The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-29
THE TRIALS OF LANDLORDS.
TYPES OF TENANTS WHO GIVE
ENDLESS TROUBLE.

ing and Magnifying Defects-The
Tenant, Inquisitive and Knowing.
Who sovs Discontent-The Dead
Beat" Tenant-Character of Some
References.
From the New York Evening Post.
OF The enormous number Of people who
| live in the greater city Of New York IL
but fraction are teuants-even land ords
| frequently sustaining that relation TO 9TH
or landlords. Hence, the landlord class
| that is. their business representatives,. the
real estate agents-in dealing with their
tenants, are dealing with the mass Of the
population, and in such wise as 20 gam
wide experience Of human nature and a
deep insight into il. The net result Il
! their accumulated observation is what
might be expected mixture Of good and
evil, of the pleasant and The unpleasant
Of what aLures to optimism and Of what
drives to pessimism. And. Of cou Sc. such
long and close study Of the ways of human
| beings IN an essential phase of existence
! has produced SOM ching like a systemati-
cation of knowledge. AT least many
agents classify tenants with the great st
/ AFetlliito5p OluEia aver mat tl4tll va y
is TO iffnite to admit Of categories To
many there are distinct types; To others
there are only such types as humanity in
any vital aspect presents. This difference,
however, is really merely matter Of men
tai constitution; some minds classify cas-
| lily, others seldom see the occasion. With
great unanimity the agents name certain
| characteristics, certain habits, certain
f=1a .F frrIG a.h ~ 1
lives of landlords and agents that touch Of
| care and adversely, but for which they
might forget that they are mortal.
Chief among these tonic propensities Is
| that of the tenant who 10 gifted with SUI
preme ingenuity in discovering imaginary
or trivial defects in his house or apart
| ment, indefatigable industry In exercising
tie gift the tireless persistency in impart-
| ing his discoveries to landlord and agent.
! 1t may be the VeTiest trifie, but that does
| not deter the happy tenant from demand
| ing the instant attendance of the agent
| his communication being couched in such
| language that The recipient is likely TO
| rush to the scene in expectation of some
! terrible catastrophe. Agents say that one
| must have had equal experience 10 realize
| how numerous is this class of tenant and
! how constant and CALLING a thorn IL is in
| the landlords side. OF course this is but
| giving the landlords case-the tenant has
| his side Of the question. In particular
| instances 1t may well be that the tenant
| could make good his representations, and
| show that his grievance was by no means
| so imaginary or unreasonable as 1t APP
| peared TO landlord and agent.
| Besides being a cause of such continual
| irritation, this class the agents declare, is
| also a source of great expense to land
| lords, who in view of the great competi-
| ton for tenants especially in apartment
houses, will frequently comply with I'M
| reasonable demands. But said an agent
| of wide experience, 1T is a fatal cOmpN-
ance. Once begun. there is no end TO it.
! The only security for the landlord is firm
| ness in the beginning. When tenant of
| this character finds that nothing but
| strictly rational requests will be granted,
| he loses interest in the game OF badger
| ing that particular landlord, and either
| brochures another-generally to the intense
| satisfaction Of the deserted landlord-or
| subsidies. OF course now, I am speaking
of a well-developed and well-defined type
of tenant, and what l say should not be
| supposed TO apply 10 the large number
| whose complaints and wishes are in the
main ouite proper-even though sometimes
they may be denied, for certainly ] am not
| claiming that all landlords are impeccable
| embodiments of pure reason"
Almost as obnoxious as the inventive
| and magnifying tenant is, in apartment
houses. the tenant who through long occu-
|
| ness has acquired an intimate and accur-
| ate knowledge of the past and present
| dealings of the landlord with every tenant
| in an entire house, perhaps III series
| of houses This type IS the born busy
| bodv and gossip. well couched with mall
ice, He or she (unbappily it is not in
| frequently a she) makes 1t his or her busi-
ness in life to report to all the tenants
| the slightest favor proceeding from the
| landlord to any particular resident gener-
| ally expanding it into something Of mag
| nitl1de and inheritance. Consequently the
agent is often astonished to find that news
of a mere matter of a little paint has gone
| like wildhre through a whole apartment
house but Transformed into nothing less
than an elaborate renovation of the enure
apartment Then follows much dissatis-
| faction-sometimes even from those who
ordinarily are judicious-aud often down
right demands for complete doing over
! of apartments
There was a woman" said an agent
illustrauve'y, who gave me more trouble
than-I could almost say-all the other
tenants ! ever had She did it by worm
ing out Of all the other tenants every de-
tail of their transactions with me. She
! knew precisely all that I did or refused to
do for everybody in the house, and the
| amount that every one paid down to the
! cents Accordingly, If ever I took a dollar
| off The rent of 0ny tenant, all the others
| amazed to know how many people are i'm
| pacably offended by knowing that a neigh
Dor in an apartment house is paying
sent fila less than they are. Yet they
might have been paying their rent for
| years with q comfortable feeling that their
| Accommodate were cheap. It doesn
seem to be 50 much the difference IN
| money that causes su = resentment. but
the simple fact of the slight discrimination.
Nothing will pacify except reduction, and
If it is refused many tenants will go else
where and pay more money for no better
accommodations. mourning in addition the
! expense of moving. That gossipng wo-
man had me in hot water all the time, and
forced me to cut down the rent OF several
| tenants. although they We're paying no
more than fair figures"
Arising from the same community Of in
! formation in those houses whore there
happens 20 be a tenant or tenants with n
| special mission for the dissemination of
| interior news is a neculiar trait nc atoue-