Update on the Rat's Nest

I've decided to nickname my new 7 unit apartment building the "Rat's Nest", not because there are 4 legged varmits, but because it is infested with the 2 legged type. Believe it or not, a full 3 weeks after taking over this building, I still don't have a complete picture of what's going on or even who all is living there.

Here is what I know so far:

One apartment is occupied by a couple of ladies who have been there over 25 years. They have a very nice apartment and are excellent tenants. To be honest, I don't know why they've stayed all these years with all the nonsense going on. They even had a bullet fly through their apartment at one point when a gunfight broke out in the apartment above theirs.

Another apartment is occupied by a elderly woman who has been there over 8 years. She seems relatively nice (albeit a little rough) and should be fine. The only problem that is currently occurring at her apartment is that she allowed a relative to move in with his child and she now wants them gone because they are taking advantage of her. The police were there 2 nights ago when a fight ensued over this issue. I think that she will be alright if we can get that freeloader and his kid out of there.

A third apartment is occupied by a woman and her boyfriend. They have been there about 5 years and I haven't had any trouble from them. I think they could be good tenants also.

A fourth apartment is vacant and needs to be rehabbed.

These four apartments and their tenants are the good news.

The bad news begins with the 5th apartment. This apartment is occupied by another long term tenant who is a flaming drunk. I have been to the apartment at every possible time of day and night and she is ALWAYS drunk. She has two relatives living with her and they are also ALWAYS drunk. The police have been to this apartment probably a dozen times in the 3 weeks that I have owned this building and have arrested her at least once. I will be picking up the police reports from the last week tomorrow and I'm anxious to see what has happened this past week. At this point, I believe that she will need to be evicted, but she's number three on my list for eviction.

Apartment #6 is occupied by 2 men. None of the tenants in this building had a written lease, but the previous owner didn't even know who was living in this apartment. The primary tenant in this apartment is reportedly subletting his apartment to a roommate. This tenant has not paid his rent and I posted a 3-day notice last week. We will be filing the eviction with the court for this tenant tomorrow. There have been numerous fights and other problems in this apartment and this tenant is my number one priority for eviction!

The seventh apartment is also a big problem. This apartment is supposed to be occupied by a married couple, but the man is a convicted criminal. I have personally seen known drug addicts and dealers in his apartment (I kicked them out) and I believe that he is involved in illegal activities. His wife is tired of "the game" (his words) and has left. He pretends to be unemployed and receive unemployment insurance, but has failed to pay his February rent. I'm also evicting this tenant.

So, my current plan is to evict these two tenants and then re-evaluate the situation. I would like to think that the drunk female tenant will straighten up after she sees two other tenants evicted (and at least not be arrested), but that's wishful thinking. I'll almost certainly need to evict her also.