Unauthorized tenants - Landlord Forum thread

Unauthorized tenants by New Landlord (Oklahoma) on July 7, 2012 @21:59

I told my tenant that he could not have his friends move in with him so they set up a tent in the back yard. There is an extension cord running to the tent and a water hose too. They even dug a pit and built an outdoor toilet. We live outside the city so I can not get any agency interested in the toilet. They cook on the grill and burn their trash in a fire pit. Their only transportation is bicycles that they leave all over the lawn. It is starting to look like Woodstock out there. Last week they acquired two goats to eat the grass. The goats are livestock so I can not enforce my no pets clause. But on rainy days the do take the goats inside the tent. Since I do not have a lease restriction about camping in the back yard and we are outside the city is there anything I can do? They pay their rent on time every month.

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Re: Unauthorized tenants by Anonymous on July 7, 2012 @22:28	[ Reply ]

Do they receive their mail there? If they are getting mail, then you can probably get them as unauthorized tenants. These people are not camping. Camping is when you live in a tent for a week or so....not 24 hours a day, 7 days a week over several months. Doing that fulltime is called sqatting and being homeless vagrants. Another thing is that in your lease, check to see if there are clauses about keeping the home and property clean and sanitary (no garbage). The poop from the humans and the goats as well as the trash they have lingering around tent, would be a violation. You could also make a case for the extention cord and water hose being snaked from inside the home to outside continuously as a hazard. If they are on month to month, just issue them a notice of termination with your state's guidelines. Or you can just go over there and talk to them that it's unacceptable to have people living in the back yard on a full time basis. These people are not camping. Camping is when you live in a tent for a week or so....not 24 hours a day, 7 days a week over several months. Doing that fulltime is called sqatting and being homeless. And you do not want feces and urine being dumped in the backyard.

QUES Re: Unauthorized tenants by Anonymous on July 7, 2012 @22:34	[ Reply ]

Are these foreign people, from a different land where this is perhaps normal?

Re: Unauthorized tenants by Douglas (KS) on July 7, 2012 @23:24	[ Reply ]

It is called "trespassing" They are not in the lease, get rid of them. Why have you not issued an eviction notice? My lease Pet clause: No animals (including pet sitting) are allowed on Premises or Property without a signed Pet Lease Addendum (separate). Violations bring a $100/month charge, damage or injury will be responsibility of Tenants. Tenant consents that animals are subject to immediate removal from premises at Tenants cost with or without Tenants approval. Violations are grounds for immediate eviction. One bullet in my Pet Adendum says "No wild, dangerous, feral, venomous, “tamed” wild, or farm animals of any kind are permitted.

Re: Unauthorized tenants by Anonymous on July 8, 2012 @01:20	[ Reply ]

You evict him for the unsanitary conditions.

Re: Unauthorized tenants

Re: Unauthorized tenants by Mark on July 8, 2012 @10:18	[ Reply ]

Hire a landscape company to cut the grass, fertilize the lawn, apply pesticides, trim bushes, etc. This should start at dawn and maybe last till sunset. Remember to water the grass and bushes during this hot time of the year. Cut off the water supply to the hose, and remove the extention cord as yo cut the grass, dump all the grass clipping and bush trimings into the potty hole. Install a motion detector light with at least 500 watts or more that shines directly into the tent. You can also mark off the area as an emergency helicopter pad with red and white paint. FAA prohibits camping on a helicopter pad.

Re: Unauthorized tenants

I Smell A Troll!!!!! by Anonymous on July 8, 2012 @11:12	[ Reply ]

Re: Unauthorized tenants by Sara on July 8, 2012 @14:04	[ Reply ]

If livestock is allowed, then just get some cows or maybe a bull in the backyard. Put cowbells on all the cows also!

Re: Unauthorized tenants

Re: Unauthorized tenants by The Dude (MN) on July 9, 2012 @08:47	[ Reply ]

Very simple. Just evict. Base it off of unauthorized tenants moving in. No judge is going to buy their excuse of permanent campers in the backyard not being unauthorized tenants and let them continue based on a technicality of "We're not 'living' in the house!!! We can stay here as long as we want!!!!". If it's been going on longer than 2 weeks, I can't imagine any judge not seeing this as a violation. The other option is, you're just a troll. Any real landlord would know you can just evict them and the judge isn't going to look at permanent campers in the backyard as anything but tenants.