.

4. I am generally weary of some of these non professional agents parading themselves about, lots of them are just after the 50k or 100k they will share among themselves, they don't really care about what happens later on.

5. If you don't have time for 2 and 3 you can get a lawyer. But you should have the time since you people will be staying in the same house, a lawyer will prepare the docs for you.

6. If you are the praying type abeg pray, we do pray for things that the system is supposed to take care of in this country. Getting a good tenant is rocket science in this country, an average Nigerian doesn't want to pay bills.

7. All those security levy, compound cleaning money if you can collect it yearly please do, one of my mum's tenant wife is saying they don't pay security levy in her father's house that it's because my mum is a woman that's why the CDA is disturbing her for security money, it's just 700 naira ooo.
You can see there are levels to the madness. I never get their time.

8. Collect caution charge abi is it damages, whatever name they call it. If they don't damage you can return it when they are leaving.

9. Separate your prepaid meter from your tenant, since you are already working on that no problem. If it's only one prepaid you guys have for now you guys should manage till the new one comes. Never ever allow them to connect directly and collect bill, they will pay only 10k out of 20k Nepa bill monthly and by the time they are leaving, you will have to pay what is more than the house rent as Nepa arrears.

We personally did not let out one property at all till prepaid came more than 8 months later because of this singular reason, the billing in that area was crazy, the bills they will get is more than what the tenant is paying as house r ent so how will he pay in full, at the end its the landlord that will be stuck with arrears when the tenant moves out.


10. Be fair and considerate sha, times are hard lots of people can't pay houserent as at when due. We do collect 6 months from some sane tenants sometimes.

11. Finally do not let your house to yahoo boys if you want peace of mind in that compound.


At least we have had some peace, it's remaining the one that doesn't want to pay security money. I never get their time

Thank you very much.
I really appreciate.
I have really learnt alot from all the points you highlighted here.
I have taken note of all your suggestions.
God bless u.

It depends sha