Topic: Maintenance Horror Stories

As maintenance techs get the honor of seeing the inside of our residents' apartments more than anybody, I'd love to hear the strangest or scariest thing you've walked in on!

I think it was when I was in Denver with Metric Properties that I went to an apartment and noticed several glass cages with snakes in them. They were all rattlesnakes, suddenly I noticed that one of the cages had the lid half-off. Needless to say I skeedaddled and did not go back until the reptiles had been secured. Then there was the canned ham I removed from a commode. My only response was ???? After 25 years in Property Management I have often thought about writing a book or maybe a TV screen play.

I agree with the last poster, only instead of a book our staff was consdiering a reality TV show. We have apartments in a college town, all near the campus. We believe the process of turning over 100s of apartments in just a few days makes for spectacular drama and humor.

Ok, this is sort of maintenance.....

I was running a motel that had been purchased for redevelopment. This was one of those places that could charge 'by the hour, the day, the week'....

There were folks actually living in the rooms, and, because public funds were used for part of the purchase, we needed to have everyone relocated.

The new owner wanted to have the furniture inventoried, so I did it; and I would enter the vacant units, just stand inside the door, look around and take notes. I could only stand to do 5 rooms at a time, and even then I felt like I needed to take a LONG HOT SHOWER.... One room had a 20 foot section of wall that had been taken over by BLACK MOLD, another room had a 1/4 inch layer of CRAP on the bathroom counter; most rooms had pest issues (found an active bee hive attached to the bathroom window of one unit to the outside; this took several hours for an expert to remove).... Most rooms had problems with the door locks, so I had to get in with a couple of good kicks (MASTER KEY)...

As folks left, we had a team actually boarding up windows and doors...

There is a restaurant next door, and I could not help but wonder, where the PESTS were going to head; once there was nothing for them to eat at the property????

If they did an "Extreme Makeover" TV show for a property like this, this property would be at the top of the list. The new owner inherited a lot of problems; a spark and a good wind in the right direction would have solved a lot of problems......

How's that???

Don't trust the utilities company when the say "don't worry about it". I had two brothers living in one of my units when their neighbor also my tenant came to me and said they heard voices out back and then seen a large flash. I went to investigate the following day and noticed the electric meter was gone. Called the electric company to let them know that the meeter was missing and they said the electric was shut off and not to worry about it. The tenants soon moved out and when I went to have the electric turned on the electric company would not do so. Because the cover from the meter can was missing. No cover could be found and to replace the meter can they had to upgrade the whole electric to both units.

Once we found a skip apt. with several refrigerators as well as cabinets full of a yellow liquid. Seems the former residents were selling urine for drug tests.

Another time while doing an evition with our local police he found a garbage bag with several layers of tape wrapping it. When he used his knife to open the bag there was HAIR in it! After calling in a detective we discovered it was actually an animal hide. Scared the you know what out of me thought!!

I remember hearing from the boss to meet him at a certain apartment on Saturday morning. He instructed me to wear a pair of disposable coveralls, boots, and the heaviest gloves I could find.

It was the one bedroom apartment of a single man who had lived there quietly for a three or four years. Paid his rent on time, never complained or bothered his neighbors.

Upon entering the apartment, I was blown away. I don't believe in the tire time he lived there that he had taken a single piece of garbage out. there was a layer over all of the floor services, and against the walls it was about three feet high. The majority of the garbage was hard liquor bottles and fast food wrappers. Needless to say, the filth had attracted a flourishing community of cockroaches. It was like an Indiana Jones movie. Herds of them sprinted across walls and the ceiling.

To make things even better, at some point his toilet had broken, so he had begun refilling the bottles with urine and doing his other business in Subway sandwich bags.

We filled up a 4 yard dumper 4 times with the garbage we pulled out of there. Reminder: this was a one bedroom unit, about 525 square feet.

Its been years, but I still feel sick to my stomach whenever I think about it...

The refrigerator was clean, though. The only thing in it was a lonely bottle of ketchup.

