Okay, some background may be required here. My father owns a duplex with basement suites, effectively a fourplex. I have one of the basement suites, and some responsibility to act on his behalf when he is out of town, such as collecting rent, keeping the yard in decent shape, etc. 
In July, the upstairs tenants of several years moved on. After we painted the place, did some updating and some marketing, we rented it out to a couple whose references glowed in the dark. Too brightly, I thought, but Dad is not comfortable with vacancies, and so I told him to sleep on it before offering them a lease. He signed with them that day, and I had to bite my tongue. That was mid-August. This couple moves in, along with a tribe of semi-employed 20-something guys, none of whom I would trust with anything. They’d been here two weeks when I heard Mr. Tenant beating the sh*t out of Ms. Tenant, but the hangers-on kicked his ass out, and he went, so I didn’t call the police. Wish I had. :smack:
My parents went on a 3-week vacation, leaving me to collect rent, as has happened multiple times in my tenure here. So, September 1 rolls by, and I knock on the door for rent. The hangers-on tell me Ms. Tenant is not here, she’ll come pay me as soon as she gets in. Same story daily Sept 2-6. September 7, when I knock, I know the hangers-on are home, but they’re not answering the door. (In fact, when I knock, I hear someone say “Sh*t, it’s the rent bitch again.”) Fine then. I’ll just write them a notice that the rent is late, and let them be. This is all I am authorised to do in dad’s absence, as he has not signed any power of attorney over to me, nor named me the building manager. Therefore, it is not a legal eviction notice, but it is the beginnings of the paper trail, and a perfectly legit move, right? :dubious:
They’re gone. Ms. Tenant’s brother-in-law came over and checked the place out, after learning that she has been in a hospital for the past several days. BIL seems very fuzzy on details, but thinks she’s in a mental ward. He wanted to see how the hangers-on are doing for grocery money, he says. Place is empty, except for a litter box and a three-month-old kitten. Apparently Mr. Tenant, the beater, came over and packed the place up, evicted the hangers-on, and left the place unlocked. Because we have not received notice or keys, I can’t enter the place and check things out, but BIL asked me if I have a cat, and would I care for the kitten until more information is available. Oh, and since the place is available again, what is rent and when can he move in? :eek:
I am having serious issues with this story, because although I have put a sign up outside indicating that their kitten is available to them when I am home from work, I feel like I am holding stolen property somehow. And further, if the place is empty, then why, at twenty minutes to twelve, is someone moving around up there?
So. Am I angry that these people screwed us over in just five weeks? Yes. Am I angry about their callous abandonment of the kitten? Yes. Do I know what to do? Not really. Wait for dad to come home, because legally my hands are tied.
And keep the cats separate because three-month-old Bree (my name for her) is apparently a scrapper. :rolleyes: