| Support Center

I rented a house to this woman.  Her rental application looked very good.  She said she was a lead trauma nurse in a very god hospital here in St Louis.  She had her paycheck stubs to prove that she made more than enough money to cover the rent and all utilities.  The first month's rent  is due and the excuses start. This is in March 2015.  She did pay her first and last months rent and security deposit.  She moved in the month of February 2015.  It turns out that she actually forged the pay check stubs, and she hasn't worked at that hospital since 2014.  I posted a 30 day demand for possession on her door April 21, 2015. On May 21 I went to the house and tried to enter, she called the police and said I was trying to evict her and that I didn't have the proper paper work.  She refused to let me enter the house, and the police told me to leave.  She told them I had been harassing her and her 3 children.  not true at all. She also told them that she planned on moving and that she was just waiting for her ex-husband to get a U-Haul truck and that they should be out by the weekend.  This was a lie also.  The woman is a pro.  I posted a 24hr notice on her front door stating that according to her lease I could come in to inspect the house.  I brought a police officer with me.  This time she denied ever saying that she was moving out. She said she didn't want to discuss what she said to the other police officers that were there previously.  I have formally filed the eviction papers and the court date is set for June 25, 2015.  The thing that bothers me the most is that after learning about a website that shows any and all previous evictions and judgments and garnishments, It turns out that this woman has been doing this for years!  She has over 30,000 in eviction judgments alone. The police told me that this is a civil matter.  I disagree.  This woman goes into lease agreements with the intent to defraud. That should be a felony crime.  She has no intention of paying any rent after her first and last months.  She will never get a real job because of all the garnishments against her. And then they tell me it's a civil matter.  take her to court. Right! Like I or any `of the other people she has defrauded are ever going to see a dime. That should be a criminal offense!  has anyone ever had to deal with a scuz like this??

This is a court matter for sure, she is committing fraud and technically a con-artist. Which from what I know is a crime.  However for your sake you need to evict her through the court so that they can write a summons and send an actual court eviction with authorities. You can evict on the premise of lying on the application alone.  Gather all of your proof and her information as well as work history from the hospital. If you submit all of this through the court they will make sure you win, especially with her history. After you have this tenant evicted and out of your property then it is up to you to sue them and make this a civil case. You have a lot going for you here, just follow the court instruction. Talk to a good RE Lawyer in your area and you will be set. Good Luck and see if you can submit this tenant to a tenant blacklist website or social notice board.  Also one lesson to learn, even after you check the tenant credit, background, criminal and other history, always contact employer directly. Look up the hospital or place of employment... not the tenant submitted info and speak directly to a manager. Also always get previous landlord info and do some work on verifying they are indeed a landlord at all. Good Luck Kathy!

Thank you Patty.  I was so upset over this woman that I wrote a letter to the Prosecuting Attorney in St Louis County. I asked him point blank How many times does a person get to do this before it's a crime?  He told me that until the laws are changed in Jefferson City, there was not a lot he could do for me.  So with that in mind, I am setting out to change the laws!  Especially for people like the one I have encountered.  The ones who intentionally enter into a lease with full intent to defraud.  Those people should be prosecuted to the fullest.  I know that I can't be the only one who has experienced this. And as far as job verification goes, St Louis University Hospital outsources the verification to another company called "The Work Number".  That is a whole other nightmare.  This company wants you to open an account with them.  They run a credit check on YOU while you are on the phone with them.  I sat on hold for a total of 2 hrs, answered numerous questions about myself, and when I FINALLY thought I would get the information I wanted, they told me I had to pay 24.95!!!  I lost it!   After going through all that crap, they have the nerve to tell me I have to pay!!!!  After telling this guy I had no intention of paying, he gave me a code to use online.  I know that at least 90% of the people would never have sat on hold for so long or went through all the questions they had or the sales pitch they had.  I think my tenant knew this all along.  The number she put down for the H.R. Dept didn't exist.  As a matter of fact, the only things on her rental application that were true were her kids names. I only have 8 more days until I go to court and maybe this nightmare will be over.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed........

