MovieChat Forums > Pacific Heights (1990) Discussion > My eviction horror story...

My eviction horror story...

posted 10 years ago by vsaty001
23 replies | jump to latest

Ok... So during the financial meltdown of 2008, I purchased a piece of foreclosed property in San Bernardino County, CA. I did this as an investment opportunity and sought to rent the property to a family.

I fixed up the place by adding new tile, carpeting, and an exterior/interior paint job. I also put in new light fixtures, and faucets in all the bathrooms. Overall, I spent about 16K in upgrades.

I then left town to go on a vacation for a week. When I returned, I checked on the house and was shocked to see the FOR RENT sign had been removed and a young lady was living in my place!!! I immediately told her that she was trespassing and phoned the local police department. An INCOMPETENT deputy shows up, and the lady tells him that she is a current tenant. She produced no documentation, and told the deputy that I was trying to evict her out of revenge for being turned down for a date...Go figure. She also tells the deputy that I've been stalking her. I tell the stupid cop that I've never met this woman in my life. At this point I'm hurling profanities at both of them, and the cop tells me that this is a civil issue that he can't do anything about. Meanwhile, the B!?tch sets up the utilities in her name, and I have to hire an eviction attorney and private investigator. After posting several notices on the door and officially serving papers, this woman left six weeks later. The locks had been changed, and the deputies who accompanied me to reclaim the property had to make a forced entry. The home was a disaster... Cigarette butts everywhere, uneaten food, mold, paint damage, broken mirrors, and destroyed smoke detectors. My private investigator told me he saw different men going in and out the property at all hours of the day. The cops told me they couldn't arrest her because this was a tenant-landlord situation an was therefore still a civil issue. Since when is effing property damage a civil issue?!!! Rather than hiring an attorney to prosecute her for damages, I just had to bite the bullet and take the loss. This c--- was using my home as her personal brothel for over a month.

Bottom line, California is a horrible place to rent any sort of property. Tenants or squatters have all the rights. When I saw this movie, it brought back many terrible memories an sleepless nights. The burden of proof was on me to prove to the state that she not a tenant. It's an absolute helpless and abysmal feeling, and I wonder how these laws even come into play. This movie is a accurate depiction of how wicked people hide behind antiquated laws written in their favor.

[–] Chthonic 10 years ago

I'm sorry to hear about your situation and your experience. As someone who owns a lot of rental property I know the stupidity of dealing with tenants. I can tell you a couple of things to help you out in the future. First, never let your emotions override your reasons. I know it's a hard thing to do but once you've dealt with these people you understand that meaning. Also never forget these words, "You're not a social worker". That means you've heard every story in the book. They're going to say anything to their cat having cancer to the moon is out of alignment for paying rent. They're going to use excuses. Never ever let anyone know a house is vacant. For RENT signs draw unnecessary attention. NEVER EVER give your real phone#- Google provides Google voice which is free. Trust me it's good for a buffer to protect your privacy. ALSO last and not least. Never let your tenants know you're the owner. The reason being is they treat you differently and speak differently when you're the "Super". Tell them you work for the owner. He's a buddy who you help out because he's always out of town. Rental properties can be rewarding and a headache at the same time. You have to find that balance though. Best of luck in the future.

[–] HarveyManfredSinJohn 10 years ago

As someone who owns a lot of rental property I know the stupidity of dealing with tenants.

Hey, if you hate tenants so much, here's a tip: get out of the rental market. Then you'll never have to deal with those evil swine who put rent in your pocket, right?

[–] Dav777 10 years ago

I'm with this guy. As a former owner and now renter, Carter H. is now my hero an inspiration to all on how to deal with the dreaded, "slumlord". My current slumlord, who rents a room to my wife and I in house similar to PH. What a joke. Mold problems, water heater keeps breaking down, no sound proofing from the guy who lives in the converted attic in on top of us. Drunk living in the room across from us. So because were new in this town, we suffered in silence for three 3 years, never late with an over priced rent once! So our lease is ending, and this slumlord tries to extort another month from us by asking us to legally leave the property, hand in keys, etc. but yet pay for October. He has no intention of giving our deposit back to us. So, they could have done things the easy way, and let everyone go in peace..(my wife is expecting our first child as well), But nooo...slumlords gonna slum...So guess what? I'm safely moving my wife to greener pastures..and getting ready to go all PH up in this dump. You know what they say about payback right guys?

[–] ceethismove 10 years ago

I had a similar nightmare happen. But mine were HOUSEGUESTS THAT REFUSED TO LEAVE. The law is not on the property owners side!

[–] andromache3 10 years ago

It makes you wonder just how the hell did this person get away with doing this when she couldn't provide a shred of proof that she was, indeed, the tenant? That's insane! It's obvious that she's the type who does this a lot, possibly under assumed names, since she had all these stories worked out regarding being stalked, etc.

