We had one lady who requested that we apply for Section 8 housing for a rental for her and her kids. The housing dept inspected it, approved it, and the family moved in. Once a month we got a check from the housing agency on time. Once a year, the inspector checked the house and told us which repairs to make. The list was reasonable. We did all required repairs.
In fact, one year her son had damaged a metal door, trying to get in without a key. The inspector looked at his mother and said, “I don’t think the landlord did this, as he has lots of keys. You are paying for that door.” She whined, but got it repaired. She was so lazy that she once called us to change a light bulb that she could easily reach.
One year we had our annual inspection and did all the required repairs. Then, a month later, they had a special inspection done by three young ladies, for which we were never informed nor present. The renter was there.
On December 20, we received a letter dated Dec 7. In it was a list of repairs that was petty and unreasonable, all which had been there for every inspection, and the regular inspector did not see the need to be repaired. We had until January 7 to complete them, or our contract would be terminated.
My husband called them and explained that some of these these repairs required ripping all the windows out, etc. The regular inspector never saw a need for these things. The woman in the office smugly informed him they MUST be done by Jan. 7. ”Well,” replied my husband, “then we are done. Do you tell Brigit she has to leave, or do I?”
“You cannot just refuse!” said the woman. “Your repair list is suddenly unrealistic,” replied my husband.
We got paid from the agency for one week in January. We started eviction proceedings on January 8. Eviction takes three months, during which the renter did not pay us a penny. She’d call me up and whine that she had nowhere to move to. Due to her lawyer’s actions, it took 3.5 months.
When the sheriff came to remove her, she had found somewhere to go. If she was there with her children, her kids would be put in foster care and she’d lose her government check.
We sold the house and put the money in a savings account, which did not argue or whine with us, as the renter did. Section 8 worked well for everyone until a lazy, entitled renter, three inexperienced employees, and government inflexibility got together and ruined it.
