Your tenant has given notice after many years of occupying your beloved rental home.  They don't give you the normal 30 day notice but rather a casual flip off after you drive by and notice a moving van in the driveway.  After several days of no activity and even more calls to the cell phone a decision is made to enter the property.

After hiring a locksmith in what should have been an easy entry, you end up breaking into your own home and having to push your locksmith through the now open window.  It's his gasp as he rolls across the floor that should have been your first clue but it becomes apparent as he flings open the front door, face red, eyes wide and just a tiny wisp of sweat on his upper lip that this is no ordinary odor.  The stench of pet urine radiates outward invading your nostrils just as you see the calamity that is your house. Two recliners reeking of smoke, a stained mattress and several cases of adult diapers are scattered about. Stumbling forward you notice that they have taken your fridge and stove but left the ice maker line laying on the floor where a one inch lake has formed in the kitchen.  Quickly you grab the bag of adult diapers and start throwing them in the lake. When they say they soak up a lot of fluid, I can attest to the fact that they do. The bathroom leak from the toilet that could have been avoided has seeped through the floor and subfloor assuring you that the bathroom will have to be gutted. This, my friend, smells like failure!

What can you learn from my idiocy?

1.  Make sure that you have a strict policy regarding pets.  I suggest that you ask for a “Pet Deposit” along with an additional amount per month.  What was the cost of the damage to the hardwoods alone? Seven-thousand dollars with no guarantee that they could get the smell and stains out.

2. Have a policy in place that allows you to change the furnace filters every three months.  This keeps your furnace running efficiently but also allows you to periodically check on your investment.  

3. Keep in touch with your renters.  Ask if anything needs repaired. One small leak in the toilet feed line over time caused another $3,000 in repairs.  

4. Adult diapers really do work.

There are many great renters out there but there are also people that will take advantage of your good nature.  This is your investment and if you want it to keep producing for you, make sure to do the little things that will save you thousands later because not doing so stinks.