I took over a large property in SC which was under rehab. I thought I had seen it all, when walking the units, we found chickens living in the living room. Nice straw layed over the carpet and about 15 or so chickens cage free. They had pecked holes in the sheet rock and not to mention the carpet was replaced.

It would have to be this: never having been in property management before, I did not know quite what to expect. I had been promoted after a very short time at the property. My first task was to check vacant units. I inserted my key, turned the lock, and started to push open the door when I caught a glimpse of the barrel of a handgun - pointed right at the side of my head. I would have to say this was pretty scary. I stated, "Okay, obviously not a vacant. I am going to back up now and call the police." Which I did ... turns out the guy was the ex-boyfriend of the former resident and he was wanted for murder.

We also had to clean out the apartment of a man who had passed away. He was a horder as well. There was every newspaper he had every received, every toilet tissue roll, paper towel roll, soap box, detergent box, can, bag etc, of what must have been EVERYTHING he had opened in about four years at the property. It was surprisingly very well organized, but you can't hold on to that much trash without an odd smell.

I also found mushrooms growing in a closet once. On the floor, and not the kind anyone would grow for "sport". It was a very damp apartment, needless to say. I can't figure out why the residents didn't complain about them.

Finally, we had a move out one time who had red string everywhere in his apartment, like spider webs, only connected to the wall with push pins. It was really really weird. I couldn't figure out how he had moved around the apartment without running into the strings. Perhaps he was practicing evading lasers?

We had a gent who lived on the property for years and in apparent failing health. Smoked cigars, relieved himself in hallways, elevators, on his cart - you could smell him coming. I was named interim manager of the 616 unit complex and had to take action so I called in our Senior Assistance through our county health department and instructed staff not to move him if he called about having a fall - just to call an ambulance. (Previous management had staff upright the gent and bring him to his door.)

Well, the VA Hospital decided he needed skilled nursing (pretty obvious) and when we went in we found that he not only urinated all over, he defecated, as well. All over his furniture, carpets, flooring, etc.

$8,000 later for a bio-haz team... Thanks, previous management - you could have taken proactive steps years ago...

Oh, yeah. We also had a suicide by gunshot in an apartment. Of course the police took care of the body, but the rest of the "mess" was ours to deal with.

How about when the person is shot in his apartment and runs to your office ( previouse company) and bleeds to death all over your desk and all you can do is call 911.

Lets see I had just started working Property Management when I was given keys to go walk a vacate... I thought this strange sense I had never done this before...I walk in and the smell alone about killed me.The entire apartment reeked of cat and dogs urine and poop. It was on the floor,walls, and vents...It was hoorible. To top it off when I walk out of the apartment I had fleas jumping off of me. I smelled horrible. I went back to the office very calmly said I need to go home and shower in very hot water and change my clothes. When I came back found out that my supervisors new what they apartment would be like and thought I needed the experince.

We have a resident that is handicapped, yet very mobile (electric cart). He is known for "cruising" the local bars and getting totally wasted. Today, he came and asked me if anyone had turned in a lost cell phone. I let him know that unfortunately we haven't found anything. He then asked to put in a service request for a stopped up toilet. Maintenance promptly went by his apartment to service his toilet and they found that the resident had apparently stopped it up on his own...if you know what I mean. The maintenance required a snake to remove the clog. After a few minutes of twisting and pulling, it was discovered that the clog was due to a cell phone being lodged in the toilet. I really do not want to know how the cell phone made it's way to the toilet, but it was one heck of a find!

Oh, wow! That's more like a horror story in general. I'm glad that everyting worked out well.

Brent, during my tenure in this business, I have probably dabbled in many different sectors of Property Management. One in specific has been the maintenance sector. During a two year tenure in North Las Vegas, I took over the Maintenance Operations of a highly distress HUD community. During this time, I had to inspect 100% of the 400+ unit community in preparation to a REAC inspection, and what I witness in this community was heart breaking. I would say that over 95% of the residents lived in distress conditions, with no furniture, electric and extremely poor housekeeping. I think the worst experience was when one of my non-profits organization onsite walked into one of the units during this time to check up on one of the kids, and found a guy overdosed in the living room, and the kid shirtless with only shorts which were three times to big for him, and only a rope tide around his waist to hold them up. When the people ask him to go with him, he went and got a t-shirt, which also was too big for him and full of blood. This broke my heart and immediately, I knew that I had to do something to improve this community. The good news is, that with the help of local non-profits, local police departments, we successfully touched the lives of many and enhanced many people’s life conditions there. But I will tell you, it was a challenge and a life changing experience.

