A Homeless Man Was Living in My Garage 😳

We’ve been working on getting one of our duplex units rent-ready in Tower Grove South. Like always, we head to the back alley to dump trash in the bins. But this time something looked off — the garage windows were covered with cardboard. 🚪📦 That’s never a good sign.

We got closer and realized someone might actually be living in there. We called the police, and about an hour later, they showed up. Sure enough, there was a homeless man staying inside. They told him to leave but we had to give him a chance to get his belongings. We figured that was the end of it.

The next day, we came back — and there he was again, just chilling like nothing had happened. 😬 So we called the police again. When they arrived, we decided this time we were cleaning out the garage no matter what. We started dumping all his stuff right there in front of him (and the officers). It felt strange, honestly — like a mix of awkward and sad.

The police ran his info, which took almost an hour. Turns out, he had a warrant in the county. They ended up booking him, which was honestly a relief. Last time, they didn’t — and I was thinking how awkward it’d be to keep dumping his belongings while he just stood there watching.

In the end, we secured the garage and fenced everything off properly. 🔒 It’s one of those moments in property management where you realize: you never know what you’ll run into. You just have to handle things calmly, follow the rules, and move on.

I do feel bad — people are struggling out there, and it’s sad to see someone forced to find shelter in random garages. 💔 But as a property manager, your first responsibility is keeping your tenants and buildings safe.

Another day, another unexpected story from the world of real estate. You really can’t make this stuff up. 🤷‍♂️🏘️

Written by Ben Dao (St. Louis Real Estate Ninja)