Cover Your Eyes! A Selection of Entries from Our “Worst Move-Out Photo” Contest
Posted on 05. Nov, 2009 by Jonathan Brownfield in Business
We recently held a contest here at PropertyManager.com asking property managers to submit their worst move-out photo(s) to be entered into a drawing for an iPod shuffle. We thought it best not to disclose any names because these photos are just too gross. So, if you’re having a hard day remember that it could always be worse – at least you don’t have to deal with any of these properties. Prepare yourself, they are not for the faint of heart…once you see them they cannot be unseen.
And the winner is…
The winning photo was of a residence that was literally declared unfit for human occupancy. The inspector had to enter with full body suit and mask to permit breathing. Here is a collection of photos taken of this residence upon move-out.
The Runner-Ups
Disturbing in their own unique and twisted way, here are the runner ups.
Let this be a reminder to always document your move-ins with photos. Thanks again to everyone who participated!
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Technology Trends: What Residents Want (eBook)
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Always Get It In Writing And In The Lease
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Avoiding Craigslist Scams
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How To Cultivate New Clients In “The Garden Of Property Management”
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NARPM Florida State Chapter Property Manager Conference 2012
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Marc Courtenay: Thanks for your comment. Please consider sharing t...
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Ryan @ Green Bay Commercial Real Estate: At least in our market (Green Bay) it seems to be ...
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Tammy Davis: Great Advice!...
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Sandy: I have strong doubts that this was a professional ...
This kind of damage doesn’t happen over night…inspections anyone?
Quarterly inspections are an absolute must!!!!
Great contest! Those photos made me squirm!
May I have permission to repost these photos on my website under the title “How Our Competitors Manage Property”? LOL!!!
how is it that someone can be soooo lazy and still afford to have THAT MUCH MEAT in the freezer ??? anyone that lives that way is extremely depressed, a total slob that doesnt give a f—- or mabey very very ill in which case how do they have the energy to work and earn enough money to buy then WASTE that much food or even have energy to shop for ot ??? hmmm thats crazy! I myself and most that i know work hard 40 + hrs a week and still find time to clean and take care of our hms and myself and most people i know cant afford to have that much meat in our freezers now a days with or without a bunch of kids
wow no wonder theres so many illnesses going around
Nice… Just so happened that I was eating breakfast when I came across these photos. Yum!
These are interestingly disturbing….
Thanks…
THAT’S WHAT I CALL A PROPERTY BEING MIS-MANAGED. THIS IS THE MANAGER’S FAULT AS WELL. INSPECTIONS EVERY FEW MONTHS, WILL TRULY AVOID THIS. IF PEST CONTROL IS INCLUDED IN THE RENT, MAKE IT A MONTHLY SERVICE TO EACH UNIT. IT MAY BE EXPENSIVE, BUT YOU WILL BE SAVING AT THE END. HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK IT WILL COST TO TURN AROUND THOSE UNITS ?
I’m afraid we will have one of those, well not THAT bad. So what do you do if you inspect and find that situation? Madison, WI has very tenant friendly laws. Would you call in building inspector? Could we get in trouble for that?
Can’t stress it enough….this is why you have periodic INTERIOR inspections while your properties are occupied. I’m sure all of these could have been avoided if landlord was on the ball. Holy crap…literally. Hard to believe some humans live like this.
Before we blame anybody, what you see is a choice people make and it has nothing to do with income, education, the property manager, etc.
This kind of thing has to do with how people choose to live and what they choose to do. There are high end and moderately priced rentals which are found in terrible condition, too, after move out.
The property manager does not control how tenants live and what they do at home.
All the PM does is what the owner is going to pay him/her to do. If you want inspections, the owner has to pay for it.
No one controls how people live. It is up to the individual who rents.
before you start blaming the property management company….how do you know if this was not someone they inherited in taking over the property?
I think it is so funny that everyone is so quick to point blame on a contest that is meant to be light-hearted. Let’s take this for what it is and not turn it into something that it is not. In this industry, every property manager has run into an ugly move out at least once, to no fault of their own.
Keep it real people.
We All live in sin, My question is what area and what degree is your sin?
I wish I still had some of my MO photos. These are tame compared to some I have seen and I did monthly inspections. Shreveport LA comes to mind. Preparing for a REAC we did two inspections within 6 weeks and my RPM and I did the clean up for an Engineer that appeared to have just given up. Water covered the entire countertop in the kitchen due to a clogged drain. It was black. DW had 5″ of black water. The tub/toilet/bathroom sink as black as the kitchen sink in these photos above. Trash everywhere. People just do not care.
I had one in Lafayette, LA who left 35 – 40 “leaf trashbags” 30 gal bags in the apartment. It was all her family’s trash to get back at me for evicting her. Her rent was $100 per month. We lost a refrigerator, carpet and stove also. It cost her $7700 filed on her credit with collections. She had the gall to ask me if she could rent from me again. I charged her $100 per trash bag, dumpster fee, etc.
When she wants an apartment, car, loan to build credit, etc., that is when it will come back to haunt them. That is the only upside to these types of tenants.
You can blame the manager, but it only takes a moment to destroy an apartment.
Looking at these pictures…it’s hard to believe these conditions happened overnight. If the owner was aware of these condition..yes I guess you’re absolutely right not to blame the pm.
It would be interesting to see the before and afters.
I’m hard press to call this “property management”. I think we need a new catogory..why not label it “property holding” or “property stink n up”.
I’ve had my share of bad tenants too. The worst was when the tenant started a fire in the house on eviction day. So sweet of her…..
Interesting…all managers who look at these photos should value yearly inspections and ensure that they are doing them and following up twice!
You have to question why no one complained…I am sure you could smell the filth from outside of the unit!
The problem is not a lack of inspections, but a lack of tenant screening… seriously.