The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-04-07
Euening Chat
al Gallerr of Tenants.
RY RUTH CAMERON

A Gallery of Tenants.
A letter friend has been clever
enough and kind enough, to fino a
subject on which have never
touched.
"In your many interesting articles,
she says, 81 have never noticed one
on the tenants treatment of the land
lord.
81 know there are disagreeable- and
unreliable landlords. also good tenants.
for L have had some OF them; but this
articles is not Tor them.
II have mad tenants who have lived
IN my house for three or four gears
and gave me every reason to think
they were comfortable, yet IS soon as
they had decided 10 move they said
everything disagreeable about the
house, such as tnatg 1t was damp and
took twice as much coal to neat IS
necessary-things that were not tru~.
They seemed TO be trying TO prevent
my renting the house.
Il have mad others who would agree
to pay in advance and after a couple
of months would gradually fall LehInd
until they were not in advance nor On
time, but behind. And these were not
people who were in lack OF funds.
They simply did not pay any regard to
their agreement.
would move out by the middle and pay
half months rent and you are lucky
if you get that.
1.-THE tenant has the advantage of
the landlord. We have to give thirty
days notice and can only dispossess
for a few reasons, while they can leave
you without a days notice in mid
winter, thermometer at zero, .sitn
plumbing to freeze, and to get a new
tenant the best way you can, which
may not be in months.
Now 1 am a small property owner;
the income from this property means
my bread and butter. These things L
have mentioned may be legal, but they
are not kind. L have tried to treat
my tenants kindly and fairly and only
ask the same in return. L have re-
belled inwardly many times, but have
said nothing, suffering injustice rather
/ than have it said had trouble with
my tenants
AS nine-tenths of my readers must
have had at some time in their lives
experience either as landlords or ten
ants, this certainly is a subject with a
wide appeal and 1 am grateful to my
letter friend for bringing it up
! l would like to add to her picture
gallery of difficult tenants the tenant
who takes a house at a certain rent
on the distinct agreement that no fur
Their papering or any but necessary re-
in, proceeds to ask for one thing after
another in the hope that the landlord
will give in rather than change ten
ants.
Also the tenant q suppose the most
Common offender) who is absolutely
careless in his use of the property.
How many people who would be nice
with their own things, people who con-
slider themselves thoroughly honest
and moral. will abominably abuse a
hired housed
In the childrenS library in my home
town hung little motto, Treat a
thing that is borrowed little better
than if it were your own.
| 1 recommend the spirit of this 20
many grown-up children. OF course
a house is hired, not borrowed, but
the rent gives you the right to use.
not to abuse.
Breeding shows in the relation
ship of landlord to tenant quickly
as in any relationship of life. The
fgood landlord or. good tenant is he who
has the instructive habit of showing
justice and consideration to his fell
low beings.-( protected by the Adams
Newspaper Service.)