Elderly ill tenant - Landlord Forum thread

Elderly ill tenant by NJLL (NJ) on March 4, 2012 @11:43

We have a tenant who's been in our building for about 5 years.

In July 2011, another tenant discovered she was living in squalid conditions, she was hoarding and very ill. She's been in a convalescent facility for the last 7 months (paying the rent the entire time to keep the apartment).

She has returned, but has difficulty walking and needs home care. She's very isolated (few friends, no family in the area) and does not seem willing to pay for professional assistance beyond what is provided free of charge by her insurance (visiting nurses, etc).

She has money, and does not qualify for Medicaid. She is "frugal" and diabetic.

She has asked us (her landlords) and other tenants in the building to "take care of her", which we are not able or qualified to do.

Some of the other tenants have helped her in the past with little things (cleaning her apartment, getting groceries), but as working people can't offer the kind of assistance she requires.

We're weighing our options:

- raise her rent and use the additional revenue to pay for cleaning services.

- contact social services and insist on better care for her

- send her a notice of lease termination to force her into an assisted living center

Any suggestions on the best approach here?

Thanks!

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Re: Elderly ill tenant by Jake on March 4, 2012 @11:50	[ Reply ]

Exercise this option. - contact social services and insist on better care for her I am sure this is a sweet old lady but you are open to all kinds of liability if you enable her to stay when her doctor should place her in a nursing home. Is there any family or children you can contact? For the remainder of you...estate planning can put your assets in trust and qualify you for nursing home care under medicaid.

Re: Elderly ill tenant by Mary on March 4, 2012 @15:27	[ Reply ]

- raise her rent and use the additional revenue to pay for cleaning services. It is discrimination to raise the rent for her disability. Do you raise rent for everyone to provide cleaning services? - contact social services and insist on better care for her. This is the proper thing to do. - send her a notice of lease termination to force her into an assisted living center. This is discrimination also. She pays her rent. Do you send all your tenants a notice of lease termination to force them also into an assisted living center?

Re: Elderly ill tenant by Adam on March 4, 2012 @16:54	[ Reply ]

Do you have to do anything? You mentioned that she has money.

Re: Elderly ill tenant

Re: Elderly ill tenant by Bunny MAGIC on March 4, 2012 @18:47	[ Reply ]

Are you inspecting her place? You mentioned squalid conditions and hoarding. This would merit a Cure or Quit Notice. If this isn't cured, then I'd serve her with a notice of eviction...and follow through with it. If she wants to stay, she'll use some of her money to hire people to clean out her hoard. If she is elderly, I'd also give a call to the local Elder Care agency and let them know she is asking you (LL) and other tenants to take care of her, but if you and other do this, I believe it opens you up to all kinds of litigation should something go wrong or if she gets ticked off. If you don't have such an agency, call the local Community Service officers at your police dept. as they may have info about agencies. The agency would also be able to help her find another place to live if you end up either terminating her tenancy or evicting her. Inspecting and then posting a Cure or Quit if needed, or a termination of tenancy when her lease or rental agreement has ended, does not constitute any kind of discrimination. Your tenant is not likely to get better or have improved health. Your tenant is not likely to use her money because she thinks everything is fine for her needs. Take the steps a LL would ordinarily take in this situation, and as a caring human being, give a call to an agency because you fear for her well-being and for her ability to live independently.

Re: Elderly ill tenant

Re: Elderly ill tenant by Anonymous on March 4, 2012 @23:24	[ Reply ]

Contact social services. Also, since there are squalid conditions, put a call into the Health Department. It's not safe for her or the other residents to be in those conditions.

Re: Elderly ill tenant

Re: Elderly ill tenant by NJLL (nj) on March 5, 2012 @10:17	[ Reply ]

Thank you everyone for your replies. We're going to contact local social service providers and try to get her more help.