(post by BT) I happened to be waiting for an agent in my office down the block from his house. While sitting in my car I noticed a store for rent by owner. Suddenly, in front of me a car pulls up and my realtor instinct kicks in. I know right away this guy is the owner. I jump out and approach him. I size up the building and say “You’re the owner, correct?” He looks at me puzzled and answers “What makes you think that?” I hand him my business card and tell him it’s my business to know these things. We chat for a little bit and he tells me his situation. The previous tenant moved out, breaking the lease, damaged the property and has not given me the keys to get into the property. He owes 3 months back rent. I convince him he should not be dealing with this nonsense. Hire me. “Okay, under one condition”, he says. “If you can get the key back from the previous tenant, and have him move his stuff out, the listing is yours!” Now, it’s illegal to break in while tenant is being evicted, so even though he’s practically out, the landlord would loose his eviction battle over breaking in. But if I get the key, he basically surrenders voluntarily. Now the agent I was waiting walks back, looks at me all confused, can’t believe I just grabbed some business while waiting for him, and I mention the challenge that lies ahead to receive the listing.

The owner gives me the tenant’s new business address and I’m off to get the key back. When I get there, he’s not around so I leave him a message, saying I am interested in his property for rent. He calls me back, confused (that was the point and the way to get him to call me back), asking what this is about. When I tell him, he gets really annoyed, defensive and curses me out. Nice start. So I contact owner and propose that we approach this tenant fellow together. When we get there, the owner is peeing his pants, and asks me stay next to him, as if to protect him. ???!!! The second we walk into his new store, the tenant recognizes his previous landlord and shouts “What the F do you want!? Get out of here, you piece of garbage!” I am thinking, ‘he is the one who skipped out, owes rent, and now we are the bad guys?” After some screaming back and forth, I calmly tell him to just give us the key, and we will leave. His wife goes “Just give them the keys, Pappi.” He tells us get out and never come back. I tell the landlord to wait outside so I can talk with the guy myself alone. I try my best, plead with, only to get another “Get the hell out of here!”

We leave and the landlord says “Man, you tried your best. I will give you the listing for your effort. You will obviously hustle to get my place leased but we have to wait to take him to court and get him out completely. For the next two days I am bothered by the whole thing… the bad commercial tenant, the “abused” landlord, and my failure to get the key back. That’s when I get the call from the landlord. “You’re not going to believe what came in the mail today!” The court papers? “No, better… The keys!”