Stephani wrote:

Once we found a skip apt. with several refrigerators as well as cabinets full of a yellow liquid. Seems the former residents were selling urine for drug tests.

Another time while doing an evition with our local police he found a garbage bag with several layers of tape wrapping it. When he used his knife to open the bag there was HAIR in it! After calling in a detective we discovered it was actually an animal hide. Scared the you know what out of me thought!!

:laugh: Good one

My favorite was receiving a telephone call from a manager while I was on vacation telling me the property had been taken over by FBI agents and local media. It seems a woman had been arrested in another state for a drug offense and thought she could reduce the trouble she was in by telling the authorities she knew where the body of a missing person was buried; on one of my properties!!! Turns out she was being truthful; someone had been buried two years earlier in the woods by our maintenance shed.

At the same property years later I walked into an apartment where the resident never moved (and I mean NEVER) from a chair in her livingroom except to perhaps throw cat litter to cover up the "presents" she and her cat would leave on the floor. My skin still crawls when I remember that one!

Just a couple tidbits:

woman lived in apartment about 3 months....didn't mention a dog to me at all. Late payer, but only by a couple days...until she ditched the apartment with 1 day notice, 1 month behind and 9months left on lease.

When I finally got in there, smell was HORRIBLE. Fleas covered my legs in the time it took to walk the 500 sq ft apartment, and notice the rug (new for her) was ruined, the linoleum in kitchen (new for her) was also, etc.

We had to remove ALL her crap furniture - so flea infested the hauling company charged us extra. All the flooring, subfloor and sub-subfloor had to be removed, 12 GALLONS of bleach over 2 weeks were required to remove the smell (current tenant claims she can still smell it), all in all $4,500 in materials and contractor labor to rehab this tiny apartment

***

in another apartment (same month...lol) the continually late paying tenant (who accused me of lying when I showed him his check that was DATED the 9th of the month (rent due on 1st). He informs me he's moving, and I can show the unit on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10am to 10:30. That's it. Called the cops and accused me of trespassing when I posted notices on his door of what our showing schedule would actually be.

Isn't it amazing how many Americans are living in such horrific conditions - and it is not as uncommon as one would imagine. We have celebrities promoting aid to, almost exclusively, other countries in need when here are children living in third world conditions right here in America. No one really pays attention, as you pointed out Pedro. Good for you and for what you do Pedro....as heartbreaking as it is, you are making a difference.

This is not really a horror story, but I worked for a property in Plano Tx. We had passed out notices for dishwasher inspections due to faulty heat dry switches and I had to inspect every apt to make sure the dishwashers were safe. Well a week goes by, and I go up to an apartment and knock on the door. I knocked three times hard and yelled maintance, but no answer. So I unlock the door and swing it open and before I could say maintance again I see two girls "having sex" on the couch. The dark haired girl quickly rolled off the couch and sprinted to the bed room covering her self up, but the blond girl sat up covers herself with a pillow and started to yell at me for walking in. After coming down from the shock, I explained to her about the letter and me knocking. She heard me but she didn't think I would unlock and walk in. Then she slowly stood up, dropped the pillow and walked to her room. I didn't see them the rest of the time I was checking the d/w, but from now on if no one answers the door, I crack it open and yell maintance before opening it.

I'm just taking a wild guess, but my gut tells me that many guys would agree with you and not consider that a horror story B)

That sounds like the plot of a cheesy porn movie; had they ask you to join in....


I have one:

My property is equipped with emergency call switches in each unit. I had a resident that proceeded to pull the switch (which sets off a strobe and an alarm located in the hall) regularly. We would enter the unit and find that she was doing this just to see who had keys to her unit. One time my maintenance guy had walked in to find her sitting in her chair with nothing on (my property is for those 55+ and I think she was 70+).......