There was a horror story someone posted on this board about a man who went through something similar, where he had a couple suddenly move into a property and then claim they were the rightful tenants, though they couldn't provide any documentation to back up their claim, so essentially they were squatters. They refused to leave and made his life a living hell as well. Meanwhile the law refused to support him. It's bizarre.

Don't let anyone ever make you feel like you don't deserve what you want.

[–] HarveyManfredSinJohn 10 years ago

Don't let anyone ever make you feel like you don't deserve what you want.

Is this your sig?

What if a guy 'wants' sex? Does he automatically 'deserve it' regardless of whether the woman or man he wants to have sex with feels the same way? Rhetorical question of course but your sig or whatever it is doesn't seem to acknowledge that just because someone 'wants something' doesn't mean they 'deserve' it.

[–] HarveyManfredSinJohn 10 years ago

I had a similar nightmare happen. But mine were HOUSEGUESTS THAT REFUSED TO LEAVE. The law is not on the property owners side!

Fancy that? A law that actually gives the benefit of the doubt to the worst off party, at least until the truth of the matter is established in court. Heaven forbid!

I always assumed laws were designed to support the rights of the most powerful and wealthy who design and administer them, but hey, maybe on this one occasion those drafters had at least a scintilla of compassion and framed the law in favour of the least advantaged party. What for instance if the squatters/tenants had a legitimate right to be on the property but they were kicked out before a court hearing to establish the facts? It's only another few people made homeless right? No biggie, of course...

[–] Heidi_Smiles 9 years ago

So it's "no biggie" when someone takes over your property with out any authorization whatsoever? No biggie that you have to spend thousands of dollars in court to get them out? Some "advantage" that is.

Pobre de Dios que no sale en revistas, que no es modelo ni artista, o de familia royal...

[–] HarveyManfredSinJohn 10 years ago

Ok... So during the financial meltdown of 2008, I purchased a piece of foreclosed property in San Bernardino County, CA. I did this as an investment opportunity and sought to rent the property to a family.

During the financial meltdown you were able to purchase property? Wow! I guess the meltdown didn't hit you too hard then, huh? Shame the same can't be said for the family who were booted out before you purchased your 'investment opportunity' (I 'love' how people refer to houses as 'investment opportunities' not 'homes' or 'places to live' ).

It's an absolute helpless and abysmal feeling, and I wonder how these laws even come into play. This movie is a accurate depiction of how wicked people hide behind antiquated laws written in their favor.

True. I wonder how progressive laws that support the worst-off in society are ever put into effect too bearing in mind most state legislators are very wealthy.

[–] emo_ville2002 10 years ago

Are you posting from another country? US real estate and rental laws can be very convoluted.

During the US financial meltdown, people were buying houses for $50,000 to $200,000, some houses, the buyers later flipped for over $500,000.

IMHO, today, real estate seems to be about what an individual is willing to pay, not it's actual worth. Old railroad flats in Brooklyn now rent for over $2,000 a month. It's absurd, but it's been going on because people want to live in NY think it's worth it.

You sound bitter. The world is not fair and it seems to be getting worse. The people in this thread were simply sharing their individual anecdotes about their experiences being property owners. They are hardly Donald Trump or uber wealthy Russian Business oligarchs.

When my husband and I bought our place many years ago, we were new to real estate, we put a lot of money into repairs: new floors, new kitchen etc. We assumed we could write off at least some of it on our taxes. That was not the case! Our accountant told us, "If you RENTED OUT your property, you could put down all the repairs and upgrades your did, otherwise, no." Basically, he was saying, "If you make a profit from your property, you can write off your expenses."

Not every man, or woman, who purchased foreclosed property is going to flip it, rent it nor are they all wealthy real estate moguls.

Perhaps some people buying foreclosed properties simply want a better life for themselves or their family, they want to simply own a 'piece of the pie'. Rents are so high in certain areas of the US, it's actually cheaper to own something.

I have no problem with others buying property they then rent, wish I had bought some cheap lofts in lower Manhattan as a friend did. They bought three lofts for a song in the late 1970s, they've been renting them to wealthy people for years.

[–] HarveyManfredSinJohn 10 years ago

You sound bitter. The world is not fair and it seems to be getting worse. The people in this thread were simply sharing their individual anecdotes about their experiences being property owners. They are hardly Donald Trump or uber wealthy Russian Business oligarchs.

I have no problem with others buying property they then rent, wish I had bought some cheap lofts in lower Manhattan as a friend did. They bought three lofts for a song in the late 1970s, they've been renting them to wealthy people for years.

