Confrontation

Some people do whatever they can do avoid confrontation. Other relish it and seek it out. Me? I am in the middle. I see it as a necessary fact of life. To me confrontation may be necessary to get the answer I seek. To set my mind at ease. To help me set the course, chart out the plan, figure out my next steps.

I finally got around to speaking with my tenant. Things went well. Maybe too well.

I had planned out what I had wanted to say. I did get those points across. All except one but that wasn’t major. As I had mentioned, the rent has be late the last couple months. Too late for comfort. It was the beginning of a trend that had me overly concerned. You let people get away with paying the rent late and they believe that the rent is not due on the 1st but suddenly the 15th. Sure I listened in the past and may be partially to blame on giving them some leeway. He had been sick in December and missed work. This occurred after his wife’s father passed away and they had to travel for the funeral. I tried to be nice. Hey, I had been in their shoes in the past. I am surprised I didn’t get kicked out of my apartment in Chicago. But enough was enough and I had to put an end to it.

I told my tenant about my concerns. The main one being that it appears that paying the rent is not a priority to them. I made sure to include everyone is his family that is living up there. It is he, his wife, his daughter and the daughter’s boyfriend husband. Husband? Oh apparently they got married. That was news to me. But back to the story. I pointed out that paying the rent doesn’t seem to matter. That with 4 people working, you should have no problems paying the rent. I mentioned the new sofa they just got as well as new bedding. It appeared that it wasn’t that they didn’t have the means to pay the rent, it was that they chose not to. And it was going to end.

It should be noted that the conversation was pretty mild. There were no raised voices. No cutting off the other person. No anger. It seemed too good.

As I said, this meeting went too well. He agreed with everything I said. He voiced his frustration with trying to get his kids to pay their portion. That they keep buying things as he struggles.

That part is none of my business. I don’t give unsolicited advice on how people should run their households or families. I may not agree with how they do so but I don’t give the advice unless I am asked. I wish he would have asked as I would have been more than happy to speak my piece. These kids are taking advantage of him and he doesn’t seem to have the backbone to show them who is in charge. I hope he relays something I said to him. That with 4 people living up there, paying the rent should be a priority. That I view them all responsible and if the rent isn’t paid, they are all leaving.

He told me things would be straightened out by March. Again, I gave him some rope. I hope he doesn’t hang himself. I am prepared to retain an attorney if necessary and serve him notice to vacate the premises.