I've sat on both sides of the fence also. When one of my fleshly brothers was working at the foreign WTBTS branches he left his family/parents to maintenance etc without compensation. (Thanks alot, jerk.) The renters who eventually became inactive (you-hooo) were there for ten years, and to my knowledge they always paid on time, and were willing to take care of some/if not all of the maintenance themselves. I don't have any problem with them, even though they skirted his lawn furniture when they left, and mom and dad spent a great deal of time removing the wifeees spraynet from the floor in the bathroom after they moved out. Well, by God, he was gone for twelve years doing the lords work, he didn't need that lawn furniture.
Currently, I have rented the two bedroom townhome that I am currently in for eight years or so from a bonefide "brother" who is CURRENTLY serving as an elder. He initially proposed to my family the renting the towne home, and he gave a more than fair asking price. He has not raised the rent or even hinted about it in eight years. I think that is bodacious.
I have taken care of most maintenance, for example, replacing all the faucets, repainting to their (owners) original color throughout the house, pressure washing of the house, minor roof leaks and hail damage to siding, etc. I have asked for financial assistance on one occasion, and he has been more than generous. For example, I proposed to put better insulation in the attic and said I would pay for half of the cost of material, and that I would rent a insulation blower and install it myself. Since I would benefit from a lower electric bill I thought this a good deal.
He reimbursed me for the TOTAL cost of the material, and it was considerably more than I had anticipated. He basically took care of everything that was on the Lowe's Home Improvement Bill that I sent as proof of purchase, but did not ask for reimbursement.
It's not that I can't figure, but over the time period that we discussed it the blown in insulation "evidently" settled. It was very thin to start out with.
He pays for the home-owners association fee, which means lawn cutting and trimming, flower bed maintenance, etc, so I can work anywhere in several states and not be concerned about coming home to do the yard maintenance on a weekly basis
He lives in another city and I have never had him intrude into the home for inspections etc ever, even when he and his wife lived here in this city.
One year he did want to have someone inspect for termites, which means they come in the house and look at all the walls, he said that he really liked some guy and wanted him to do it. I called him and said we have used for seven years the same company employed by the Home Owners Association and the company was .25% of this friends cost. He never said a word. We booked it, and they did their inspection. I don't have anything to hide, but I did feel that he (might) had selected someone that would also give them a report about the conditon of the house, which it is not perfect, but pretty close.
If I ever have had something that I couldn't financially handled, like replacing the prv (pressure reducing valve) because I was down in my back, I hired a local plumber and he paid everything costing $600+ because we couldn't find it in the front yard for two hours. I was really impressed by this. He just took me for my word.
I had one really bad year where I was down in my back from a heriated disc that some doctors were advising surgery, and then after I did go back to work I had a vehicle accident that basically made it impossible to work for over a year combined between the two incidences.
In that time period got several months behind on rent, ....however, I stayed in communication with the rentor, (my spiritual-elder brother) and he was most kind!!!!! and said that he appreciated that in the past I had Always had the check by the first of the month in his hand even though we were in different cities.
I can't say enough great things about this brother; I think he knows that I am inactive, but has never said a word. Which on this level of relationship just doesn't matter. I have really tried to take care of his place as he is an absent landlord, and when I leave I plan on putting in all new carpets throughout the house because he has said he will probably sell it. I hope to turn it back to him ready to sell in better shape than when we started renting.
I know that he is a rareity as far as Jw's are concerned by the more than fair treatment I and my family have received especially when I was down in my back from a heriated disc.
I have been "screwed" too many times by my "so called brothers" and that greatly includes my fleshly JW brothers. I do appreciate the relationship greatly with my absent landlord, AND I have nothing to complain about. He and his family are more than decent, they are the epitome of "Christlike Honorable" in all their dealings. NO SNOOPING, No drama, no gripes.