Getting Rid of Dangerous Tenants

So how do apartment managers keep out the bad guys – the small number of people that cause 90% of the problems.  Here is a recent article documenting the problem in the aftermath of the murder of a young man, Odomie A. Wellington, in an apartment complex in Ohio.  Some claim the state eviction laws are slow, cumbersome and expensive.  Others ignore the problems or simply don’t want to forego the rent during the eviction and fix-up period after the tenant is evicted.  The problem has to be seriously considered by any responsible property manager and handled proactively.  No problem will go away without active, strong actions.

Others will ask whether an apartment has an obligation to rent to a felon who has served his or her time and paid their debt to society.  I know of no state jurisdiction that “requires” an apartment complex to rent to felons released from prison.  This is not a “protected class” of persons that have automatic rights to housing, employment, etc.  That may seem harsh, but as they say-these folks made their own bed – now they must sleep in it, but just not at my apartment complex!

I’d be interested in hearing some of the problems or successes in the industry -whether from the tenant’s perspective or the experiences of property managers.