A Reddit user shared a story about how his threat of evicting his girlfriend’s father from his building caused a rift and tension in his relationship.
The OP recently inherited an apartment complex from a deceased family member. His girlfriend’s father lives in one of the buildings in the complex.
Her Father Was a Hoarder
When the OP went around to inform the tenants about the change of ownership, he chanced to get into her girlfriend’s father’s apartment. He found that he was a serious hoarder whose house smelled of cat piss, and the stench was unbearable. There was garbage and clothes strewn everywhere. There was mold and cockroaches in the apartment.
The OP immediately gave him a 30 days ultimatum to clean the apartment or get evicted. He also said that if he tidied up within 30 days, he would give him another month to get rid of the cats. He told him the condition of the apartment posed a health risk to other tenants.
You Can’t Evict Me
The girlfriend begged the OP to let her father stay, and the father told the OP he could not evict him because he was the father to his girlfriend and he had nowhere else to go. The OP told him that he would not give him special treatment or spend money to restore his apartment to good condition.
This has created a lot of tension between the OP, his girlfriend, and her dad. The girlfriend wants the OP to let her father live as he wishes, and the OP is afraid this may be a problem with the other tenants.
The Masses Weigh In
The Reddit community weighed in on the issue and offered different opinions.
One said that the OP should consider the other tenants as well, “Your GF and her father may hate you, but I guarantee your other tenants will love you. Black mold, cockroaches, and cat urine are disgusting. I would not want this man for a neighbor.
You may lose a GF over this, but this problem needs to be addressed. Your GF needs to get her father mental help.”
He Has a Duty to the Other Tenants
“TBH, it sounds to me like OP is going to need to remove the poor man from the apartment in any case, as it is going to need serious remediation before it can safely be lived in at all. But that does not make him a bad guy in any form. He has a duty to his other tenants, as well as having to follow the laws where he is,” added another user.
Your Girlfriend Should Stop Enabling Her Father
Another said the girlfriend should stop enabling her father, “The girlfriend shouldn’t want her father to be living like this either. OP has already gone above and beyond by ordering a dumpster; I imagine most LLs would put that responsibility on the tenant.”
Another person agreed saying, “your gf is a huge enabler. Red flags. It’s your property, and you want good tenants and happy tenants. If I were his neighbor you’d have a lot of complaints from me, and I would bother you pretty often until something got done or I moved out and told everyone I know about the conditions there, and slowly but surely you’d have less and less applications from renters.”
Her Father Is Suffering From a Mental Disorder
Others think the father could be mentally ill. One said, “the man is abusing those cats by living this way with them. He has a mental illness, clearly, and that’s terrible – but he should not have animals he is not going to properly care for and he has demonstrated he hasn’t been able to do that.”
Another agreed with this, “I am not calling anyone evil, because hoarding is a symptom of mental illness. These people are unable to care for their animals in anything approaching a humane manner. This will not change “even if he cleans the place up” because his mental condition is not being addressed here. For true change, that will be needed.”
“hoarders are suffering from a mental disorder. There are agencies that can help him get his home back in order in most places. Help him out if you can and let him know you don’t want to kick him out but you cannot allow this to go any further. If he does get it taken care of, allow him to keep one cat as they are probably ESA’s and also check in on him weekly even if under the guise of him being GF dad to ensure he’s staying up with the deal,” said another user.
Op Should Honor Existing Leases
One person thinks OP should keep the leases intact, “As a new owner, OP will typically have to honor all existing leases exactly according to prior agreement for the duration of the lease. Leases always include some commitment by the tenant to keep the property in good working order, so the father’s lease can be considered broken under the agreed terms and OP can take eviction action or negotiate other terms (like no pets).
But he’s also free to add a new pet policy for all tenants in lease renewal terms, including banning pets entirely, charging pet rent, or limiting the number and breeds that are allowed.
It’s unfair to non-problem current tenants with pets, but it’s legal.”
Business Is Business
Many urge the OP to separate business from personal relationships. One said, “business is business, and father is objectively living in filth and harboring pests that will travel to the other apartments. It is not just affecting him; his filthy living affects the whole building. Cat piss smell and cockroaches do not just stay in his apartment. You are helping him by ordering the dumpster. Girlfriend surely realizes that it is not healthy for her father to live in filth.”
Another added, “If he’s already throwing around you-can’t-because-you’re-dating-my-daughter for this, it’s just a matter of time before he stops paying rent for the same reason.”
He Has To Think About the Other Tenants
“But he also has to think of the other tenants. And the building itself. Severe hoarding has led to buildings having their structures damaged from all the extra weight. And mold is a serious issue, along with cat urine everywhere. It will affect all the tenants that share a wall with the dad.
The other tenants have a right to a clean and livable home, and OP has to provide that,” pointed out another person.
A user told the OP his responsibility extends beyond that apartment, “it is your responsibility as the owner to ensure that every apartment is in good condition, and you can (and should) evict your girlfriend’s father if the way he lives can create sanitary issues for other and/or for the apartment.”
What do you think of this story? Is the OP wrong in giving his potential future father-in-law an ultimatum if he doesn’t get the apartment cleaned up?
This article was produced and syndicated by A Dime Saved.
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Originally posted 2023-06-24 18:02:12.
