What makes a good tenant? For most, the ability to pay the rent is probably number one. What about being a good neighbor?  Could their neighborly (mis)conduct be a problem for you if you don’t live with them?   Just one day after my sister vacated one of the family condos, an unfamiliar car was parked in the unit’s assigned stall. Maybe they were hoping that no one would notice.  At times like these I would normally try to be nice, and leave a warning that next time they will get towed.  This usually does the trick.

This time we were in a hurry, since we were meeting a contractor onsite and were already running late. We happened to see the property manager, who suggested we tow the vehicle.  As soon as the tow truck hooked up the offending vehicle, the owner erupted from her apartment like the Tasmanian Devil in those old Warner Brothers cartoons.  Needless to say, the situation escalated into a verbal brawl in the parking lot. She claims to have had an arrangement with my sister, who used to live in the unit.  (She didn’t, or we would have known about it.)  She blames the property manager for calling the tow truck.  She screams at the top of her lungs that she will not pay the tow charge.  She continues to lie and blame everyone but herself for the fact that her car is being towed.  Fortunately, she flamed out, the manager persuaded the tow truck driver to let her car go, tensions diminished and we all went our separate ways.  But I couldn’t help but picture where the worst case could have led — her eviction? Possibly claims against her landlord?  Fortunately we’re not dealing with that today. But avoiding potentially costly neighborly conflicts should definitely be on the list when screening potential renters.  I guess her landlord’s screening process needs some fine tuning.