How to deal with Tenants damaging rental property

[@jimmyday9536]

Longtime landlord here (properties in MD, FL, IA)...We ALWAYS, NO EXCEPTIONS, collect a DAMAGE DEPOSIT of two full months rent, in addition to first months rent, before move in. We also require proof of renters insurance, naming us as INTERESTED PARTY, as well as all utilities being in tenants name, BEFORE they even move a piece of chewing gum into the property. We do walkthrough inspections (we like to call them Safety Inspections) every 3 to 5 months, depending on the situation. By being aggressively proactive, we can help contain costs, and keep rents as low as possible, and our tenants appreciate our efforts.

[@LandlordAttorney]

Thanks for sharing!

[@charlesphilhower1452]

New Jersey has only allowed a month and half for at least fifty years. Very pro tenant, including dead beats.😊

[@samuelmoijueh2030]

I'm taking notes. This is good

[@michellemason222]

In mass only 1 month security deposit along with 1st n last month's rent is allowed

[@tarawalton6778]

I legally evicted my tentant two weeks ago after 8 months of NO RENT. I cried when I entered 😢Paint INTENTIONALLY poured ALL over my new wood floors, ALL the kitchen drawers removed, windows knocked out, security cameras knocked down, keys changed, paint poured down kitchen sink, bathroom sink & bathroom tub. The pipes are COMPLETELY destroyed. Electrical vandalized in basement. A LIVING nightmare. In addition, she CONTINUES to come by after being LEGALLY evicted. Called the police but nothing they can really do.....😢

[@tendertuna9157]

Ooof, that's simply horrible. Good luck. Imagine if those tenants would put their efforts into getting a good job instead of focusing on "revenge".

[@LandlordAttorney]

Yes, there are actual criminals out there, but this isn't a normal situation. I'm sorry this is happening to you. I hope you're able to recover quickly.

[@ThanhHuynh-ym9dp]

Gosh that's awful. I hope you can recover from that bad incident.

[@billcarney829]

I learned that if someone stops paying rent that if you, right away, offer them CA$H to move out provided there is no damage to the apartment that you can often reduce your losses. You have fewer months of not collecting rent, you avoid the court cost and the loss of money waiting for the case to be heard and you avoid the damages because they're not angry with you when they leave.

[@MM-rs6tk]

Don’t forget to add how these landlords don’t do any maintenance while the renter is living in the house!

[@LandlordAttorney]

Which landlords are you referencing?

[@jamiefrazier5137]

​@@LandlordAttorneyI think the post was referencing landlords that don't do repairs to normal wear and tear. In addition, landlords may make something look good but the quality of work is questionable. There are always two sides of the coin.

[@YESITSWILL]

Don´t be afraid to take them to court. My former tenants stole furnititure and pretty much trashed my property. Security deposit didnt cover all the damages. My property manager ( who was absolutely worthless) told me to just turn it over to a debt collector because going to court was a waste of time. I filed in Superior Court instead and the tenant finally agreed to settle and the settlement covered the damages and legal fees.

[@LandlordAttorney]

It makes sense to sue if the tenants have the capacity to pay. If collection cannot reasonably be expected, it isn't worth the time, cost, or effort.

[@yvetterobinson1776]

I appreciate you videos so much thank you

[@LandlordAttorney]

You're welcome

[@irinabenskaya5499]

Thanks so much for great video! Love you speech and you should continue to educate us as landlords to do proper business ❤😂🎉😢😮! Looking forward to see your videos in the future! Best wishes! Irina

[@LandlordAttorney]

You are so welcome!

[@Lufu2]

My partner had a rental property for years before we met. Their rental experience had been pretty good with paying tenants, for the most part. After the last lease was up, we made sure the house had everything working great, new appliances, and was all set for the next lease. The potential tenant showed up (with her adult sons) to our house with a sob story about how they didn't have the full downpayment amount; her husband had just died, and they were waiting for the insurance money before they could pay the remainder of the deposit. I knew nothing about rentals, but once I heard that story, I said that if I were deciding, I wouldn't rent to them for 1K years. My partner would not listen to me because what did I know? I never owned property or been a landlord before. Something in their story made my partner feel sorry for the lady. In the end, they NEVER PAID after that day. They tore the house apart and used it as a chop shop for stolen cars, motorcycles, you name it. They squatted there for almost two years. After that, the house was sold for much less than it was worth due to the damage. There were no more rental properties after that. Sad story, but what a learning experience.

