Being a landlord can be a frustrating and stressful business. Tenants don’t always pay the rent and some tenants think nothing of calling you up at midnight demanding that you come and change a lightbulb or move a spider from the bath. Despite the aggravation, deadly disputes between tenants and landlords are, thankfully, rare. Unfortunately for one landlord, a catastrophic lapse of judgement led to bloodshed.
Landlord Murder Charge
A landlord in the US has been arrested on a murder charge after allegedly stabbing his tenant to death in a dispute over unpaid rent. The tenant was renting an apartment for $1,500 a month, but according to neighbours, he was nine months behind on his rental payments. One neighbour described how the landlord was terribly stressed by the affair and felt his tenant was playing games.
Tragic Loss of Life
The incident was witnessed by the victim’s son, which makes it even more tragic. This sorry situation probably wouldn’t have escalated to this stage in the UK, as any sensible landlord would have issued a Section 21 notice long before nine months had lapsed. However, it’s not hard to see why the landlord had reached the end of his tether, especially if he had mortgage payments to find on the property.
The moral of this story is that if you are struggling to cope with the stress of a difficult tenant, seek professional advice. All it takes is a momentary loss of judgment for bad things to happen.