Now that sounds like a horror story. Lol

We had a resident complaining about a bad smell coming from there a/c vents. Someone had put a dead fish in the a/c access above the bathroom and who knew how long it had been there. lol

Ah, the old dead fish gag. Reminds me of dorm life... Although not as smelly, one person stuffed a pillow just after their a/c vent so it would blow colder in their room, and essentially burnt up every room after them.

Johnny,

We have an "emergency pull cord addendum" just for this. They get 1 false alarm, after that it's $25 service fee for each non-emergency pull. Haven't had it happen since the addendum went into effect :)

When I managed a student property, I had an apartment with three boys fresh out of high school for residents. One night I get a call about a fist fight in the parking lot with these boys but by the time I got there the police had showed up and had taken all three to jail. In the morning when I started asking neighbors of these boys & what they had seen, I was informed by several of them that there had been a whole lot of banging coming from their apartment over the last several weeks. Banging like walls were being torn down(of course nobody informed me when it was happening grrrr). I grabbed my maintenance man and we entered their apartment since I had enough info to be concerned about the safety of my other residents living in the same building if there were electrical wires exposed. When I entered I was shocked by what I was looking at. They had taken spray paint and sprayed graffitti all over the walls of the entire apartment. You could stand in the living room and view the master bedroom even though there is two other bedrooms inbetween the two. Yep they had made huge door-size holes through the sheetrock of almost every wall of all three bedrooms and the living room. The master bedroom closet was completely gone, just the studs standing. The bathtub was cracked from the KEG that was inside it and I can't even begin to describe how filthy this apartment was. The sad thing is they still got back some of their deposit because Mom & Dad owns a construction company and repaired/replaced most of it laughing about how kids will be kids.

I simply love how this thread keeps on going - over three thousand views and we'll never be finished with the shocking, horrific, and crazy maintenance horror stories...

i have been doing maintenance for about 10+ years and once worked at a property where a resident had not taken her trash for a very long time,and so during an inspection i was called on the radio to report to the apartment.i said ok and came to the place because my supervisor and property manager could not get the door open,so i checked it and we had to force the door open and when we got it opened we were very shocked to find the apartment totally filled with trash about three feet deep.One of the tubs was being used as a cat litter box and the other one as a trash can.So i asked about any maintenance requests and was curious why it was not noticed before and they just looked at other with a shocked lookand said go check the hall bath toilet because they were scared to go in the apartment

My husband has been in maintenance for years and we've pretty much have always lived on-site (Yay me!). One property he was on a girl caught her boyfriend cheating and decided to light his car on fire..which spread to the building! That night was insane. Same property a guy broke into an apartment upstairs, tied the girl up and started taking all her stuff out the door. The police were already there responding to party goers. The guy walked right past them with his arms full, he went back up to the apartment and the cop followed him because their were no lights on in the apt he was "moving" out of in the middle of the night. Cop found the girl tied up, the guy ran and hopped the wall. They let the K-9 take care of him. That was pretty interesting. We have been through suicides, murders, domestic disputes, drive by shootings, break ins, crazy hopped up druggies that clear 6ft tall fences jumping over them..he broke his legs though, theres so much more haha. We always said we should write a book too. Through all this my passion is in apartments and Im on my way to finally becoming manager. ;)

it became law back in the mid 90's i believe that we had to have a privacy lock on the inside of the door to prevent these instances. they did it on purpose i'm sure. i've had this happen before myself. except it was two guys having sex after i went in to fix there bathroom fan...again...on purpose. :sick: :sick: :sick: :silly:

At the first community I worked at, there was a Pakistani family in a 3 bedroom unit! They only wanted you to conduct work orders on Fridays. When you knocked on the door and replied "maintenance", you had to wait about 5 minutes while they huddled all the women into one room. You were there for 2 work orders and they would point out 6 other things that needed to be fixed (requiring you to enter other rooms). You then had to wait inside the room you were just in while they moved all the women again for each work order. To this day, it is still unclear how many people were in this apartment...even the office wasn't sure! My count was 3 men, ? women and at least 4 children ranging in ages from 5-80! You always heard more voices than you saw!

