Nice Work If You Can Get It: 'Tenant From Hell' John Getzow Stiffs Another Landlord
By Joe Eskenazi in Law & Order
Tuesday, Jun. 30 2009 @ 6:30AM
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This month Getzow and the owner of the Balmoral Hotel Residence Club reached a settlement. The landlords made a deal with the serial evictee: If he got the hell off the premises by June 1, they'd drop all charges and, in essence, let him walk off owing $4,500 in unpaid rent and fines. This came to pass -- and the landlords were thrilled to have gotten rid of Getzow so easily and cheaply; by the time they started litigating they'd read SF Weekly's cover story and knew who they were dealing with.
"He wore a suit to the settlement conference and was very polite -- he'd obviously done this before and knew the system well," said Susan Parkinson, who represented building owner James Lee. "We didn't let him go very long. I notice a lot of the other landlords let him go a long time without paying rent."
Getzow was a quiet and otherwise ordinary tenant at the Balmoral from June of last year until February of this year. Then he stopped paying rent, was served with a three-day notice, and, eventually, was sued. Not that he made it easy: Once Getzow knew a lawsuit was imminent, he locked himself in his room and refused to come out (an old trick noted in our cover story).
"Once he got behind on his rent, he wouldn't come out. We had to actually have a stakeout to serve him" with legal papers, noted Parkinson. "We had a process server wait in the lobby right near his room. Once he knew we were coming he just holed up."
Knowing they were dealing with someone who'd made a career out of bilking landlords in this city, Parkinson pushed for an approach that would get Getzow off the premises as soon as possible -- and not even attempt to collect on the $4,500 he owed.
"Oh, I doubt we'll ever see that money," she says. "I mean, he even came up to the [building] manager and said, 'When I get a job, I'll pay you back.'" This memory sparked a round of laughter in Parkinson.
Now that Getzow is no longer her problem, the lawyer has no idea where he is. But Getzow's record shows that he'll surface again sooner or later -- likely as a defendant on the Superior Court docketts.
"Once he got behind on his rent, he wouldn't come out. We had to actually have a stakeout to serve him" with legal papers, noted Parkinson. "We had a process server wait in the lobby right near his room. Once he knew we were coming he just holed up."
Knowing they were dealing with someone who'd made a career out of bilking landlords in this city, Parkinson pushed for an approach that would get Getzow off the premises as soon as possible -- and not even attempt to collect on the $4,500 he owed.
"Oh, I doubt we'll ever see that money," she says. "I mean, he even came up to the [building] manager and said, 'When I get a job, I'll pay you back.'" This memory sparked a round of laughter in Parkinson.
Now that Getzow is no longer her problem, the lawyer has no idea where he is. But Getzow's record shows that he'll surface again sooner or later -- likely as a defendant on the Superior Court docketts.
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