I'm a landlord who would like to throw a pizza party for the teenagers as a reward for good behavior?

Question

I have some teenagers who cuss while playing basketball in my apartment complex. I've already kicked them out of the court early before it was locked down for the night, and last night, I locked it for the whole day. They know the reason was because of their profanity.
I also believe in positive reinforcement. I told them last night that when the cussing stops, I'll throw them a pizza party as a reward. They really liked it.
My question is, do I reward the ones who stop swearing and not the ones who may continue, OR do I wait until the group as a whole stops cussing and reward all of them; as in use peer pressure?
Which would you choose? I welcome suggestions as well that you may have. Thank you in advance.

A. Mercer, I'm talking about the F word which can make residents move out, and prevent new residents from moving in. It's being said at least twice every minute they're in the court.
My boss who is a landlord/tenant attorney says what I'm doing is fine.

Answer 1

Wait for all of them to stop. You are right about the peer pressure.The ones that have already stopped will pressure the ones that continue to cuss until they all give it up.

Answer 2

I think this is a great idea! Having experience as a teacher, I suggest that you keep track somewhere of the swearing, if possible. Maybe set up a time frame. Post a chart, maybe on a complex announcement board (if you have one), with the kids names and a week or two worth of days. If you don't hear a swear then put a star or check for the day. Keep encouraging the kids, it may be hard for them to stop swearing right away so a slip up here and there shouldn't be punished too hard. (A "reminder" that they need to stop swearing to get the reward, instead of locking them out all together) Remember some kids might hear this at home constantly or even might have parents who don't discourage this behavior. At the end of the time, I would suggest giving them all the reward. This includes every child, and encourages their peers to remind them not to sear. "Dude, we can't swear remember! If you swear we won't get that pizza." I would also suggest involving the kids in keeping the basketball area clean. It seems to me they like to go to this area to hang out. They may not have a lot to do at home, and this keeps them out of trouble. You would be surprised how much pride a child can have in their surroundings when they are asked to take part in its care. Appointing a "Keeper of the court" each week, would be neat. Maybe offering this job to the kid who shows the most improvement in stopping those swears!

I hope that helps!

Answer 3

I would reward them as a whole group.
The ones who stop, will help enforce the rule of no profanity because they want to get their pizza party. If you reward individually, there is no pressure for the others to stop until they see the others eating pizza.. and at that point they may say who cares its too late now anyways.

Answer 4

I have heard of landlords getting in trouble for this sort of activity. Is there a specific no-cussing clause in the lease? What constitutes a cuss word? How can you prove that someone was cussing?

You can quickly fall into a discrimination lawsuit. Lets say you toss a kid out for taking the lord's name in vain. Well, that can easily be religious discrimination. That would be prohibited by law and you could get in trouble.

You may want to discuss your regulations on this with a lawyer. The lawyer might be able to help you find a way to handle the situation without exposing yourself to a lawsuit.

Even if your boss is an attorney, that does not shield you from being sued. There is no law in the world that prevents an attorney and/or his/her employees from being sued. The situation that you describe is going to alienate people and make them angry. If you alienate the wrong person then they may decide to file a lawsuit and decide to make it about discrimination. Lets say the person is a minority and makes the claim that you discriminated against the person because of that. You would have to prove in court that you did not discriminate and that you tossed the person out for cussing. How do you plan to do that? In a situation like that, a your word against their word is not going to help you. It is as simple as that. Ask the attorney boss about that.

Answer 5

I think you should wait for the whole group this way it will avoid problems by rewarding some and not all. Besides if they have to wait for the whole group they'll put the pressure on the ones to stop

Answer 6

Firstly, your lockout on the grounds of profanity was improper and possibly unlawful: the use of the amenities is an implicit part of the rental agreement, and to deny access without legal grounds (which language is definitely not) is an abrogation of the lease. You are not permitted to impose your own moral standards on your tenants, although of course you can (and should) limit conduct that may be disruptive to peace and quiet or may be damaging. As for the pizza party, invite everyone.