Web site gets the dirt on bad tenants

The video begins with a tenant insisting that he's busy cleaning his apartment. He has a broom and vacuum cleaner.

Then the camera goes inside to reveal thousands of roaches on everything - running across the man's feet, up the walls, crawling around in the refrigerator.

The cameraman, there to evaluate the problem for the landlord, was so sickened that he ran outside to throw up.

This probably isn't the kind of tenant you'd want renting your house or apartment. But guess what? Unless he's actually evicted, there will be no public record to warn the next landlord.

But now there is away around this. A Web site run by the Tampa-based real estate company Home Encounter allows property managers and landlords to share information - like this video - on bad tenants.

"In a lot of cases, this is the only way this information gets out there," said Greg Crews of Home Encounter.

The site, TheTenantList.com, has a database of details on more than 1,000 renters across the country. Ticked off landlords list names, the address of the rental home, and a synopsis of what went wrong. Some even post photos or videos of the tenants. (The roach video can be found there.)

Here's an example from this month: "Tenant caused or allowed to be caused over $10,000 in structural and cosmetic damage to home. Skipped out when the damage was discovered."

This kind of information has always been valued by management companies. But in this volatile real estate environment, a site like this could really save regular Joe landlords from headaches.

Sending a clear message

So many people have found themselves thrust into being a landlord. Some couldn't sell their home and are now renting. Others bought a home to flip and got stuck renting it out instead.

The site sends a clear message to renters (if they know about it): If you don't do right by your landlord, the whole world may find out.

Home Encounter started the site in 2006, but it's growing in popularity.

"We used to get one or two hits a week," he said. "In the past month, that has grown to 30 hits a day."

Crews said he thinks the economy may have something to do with it. When people are financially stressed they may be more likely to skip out on rent or cause damage.

Home Encounter knows all about bad tenants. The company manages 1,500 properties in the Tampa Bay area and more in other states.

Posting to the site is free. Crews said the company considers itself well-compensated by getting the dirt. They've been saved from renting to bad tenants more than a few times.

But they still come across bad ones, and those people always make the list.

One of the files sitting on his desk now is for a tenant who moved out in the middle of the night without paying rent. Before she fled, though, her boyfriend left his mark on the place by the punching $8,000 worth of holes in the walls.

"It is people like this that made us create the site," he said.

Tell the truth

So what about liability? Can disgruntled tenants sue over the remarks?

Sander Moody, a professor at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, said those who comment on sites such as this should consider whether their statements could be used in slander lawsuit.

"As long as the landlord is able to prove that their words are true, it should be fine," Moody said.

But he cautions against writing when emotional. Be factual, he says, and don't use characterizations. Don't mention race, ethnicity or whether the tenant has children.

"When you write when you're emotional, you tend to overstate what really happened," Moody said. "Stick to the facts and document everything. Take photos, save repair bills, write down everything now, while it's fresh in your mind."

If you're a landlord, it could be worth your while to check out this site.

And if you're a tenant, beware, we could be reading about you next.