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A man named Wesley from Los Angeles called into “The Ramsey Show” recently with a dilemma most people hope to never face: should he evict his own mother?
Wesley explained to hosts George Kamel and Ken Coleman that his mother has been living in one of his rental properties, but hasn’t paid rent in five months. “I know the legal answer is going to be yes,” he said, referring to whether he can evict her. “But I’m having trouble with the emotional part of it.”
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Wesley said his father passed away nearly two years ago. His mom had lived with his dad for 12 years, though they were never married. After his dad died, Wesley and his brother relied on a handshake deal: if their mother passed first, the brother would take care of their dad; if their dad passed first, Wesley would take care of their mom.
“We’re a family of dysfunction,” Wesley admitted. “So, you lost a bet essentially and here we are,” Kamel quipped.
The rental in question is fully paid off, but Wesley said he charges his mom $1,500 a month just to cover property taxes, homeowners association fees, insurance and utilities. Even then, he’s personally covering about $1,000 a month out of pocket. Meanwhile, average rent in that neighborhood is around $3,300.
“So you’re losing money on this deal,” Kamel told him.
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Wesley confirmed he has spoken to his mom several times about the rent. “It’s just always an excuse with her,” he said. “I think I know I’m an enabler. I can’t get myself to finally pull the trigger and kick her out.”
When asked about her financial habits, Wesley said she brings in about $2,300 a month and isn’t working full-time. He added, “She’s gone through Financial Peace [University] and failed miserably because she’s filed bankruptcy three times.”
Coleman didn’t sugarcoat his response: “The only way to deal with those emotions is to actually walk through them. You’re afraid of them right now, and I understand that. But you’re just going to have to deal with it.”