Some years ago, I let some old friends rent my first floor apartment. They were broke and fighting with their landlord. I was hesitant, but agreed. Brother, sister, 89 year old mother and a cat.
A mistake. They were bad tenants, bad neighbors, bad friends. Among the extras I gave them was my extra parking space in exchange for show shoveling. ( huge perk in a Boston city neighborhood) They took the space and seldom shoveled. At the end of winter 2013, I told them I was giving the space to someone else who would actually shovel, and gave them a few months extra time.
The day came; they refused to vacate and told me there was nothing I could do about it. To my surprise, two lawyers pretty much agreed. The only recourse was eviction.
The court did kick them out of the space, but gave them almost an extra year to stay in my house.
Their time ends at the end of July. I was fully expecting to have to go back to court, but they just posted a special moving truck permit outside. They leave Wednesday!
This silliness is finally ending. It's a real relief. The unit might need some real work, but that's part of owning a rental. I'll miss the big September 1 rental day (when most people here move), but the market is strong, so it will rent when I'm ready.