I thought all my problems were over.  7 days before I was to go to court for this eviction, I posted a 24 hour notice on the front door stating that I was planning on showing the house to a perspective renter.  When I went back with the person, no answer at the door.  This has been the response each and every time I have tried.  I have posted the 24hr notice each time as well.  It plainly states that I have this right in the lease.  This last time I took my key and went in.  I was almost knocked down by the smell.  It has been over 90 degrees this past week, and she has not run the AC at all.  The house appeared to be abandoned.  The rooms were empty except for her bedroom.  There was trash scattered everywhere.  Because of the humidity and heat, Mold was growing up the walls in the basement!  The place stunk to high heaven!  When I went into the garage, There was garbage piled up that took up half the garage!  She left a dog in the back yard with no food or water.  This woman has paid no rent since March. Paid no sewer or water bill either.  She is required to pay these as stated in her lease.  Obviously no trash bill either!  At this point I've had Enough!  I changed the locks and started moving all the trash out of the house.  2 days go by after this and she breaks in.  I call the police and tell them whats going on.  They have to literally pound on the door announcing who they were more than once before she would even open the door.  She tells them that she lives there and has no clue of why they are there!   She says she knows nothing about any eviction!  I gave the police my copies of everything including the information showing that she indeed had been served by the sheriff's office with a summons to appear in court.   She could not give them an answer when they showed her this.  The police arrested her for trespassing, and told her not to try and gain entrance again, Her mother was with her and they told her to get what she wanted out of the house and GO!  Do not come back.  I go to court.  She does not show up.  The judge even gave extra time and called her name again at the end of the session.  I got my judgment  by default.  She was GONE!  I was so glad it was over.   As I'm going to my car, a lawyer calls and says he represents her and wants me to come back to the courthouse.  I told him sorry, but I'm on my way home.   I get home and he sends me a long text saying that I had her illegally arrested and he had the judgment  set aside and a new court date set  he tells me that he will be suing me for "fairly extensive damages".  He also said that he advised her to call the police and have them escort her back in the house.  Well, she never called the police for the escort, but she was seen walking around the neighborhood with her mom and kids.  It was like she was trying to figure out how to get back in the house without anyone seeing her.   The neighbors are all on alert.  If they see her, they will call the police.   The threat of rats due to all the garbage is all that they needed.  They all want her OUT!   This woman has turned into my living hell.  She is a con artist and frankly, one of the best liars I have EVER SEEN!  Reminds me of that movie with Michael Keaton where he is the tenant that terrorizes the people that own the building. I don't know how long this will take, but I refuse to let this woman get in my house again or even try to extort me for anything.   Now I have to interview lawyers.  Any suggestions?

Oh my God.  Hearing stories like this make me shake. I hope this nightmare is over for you soon.  You are definitely handling it way better that I would have.  I only have one property and part of the application is to provide last month of bank statement showing rent payment and pay checks deposit, in addition to the stubs. Is just an extra layer of protection. Some people feel that's too much to ask, but the way that I see it I'm letting you use my 200k townhouse, so if you don't like that move on.  Still when they are professional criminals they can forge anything.   Definitely get a lawyer and cover yourself. Best of luck.

You have a nutcase on your hands.  We had a home in Florida with a mom and four children.  Did the background check and all.  Job Moved us to NC.  We had an agency collecting the money and monitoring the home on a monthly basis.  Then one day we get a notice from the city; a citatation for garbage build up, after we have not been receiving our rent for two months.  We keep trying to get the Agency to go over and see report about the home.  We give all notices and let the family know we are on our way down to evict and do clean up so we are not fined by the city.  When we get there!  Well, we have to go by special suites to even go thru the home.  There are so many spider webs hanging from the ceilings, doors missing from the inside, roaches all over the inside, bags upon bags of fruit in the yard. holes in every wall. no knobs to turn on and off the water. Walls half painted. and garbage piled up in the side, and front yards.  We had two days to get it cleaned up on the outside and only one week to clean up the home.  We tried to have it condemned but were told it was not bad enough.!  There were even beds of roaches living in the frig. and also in the stove.  Not sure how they continued living in the home with children?  So much damage as it sounds like you have. best of luck to you and keep up with the documentation always.

This gal hasn't returned to the house since she was taken away in handcuffs.  Meanwhile the lawyer she hired has withdrawn the motion to set aside the judgment.  (We had a deal all worked out. I signed and notarized my part)  Her lawyer can't seem to find her. "It's like she fell off the face of the earth" he says.  So now I'm waiting for the sheriff to call.  He will go over with me to toss her crap on the street.  The original judgment is back in effect.  I know I'll never see the money, but it will show up on case-net. Along with 8 or 9 other eviction judgments and even more garnishments.  Hopefully the next landlord will look on case-net before renting to her.  I think she is staying away from her lawyer because now he will want her to pay him!  She hasn't called the police to escort her back to the house because I found out she has warrants outstanding. Her little scam has come to an end.  Hopefully..... I'll be happy when I can actually legally go back to the house.

What was the deal, if I may ask?  Hoping she moves on for your sake.  What a nightmare.

I couldn't believe my eyes!  I looked on case-net a while back and the renter from hell did the exact same thing again to another person who rented to her.  How many times does this have to happen before it's considered a "crime"?.  This woman forges paycheck stubs, puts her friends phone numbers down as her job supervisors,  She is a criminal! She has more lies and stories then I've ever seen.  She has three children also, and she is teaching them that it's ok to lie and steal and cheat.  I just don't understand this!