Landlord Offers Prize for Rent Payment

GARDNER, Mass. (AP) — A landlord, tired of chasing down tenants who do not pay their rent on time, is giving them a little extra incentive to pony up – the chance to win a free vacation.

Douglas Rau, who has more than 100 tenants across central Massachusetts, held a drawing Friday for all tenants who have paid their rent in full. Resident Pablo Gallero won a four-day, three-night stay for two at a resort in the Bahamas along with $250 in spending money.

“It’s pretty bad that you’ve got to do this to get people to do what they’re already supposed to do on their own accord,” Rau said. “But it seems like everybody thinks somebody owes them something.”

The vacation package cost Rau about $1,000, but that pales in comparison to the approximately $5,000 it can cost to take a tenant to court to get them evicted and to fix the damage a disgruntled tenant can do to an apartment.

“They don’t sweep up and vacuum on their way out the door, if you know what I mean,” he said.

Rau said he will hold similar drawings every month, although the prize may not always be as generous.

The gesture already appears to be working. Although some of Rau’s tenants were skeptical of the giveaway and called his office to ask what the catch was, four chronically late tenants quickly paid their rent in full after the drawing was announced in March, he said.

—

On the Net:

More science, space, and technology from RedNova

Copyright © 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.