Agreed!

i AM THE ULTIMATE ROACH MASTER! Trained by the world famous roach scientist, Dr, Austin Frishman it sounds crazy, but, ROACH ELIMINATION IS MY PASSION! I did a roach job once & swept up half of a 33 gallon garbage pail full of roaches! used a snow shovel to scoop them up! owH about doing a ratjob using jack russell terriers to kill hundreds of rsts at a chicken/ turkey farm! lol, what a scene that was! there's a couple horror stories:)

A man was beating his girlfriends head in with a hammer and only stopped because his wife came home.

Mgr Jason Perron ,had a few in yrs . Owned By Richard Bendetson Boston DFI Diversified Funding Inc.,Apts At Remington Pond ww ri.Atlantic Properties,Sandy Lane Trust etc.Tenants wait extended periods for repairs as in this case 3 yrs. Elderly Disabled 70yr old tenant repeatedly threatened with eviction when calls to building inspector go in whereas work won't be done otherwise. RI retaliatory law means just that and an owner has to pay 3 mos rent to tenant subject to retaliation . Now this mgr was told comments would e posted on net /youtube etc re: most recent incidence . He said it would breach clause in lease that forbids such comments and eviction will go forward. Well there goes 1st Amendment and the owner faces a federal lawsuit,ACLU,Comm on disabilities etc. Now all will march on property,corp there comes a point when tenant says they've had enough. Pay rent on time been there for years Elderly disabled. Demo wiped out tenants wall 3yrs ago door needed to be replaced . Three yrs later here we are. Maintenance James Tucker and "Manny" Emanuel Seco installed a front door going wrong way from old door. The door has a crease and frame is filthy took 2 men 4 hrs to install and can still see sunlight not squared doesn't fit right. Plus they said a new storm door has to be purchased whereas through their blunder it won't go the way new door is swinging in. Told them that storm is relatively new they said what does it matter tenant not paying for it. Someone else said what a shame. Yes if they got the right door ,storm would of been placed back in door frame. But they don't care it's not their money but their boss Bendetson . The Mgr Jason Perron doubted tenants concerns over the condition of the door until he looked at it shook his head and said maintenance did it on the way back from the store. Now he's jumped the fence and standing by maintenance men? Now the tenant has to have swing the other way # 1 the light to entry was above previous door but is on opposite side trying to see lock and get in will be difficult . Also a walker . etc. Perron told tenant they can try to place storm the opposite swing of door hm illegal bldg code. Today tenant see's maintenance men putting a nice new front door in another apt . She asked where did they get the beat up used door they installed and wheres the new one mgr has a receipt for. Well they tell mgr they were yelled at. They should be fired tenants always say boy their work is 1/2 ---!
They installed kitchen floor placing strips on top of old flooded linoleum !instead of removing linoleum washing floor ,dry and install new tiles ,sheer laziness, inept work 1/2 ---! They complain their over worked and underpaid ,they were promised this and that and never got them. They live on the property roll out of bed and are right at job site, nice. Now the tenant wants to stay not have to pack,find another place etc and why should the tenant have to again pays rent on time only ask's work be done when necessary. You will be updated as to how this works out .

Apts At Remington Pond aka Waterford Towers,West Warwick,RI. Mgr and maintenance disregard repair requests forcing tenants to call the town building inspector to enforce violations. Rent increases up to a $100 a mo annually. Quality of apts, grounds and many tenants are not good.Police are always here, every building .Sect 8 voucher low income housing tenants are here. Many violent situations combination of drugs, alcohol, and mental health clients.etc. Tenants leave before their illegal leases expire. Some perspective tenants have walked the property am/pm wk- nds and wk. Many have said oh boy if they hadn't they would of been stuck in a complex like housing project . So find another place where you'll have a peaceful life and responsive mgr and maintenance.

I was called to a multi unit building. The resident in 204 had no power. After several hours on scratching my head I traced the wires in 204 to the meter of 206. 206 was shut of due to nonpayment. I suspect they have been paying each others electric bill for 10 years.