No it's not fair, and your friends were extremely lucky to be able to buy a Manhattan loft when properties were cheap. No everyone is lucky enough to be born at the right time and in the right place, so perhaps the lucky ones could spare a dime for the rest of us instead of getting rich by renting their properties to the highest bidders.

By the way, I am someone who didn't benefit from a proper high-school education through no fault of my own, yet I hauled my ass and studied hard to get into a decent college and get a very good degree and post-graduate qualification.

Despite my early disadvantages as a kid I worked by butt off, but now I'm struggling to get work, and thus I can't afford a home, and who's going to want to date/marry/have kids with a guy who can't afford a place to live, especially when others who are less qualified than me and have worked less hard than me are prospering?

So you think I'm 'bitter'...yeah, I guess I am a little 'bitter'. Are you surprised?

[–] Chucktesta2574 10 years ago

And blah, blah, blah. You're a bitter, trolling douche bag.

[–] cjchamp2001 10 years ago

If you weren't such a douche maybe someone WOULD marry you or give you a job. Maybe people also might give a s##t about your problems. Just a suggestion :)

[–] ELCaminoReal 10 years ago

OP, That's scary. That idiot cop didn't do damn thing WTF! I hope shes not living in ur house anymore. Where is she now?

[–] adouthit-1 9 years ago

Despite my early disadvantages as a kid I worked by butt off, but now I'm struggling to get work, and thus I can't afford a home, and who's going to want to date/marry/have kids with a guy who can't afford a place to live, especially when others who are less qualified than me and have worked less hard than me are prospering?

Somehow I have a feeling it's not going to be whether or not you have a house that no will date/marry/have kids with you.

[–] goodfor7days 8 years ago

BaHahahhaha! How is my favorite Bernie supporter doing?

[–] Ysis 9 years ago

I rented my family's home to a woman who had four children, and was living in a van with them. She had a job at the time, but her previous landlord died and his family sold the property and she couldn't find anything she could afford. I won't go into details because you all know how that ended. Needless to say, I got her ass out of there and finally have a family living there that treats the place as if it were their own instead of just a rental property. They've even made improvements (with our approval)and it's clean and well kept. My motto: Never look for the perfect tenant. The perfect tenant already has a home.

Burn, Hollywood, Burn!- from the incomparable album Fear of a Black Planet by Public Enemy.

[–] ilykyu 9 years ago

After 15 years renting property i finally had my nightmare tenant. She simply stopped coming back to the house and left her stuff there 2 months after she had gotten the eviction notice. All the while she was threatening to report me to the Rent Council if I tried to remove them. I would text her (only way she would communicate) with all the court processes i was was pursuing, and warned her I would legally be able to sell the stuff she had left behind to pay for all the rent she was racking up. in late November I went to the house to check on things and there were dead rats in front of each door, their stomachs sliced open. Voodoo is big where I live so I'm guessing it had something to do with that. After the court bungled the summons request and lawsuit, further delaying my action, i finally got them together and changed the gate locks(trelling her they were broken off) and told her to text me if she wanted the new key. She waited until after midnight to sneak into the house after getting someone to pick all the locks and got her stuff and disappeared into the breeze. She sent cronies a couple weeks later, when the new tenants were in, to destroy the electricity meter and run over the garbage can scaring the crap out of the new people. This is all because i had waited too long to trail her to her new workplace when I had the chance.

"what is your major malfunction numbnuts?!!"

[–] goodfor7days 8 years ago

Wow! Fifteen years without incident and then that! What really gets me is how those kind of people always seem to have friends that are willing to cause trouble for them. Just beats me.

[–] eirrol_99 9 years ago

wow, what!? ok no, I come to check on MY property and someone is in the house, I take them down any way possible. A gun would be handy to have. Dial 911 and say someone broke into the house, and you were defending yourself and fearful for your life! hell no, no one is breaking into my property and getting away with it.

[–] webwarrior601543 8 years ago

I agree with you on that. However, it depends on when what state you live in. Many states will charge you as a criminal. Where I live, my neighbor came out of the shower and found a burglar in his home. He confronted the burglar carrying a BB gun and shot the guy in the back of his leg when he turned around to grab a knife. The police arrested my neighbor.

The court said that in our state you have to retreat if you can and because the exit to the room was behind the neighbor that he wasn't in imminent danger and could have escaped so he was guilty for shooting the criminal.

Total malarky! In Texas you can defend your property, but in most other states, owners actually have few rights.

[–] AmyJolamb 9 years ago

Wow! I'm sorry you had to go through that and this just makes the movie seem more real.

My husband came into the room at the start of the problems in this movie and I asked why the police couldn't just move Carter out and my husband replied "Haven't you seen People's Court?" He was right. I remember seeing cases like this on there.

It's frightening how some people have no feelings of guilt or right or wrong. They just think they can do as they please and careless how others are effected.

[–] 8 years ago

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