Part 4/9:
The account underscores how properties are trashed after tenants leave, with infestations, trash, and vandalism rendering recovery expensive for landlords. Several instances illustrate how bureaucratic and legal delays allow tenants to prolong their stay, sometimes leaving landlords with damages that are costly to repair and difficult to recoup.
A particularly disheartening part of this story is the legal entanglement. For example, a tenant's failure to sign a "domestic violence form" led to dismissal of eviction proceedings. Meanwhile, tenants are often protected by legal aid, making it difficult for landlords to expedite eviction—even when tenants clearly owe rent and disregard property rules.