Choosing good tenants is a critical part of protecting your real estate investment. And when we say choosing tenants, we don’t just mean evaluating them based on their outward charm or meeting them and deciding whether or not they look like trustworthy, decent people.
Every landlord should have a strict and rigorous screening process—complete with background checks—to ensure that they don’t end up with risky tenants who might end up costing them thousands of dollars in eviction attempts, lawsuits, and major property repairs.
However, after one landlord learned about a program to have the government subsidize some of their mortgage payment, he jumped at the opportunity to get on board. But in order to access the government funds, the landlord needed to invite Section 8 tenants into the beautiful home. Unfortunately, the people who ended up living in the rental did not show the property the respect that the landlord would have hoped.
This landlord’s ugly story was first shared on Reddit on how a section 8 tenant trashed the entire two-story property after getting a good deal to live in it. Spoiler alert the disgusting tenant only paid $53 a month and the rest was shouldered by the American taxpayers.
Here are a few of the comments from Reddit folks who believed that renting to Section 8 is a bad idea.
“This is why good landlords will not rent to Section 8 people. They always wreck their rentals, lower housing prices in the area, and have the cops show up every few nights because of various domestic disturbances and drug offenses.”
“Good lord. I want to cry for this guy. The house was beautiful before they f***ed it all up. It would probably put me off ever renting again if I was him.”
However, according to AWM, there are many section 8 renters who are just looking for an opportunity to get a good price on rent so they can lift themselves up and improve their lives. In fact, one person who grew up in Section 8 housing offered the following response to the previous comment.
“My family grew up in Section 8 housing. We never trashed or ruined houses. We just needed the help because of my parents’ divorce and my sister’s health problems. Now that it’s just my mom and sister they’re trying to move closer to her doctors, and no one will take section 8.”
WARNING: Your blood might boil watching this video of a good landlord’s house torn apart by a bad renter in Section 8.
Source: AWM