Responses to "a letter to a heartless landlord"
Tuesday Oct 14 1997
<allan@alamar-usa.com>
I am a landlord. I'm sure that makes me a serious skumbag in your eyes.
But we're not all rotten. Yes, I just had to evict a tenant. It cost me over
$500 that I didn't have. He hadn't paid his rent in over 9 months.
And he trashed my house to boot. I now have drapes and plumbing to replace
that I shouldn't be replacing. Christian charity only goes so far.
The rent that I charge ($900/mo) isn't unreasonable for a 1,200 sq. foot
townhouse with a garage and a view in South SF. I haven't raised rents in 15 years.
And I take good care of my tenants - dishwasher went out, had a new one
(top of the line) put in - dryer blew up, got a brand new washer and dryer
(so they'd match) delivered - the list goes on.
Why do I feel like every time I turn around, there's someone telling me
I'm a dirtbag because I am a landlord? I even have ALWAYS given my tenants
gifts at Christmas! Cut some of us a little slack, please. I'm just a workin' stiff,
just like you. The difference is that I have a townhouse (that I can't rent
at the moment, thanks to my Christian charity and a skumbag tenant) to rent
and you don't. Believe me, it's not making me rich and at the moment is making
me go broke. I still have to pay the mortgage and the Homeowners Assn dues.
I'm not alone. And I feel just as outraged as you are at landlords, at tenants who
take advantage of the law (which is on YOUR side, I might add) to shy away from
their contracted obligations.
I'm truly sorry you're having a bad experience. We're not all like that,
at least I'm not.
Allan
email kevin@whisperdesign.com
home www.whisperdesign.com