I can not wait until our renter neighbors next door end up getting kicked out. Note that I didn’t say move out … I’m sure they will have to be kicked out given the stories and history of them we’ve heard from some friends that used to live in the same apartment buildings that they did.
They are just plain scuzzy people. The kind of people that you take one look at and get a bad feeling about.
Now usually I give people the benefit of the doubt even if I have a bad feeling about them when I first meet them. usually my instincts are right – but I still like to give people a chance. Not in this case though … Chris and I just got a bad feeling about them from the start and then we started hearing from our friends that the guy had just gotten out of jail and that he and his wife are hooked on drugs and get this – that the guy actually robbed both his sister and his parents recently!
Chris just came back from the corner store and guess who was there just before him … our scuzzy renter neighbors – the guy, his wife and their teenage daughter. It looks like they pulled a scam while they were there too.
They apparently bought a long distance calling card. The store owner gave it to the teenaged girl and the girl proceeded to walk around the store – I guess while one of her parents were paying for the card. A few minutes later the girls said the card wasn’t in the envelope. So the store owner ended up having to give them another long distance calling card.
I suppose it’s possible that the card wasn’t in the package, but knowing these people’s history it’s more likely that they pulled a scam by distracting the store owner while the girl took the calling card out of the package and then said it was empty.
I only wish that the people that own the home had looked into these people better before renting to them. We apparently have no home owner rental laws here in Ontario where the home owner is supposed to do a criminal background check etc on prospective renters – kind of like a pre-employment screening that some companies do.
Why? Well, if they don’t and it turns out that the renters are doing something illegal in the home like making drugs etc then the home owner will be liable for their renters activities and any damages that the police do when they bust the renters … ie if the renters set up a drug lab in the house and the police bust in and break doors etc or tear up walls the homeowner has to pay for all the repairs because they didn’t do a background check on their renter. I guess if they did do one and the renter didn’t have a criminal history but then did something illegal then the story would be a little different for the home owner.
I don’t know exactly how it all works, but it’s clear that the home owners in this case didn’t check up on anything that the renters next door told them. I mean, not even calling their employers. The guy had told them that he worked for the Toronto Transit commission and that his wife was a social worker … but we hear from our friends that the guy got fired from the TTC a year or so ago and then spent close to a year in jail and that the woman hasn’t worked for a few years.
Arg … I can’t wait for these people to leave. I’m sure it will start with them not paying their bills or their rent and then the home owners will have to kick them out. It can’t happen soon enough for me!
In the mean time we’re keeping all our doors locked and someone is always home. Hey, if the guy would rob his own sister and parents homes then it wouldn’t be a big leap for him to rob his next door neighbors – would it?
Jean-Luc Picard says
You’ve really got some undesirables there!
Sarah says
Eeek. These people sound awful. I’ve never been in a situation like this, but my brother, his wife and their two boys live in an apartment for 5 months, and it was awful. Their neighbor would come screaming at the door for any type of noise they would make. She would vacuum he would scream, they kids would run done the hallway he would scream. After about 2 months, he started calling the cops on them saying they were a public nuisance. Finally after a few months, his job gave him a bonus and they moved out.
John Braun says
They really seem to be neighbors from hell. I don’t understand how the owner can accept these people. Sure they bring in some money but in the long run they probably cause more trouble and cost more money than leaving the apartment empty.
cyanoacrylate says
Creepy. I too have had some less than desirable neighbors in my time. Sounds like they’ll be gone before you know it. Hang in there.
Suzie says
Wow – quite an article! Did you see the headlines from Jay lenno..some idiot tried to burn down their neighbors apartment…that was attached to theirs!! hang in there…and get renters insurance!
Tricia says
Suzie … they are renting the house next door to ours. We also live in a house so we have home owners insurance. Still … I don’t want them to break in or damage our house. I just want them to leave. They’re idiots.
tiensestore says
These are neighbors from hell. I don’t understand how the landlady can accept these people. Is it still for some money? They will probably cause more trouble which will cost more money than leaving the apartment empty.
Kris says
What a wonderful post, I really hope they move out soon so you don’t have to worry much about your safety. That’s horrible to have to live right next door to those jail creeps. Just always be sure your doors are locked – world can be a dangerous place these days.
rate-a-renter.com says
These stories are what tenant screening is all about. Yikes
Ericka says
I am a professional private investigator and I have a really hard time believing just how many landlords are totally asleep at the switch as they allow these slimballs to rent their properties without doing a background check with a reputable company which provides nationwide data that is comprehensive. Many people think they are getting a good background check when in fact much of their data comes from very old and stale data and that is not nationwide.
Predatorbook1 says
Background Checks are really awesome, you can find good information about almost any person you want.