Landlord Gets the Keys Back After Twenty Seven Years of Renters in the Same House and Walks Through to See Whether the Place Held Up and Calls It a Success Story

Landlord horror stories get all the attention, so here is a refreshing one. A property owner who shares his rental adventures as @kalalaos just got the keys back to a house after a renter lived there for 27 years, and he calls what he found “a positive rental success story.”

He owns the property, and the same renter was there the whole time. They had only moved out a few days earlier, so this walk-through was the first time he had seen the inside since they left. Think about that: 27 years under one roof with the same household.

“Come along,” he says. “Let’s see if this thing’s still in good shape.”

@kalalaos

Bracing for the worst

Anyone who has owned a rental knows the feeling of that first walk through the door. You do not know whether you will find a spotless home or a disaster. He makes his way from room to room, checking the condition of things and commenting as he goes.

He sounds pleased as he goes. He says a few spots will probably need a little paint, and the kitchen is still standing, although it will definitely need to be redone after all these years. That is a fair expectation for a kitchen that has been used by one family for twenty-seven years.

Then comes what he calls the scariest part of any move-out: the refrigerator. “Let’s see what’s in here,” he says, hoping there is nothing growing inside. Whatever he finds, he does not seem upset.

“Pride of ownership”

His verdict is a happy one. “These are awesome tenants,” he says. He admits the carpets are beat up, and then adds the part that matters most: that is understandable after 27 years.

He gives the renters real credit. They paid for the house for those 27 years, he says, and they had pride of ownership. Even though it was not theirs, they cared for it like it was. “It didn’t beat it up,” he says, and he loves it as a story of what renting can look like at its best.

His take is a pleasure to hear. Rather than fixating on worn flooring, he sees a household who made a house their home for 27 years and left it standing.

Owners who go in with realistic expectations tend to have a much better experience. A house that has sheltered a household for decades will show some age, and a landlord who plans for paint, flooring and kitchen updates is far less likely to be shocked by what he finds.

What a good landlord and good tenant both know

A 27-year stay is unusual. It rarely happens by accident, and the people on both sides of it usually do a few things right. If you rent a home, or rent one out, here are some lessons that apply.

Understand normal wear and tear. Faded paint, worn carpet and scuffed floors from everyday living are different from damage caused by neglect. Carpet in particular usually wears out long before 27 years, so tired flooring at the end of a long tenancy is simply the passing of time.
Fix small things promptly. Landlords who respond to leaks and repairs tend to keep their houses and their tenants in better shape for longer. Tenants who report problems early help avoid big repairs.
Keep good communication. A phone call or message, kept respectful and in writing when it matters, can prevent most misunderstandings.
Do a move-in and move-out walkthrough. Photos and notes protect both sides. They help decide what belongs to ordinary use and what, if anything, should come out of a security deposit.
Clean the fridge and kitchen on the way out. The refrigerator really is a scary part of a move-out. A quick wipe-down at the end keeps the peace and can help a tenant get a deposit back.
Plan for renewals and updates. Landlords can budget for a fresh coat of paint and new flooring between tenants, and a long-term renter saves on turnover costs, which are often significant.

If you are a tenant hoping to build that kind of trust, consider asking for a long-term lease and treat the place as your own. If you are a landlord, remember that a good renter who stays put is worth far more than a slightly higher rent from a stream of short stays. Both approaches take patience, and both pay off.

Why this story sticks

Stories like this one are a good reminder that most of the housing world is made of decent people. A tenant who stays for decades gives a landlord steady income and a well-kept home, and a landlord who treats the home with care gives a family a place to put down roots.

Pride of ownership, as he puts it, is something worth aiming for, whether the name on the lease is yours or someone else’s.

Willow and Hearth