I’m losing a tenant every 6 months, please help!

Reply to the comment left by "Mark Lintern" at "29/10/2013 - 18:16":

Hi Mark

I think you will find Stafford is in Staffordshire, I grew up 6 miles down the road in Penkridge.

I always say to people, it's a great place to come from but it's not somewhere i particularly like to go back to - or words to that effect LOL.

When I said incentive I mean bride, as in offer them money to move. It may save you money in the end.

The ex-con idea is also an interesting concept, not sure I'd have the courage to get into all that though. You could end up swapping one set of problems for another!
.
.

I have no direct experience but have seen other victims use CCTV cameras and recording equipment. If the police won't help, perhaps a private nuisance legal action? I really feel for you & hope you can get this sorted.

It maybe a worthwhile consideration to install a CCTV for an addl tool to gather evidence. It would allow you to document trepass, threathening behavior and harassment. Tell the prospective tenants, that this is a security measure. I believe that once they are cited with unrefutable evidence, they will fined into a better attitude/behavoir or served with an ASBO and possibly deported from the area.

Reply to the comment left by "Mark Alexander" at "29/10/2013 - 18:40":

Thanks Mark,

True we always tend to berate the place we grew up in. Penkridge nice to cycle to around the lanes, lovely place.

I'm hoping you mean Bribe, not Bride I think my wife would have something to say about that, although......no I won't go there! lol The only problem with the bribe I feel would be this would only give the guy further incentive to bully others elsewhere by essentially rewarding his behaviour which I'm not happy with.

Reply to the comment left by "A Jenkins" at "29/10/2013 - 18:46":

@ A Jenkins,

This is a good option, I will look into it. But whether this will convince my current tenant to stay I don't know. I became heavily involved with the problems surrounding my second tenant, since then my Letting Agent advised that they could handle it and that I should take a back seat. But I'm thinking now that if I'd have been in direct communication with my tenants then they would have felt that they weren't in it alone.

Reply to the comment left by "Industry Observer " at "29/10/2013 - 18:27":

Quite often things happen in the heat of the moment and matters can be taken out of context but we are not talking about one tenant’s word against the neighbours here. From what Mark Lintern has said there is a whole catalogue of different complainants and it wouldn't take the police much to verify what type of person we are dealing with if they need to. It is quite conceivable that they already know the subject neighbour and are waiting for that little extra evidence they need to deal with him.
I suggest Mark is the one that speaks to the police, not the tenant. All the previous tenants can then be contacted.
We shouldn’t be put off just because other people haven't been successful with the authorities or just because we have heard that Joe Blogs’ mate down the pub knows someone who has a brother that hasn’t been successful in the past!

Reply to the comment left by "DC " at "29/10/2013 - 19:04":

Hi DC,

Speaking hypothetically, lets say I present the evidence to the police, and it is undeniably clear that this tenant is a nuisance, what can the Police actually do at this point? Won't they just say 'our hands are tied until he breaks the law by causing physical harm or vandalism, take it up with the council.'

Thats how I sense it would go, unless someone has experience to the contrary?

Harassment is illegal and a prosecutable offense. Documentation and viable witnesses are the only way to offer up evidence. The bully can be warned and a restraining order can be issued. If he violates that order, by trespassing then the police have further evidence to escalate these in the court system. It is a lengthy process, but worth the energy to maintain your right and your tenants rights to peaceful enjoyment of the property. Good luck.

Hi Mark,

I have had problem tenants in the past, and every solution is as different as every tenant, so you have to really think outside the box.

The bribe, I have used once, the jelous boyfriend who was breaking wing mirrors off my car regularly! - I offered an incentive to move out early, making up a story about needing the house back: every week earlier than the 2 months notice I could give them was an extra amount of money for them - they were out within days !! hurrah!

First Idea:
I think the idea about an ex-con is good, but I'd modify it and ask around for someone who you know, who knows someone who doesn't take any S**T, then get them to move in with his Two (suggestion) mastiffs, or similar....then watch the troublesome neighbour squirm!!
...even give your new tenant the incentives, (take him round some beers, etc) to be a bl**dy nuisance and eventually the troublesome neighbour might even move on... you can hope !!

Second Idea:
Is the house next door with the troublesome neighbour privately rented? (because you said their is a letting agent involved) - raise the funds, buy the house off the owner and evict the tenant !!!!!! Bingo !

...So, that's two solutions !

Reply to the comment left by "Mark Lintern" at "29/10/2013 - 19:14":

Well they could deal with matters individually, such as common assaults, actual bodily harm, threats etc., which could be dealt with at Court and lead to penalties i.e. fines/custodial sentences if appropriate but they are more likely to take the whole situation as an antisocial behavioural matter and either apply for an ASBO, a restraining order or a bind over to keep the peace all imposing certain restrictions on the defendant, which if breached may lead to more punitive measures.

At the very least a caution or even strong words of advice may be deemed to be appropriate but in any event if further matters arise the original evidence can be used to form part of a later case.

I would advise your tenant(s) to keep a diary and as already mentioned by other posters on this forum to consider his/her own measures to record what is actually occurring.

If you feel that the approach of making a complaint is uncomfortable for you how about arranging to meet one of your local police officers to ask their advice and then feed in what types of things you have already had to contend with.

Have a look at your police website for their local police teams at http://www.staffordshire.police.uk/local_policing/
as it’s important to ensure it is an officer from your area that deals with local community issues.

Unfortunately, if you phone in on the 101 line the chances are that you will get put through to the force call centre and their mission is to get the job dealt with according to its categorisation, and as quickly in most cases as possible, which may mean that it gets given to a passing firearms unit or traffic car who won’t have the same incentive to deal with it in the way your local bobby would (with all due respect to all police staff!).