I adore Mrs. Sherwood. I know this is in bad form, because as a landlord, I need to have an unbiased opinion of my tenants. But, I met her and I adore her.
The Sherwoods have been struggling for months. But, before that they were paying on time and never called about anything. I hear they painted. I hear they had some repairs done. Never did they ask me for reimbursement.
The Sherwoods are empty nesters, probably in their early 50s. They have had their share of trials in the past few years. Like most of us, the recession hit them, causing financial distress and hardship. I have worked with the Sherwoods as much as I could. Truthfully, they were paying less than their mortgage/tax/insurance payment every month just so I could keep them.
Finally I readjusted their rent. Truth be told, if they asked, I might have given them an extension. Since their rent has been put back to where I like it, the Sherwoods have had difficulty with deadlines. Rent is due on the 15th. Last week, long after the 15, I hadn't heard from them. I sent Mrs. Sherwood a note. I called her too. The next day I heard from Mr. Sherwood.
Here is a tip. If your landlord has been willing to work with you and has made it plainly clear they wish to keep you. And, if your landlord has bent over backwards, it is best not to be a complete ass when you call them. A sense of entitlement and a I-don't-give-a-golly-darn about your arbitrary rent due date, is not going to sit well. I'm not asking him to treat me any different than he would his next door neighbor, provided he is civilized to his next door neighbor. Simple common courtesy goes a long way.
My cyber-friend Lori passed along this gem recently: "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." - the Dalai Lama
She also gave me this pearl a while ago: You can't bank good will.
However, you can loose good will, as Mr. Sherwood proceeded to do.
When Mr. Sherwood and I talked, he made lots of excuses about the rent being late--which is silly because I know of their struggles and I told him I understood the last few months have been tough. He said the check would be in the mail this week (three weeks late). Take it or leave it.
During the course of our conversation, I reminded him May rent is also due on the 15th. He said he would be sure to keep that in mind. When I pointed out that didn't mean he would pay on time, or close to on time, he got defensive. He also got snarky. He also got rude. And worse, he refused to commit to paying on time or in a reasonable amount of time. He also refused to commit to calling or e-mail to tell me when rent would be on its way.
When we hung up, I was disgusted. I truly believe Mrs. Sherwood would be mortified at her husband's behavior. He wasted my good faith.
I am not a villain. But, if he chooses to treat me like one, I can certainly act the part. Even if I currently adore Mrs. Sherwood.
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
i love when i see myself in your post! ;^)
i just had this same wife-husband good cop-bad cop experience. the wife cut straight to the chase, was honest, told me the truth straight up, and we started moving immediately toward an understanding.
then, talking with the husband, he contradicted the wife (turned out later she had given me the 100% truth), obfuscated, blustered, and was generally a total @ss.
if i could have avoided talking to him at all, i think the wife and i could have reached an understanding quickly and with no bad feelings. as it was, it took me two weeks just to unravel the half-truths he'd dumped on me.
unfortunately she did the old-fashioned pass-the-phone move as soon as he was available. i imagine there are wives everywhere who defer to their husbands but do it while wincing in the background...
There is an old Italian saying: Coloro che sono indebitati non dovrebbe avere maligno atteggiamenti (translation: Those who are indebted should not have bad attitudes - I'd say they are indebted.)
I wonder about the dynamics in those situations. Does the husband think being aggressive will win me over? I read that the stress money issues brings to a household can be equivalent to a death in the family. People don't think right, letting denial and anger overwhelm their decisions. Everyone else is the bad guy.
My decisions are business-driven. The risk-reward for the Sherwoods has paid off at this point. The house is in great condition and they have never been a problem until Mr. Sherwood called me.
A snotty attitude changes my perspective. I have started talking with Kirby about rental comps and looking at how I want to approach this in the future. I won't do business with bullies.
This is my home, my rules.
Post a Comment