[@LandlordAttorney]

Sorry it has happended to you. Thank you for sharing.

[@monterreymxisfun3627]

If a landlord wants to work with instead of against a tenant offer a good deal to make changes. $40 per hour isn't bad. Back in Massachusetts, I had a landlord charge 4 hours @ $150 per hour to repaint the kids bedroom. Some sore spots with me are el cheapo dishwashers, a cheap toilet that clogs all the time. A good lease should allow for temporary window A/C if the central A/C ever fails. I was just thinking ..... What would stop a landlord from charging $500 per hour for repairs?

[@LandlordAttorney]

Many Leases would not allow a tenant to do the repair herself. You should alwasy refer to your Lease before making a repair.

[@AngelMartinez-el7xk]

Quik question, what can we do if the tenant steals items from the property? One tenant I had to deal with has been taking rolls of fence, gates, and removing material from existing structures, like metal sheeting and wood panels.

[@LandlordAttorney]

You can go after the tenant, but only if it makes economic sense to do it.

[@AngelMartinez-el7xk]

@@LandlordAttorney after how much stealing and pettiness, would we be ok to do anything?

[@LandlordAttorney]

Is your rental unit located in Texas?

[@prasannakumaryr]

Helpful video!

[@LandlordAttorney]

I'm glad you think so.

[@ThanhHuynh-ym9dp]

My tenant stole the washer and dryers and microwave after they wete legally evicted. Most of the doors were broken in half and food stains on the ceiling giant holes in all the walls and the rugs were unhabiti and the smell of drugs would not go away how much I clean and odor remove..

[@LandlordAttorney]

Sorry to hear that. You may consider a lawsuit.

[@ritaanwary428]

What kind of insurance you are talking about can you make new videos about it thx l am learning from you

[@LandlordAttorney]

You can purchase insurance for vandalism, but you can also require your tenants to purchase liability insurance for their acts while on the premises.

[@dennisoestermann1880]

Always use time stamped photo and video. Or else the tenant could say that its an old photo :P

[@LandlordAttorney]

Thanks for the tip.

[@shawmeck9323]

Where can I get a notice of default template that I can download?

[@LandlordAttorney]

This may vary by state. Where is your rental property?

[@shawmeck9323]

@LandlordAttorney Nevada, I am a liv-in landlord in a townhouse. I'm just starting out😃

[@LandlordAttorney]

As all attorneys in our Law firm are only licensed in Texas, we won't be able to guide you through Nevada laws. You may need to reach out to a Landlord/Tenant attorney in your area and seek their advice. Best of luck to you.

[@0annonymous]

Not all renters will fall into this category, because some renters don't even bother nothing Some renters will only use what's absolutely there and not make changes Now, if you're dealing with a safety issue like say in the outdoor area where something can be a tripping hazard, then the tenant needs to make safety accommodations, but make sure it's a portable one they can take with them. Let's say you have a back porch slab that happens to be a safety hazard because it's a tripping hazard. Allow your tenants to only put reasonable accommodations by that tripping hazard to make it safer if they can come up with portable stuff that can be easily moved when they leave. You never know when that same renter may actually be using a wheelchair 1 day, and they'll NEED that accommodation for a WHEELCHAIR. Weather or not that renters in a wheelchair doesn't matter, safety comes first when you're dealing with both indoor and outdoor areas.

[@LandlordAttorney]

I'm focused on the tenants that actually cause damage to rental property. I'm aware of the fact that some tenants never cause a scratch, but I don't tend to make videos about what to do with perfects tenants because I'm pretty sure landlords know.

[@0annonymous]

I understand sometimes there may be tenant problems, but other times what if it's a good tenant and you did something to them to cause them to flip? I know of a situation where are someone had a nice little rental place? And then shortly after moving in, the person is being suddenly evicted despite paying the rent and being a GOOD renter. Those who rented to her happened to be her drunken son and daughter in law comma they're both bad alcohol and they were behind the wrongful eviction. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if ANOTHER tenant who lived there right before her probably faced the same exact problem and maybe she flipped out. You may have a good tenant and a good landlord and things are going well for a long time. Until you find out let's say your landlord is a bad alcoholic whose brain is now declining. Let's say that good tenant head to port Roper. Protective boundaries in place and that landlord is now acting in a way they've never acted before, and then when they move, they trash the place simply because you don't know what they may be going through but led up to this. I'm not saying it's right that the tenant trashed the place. However, don't just look at what THEY did, look at WHY they did it by FIRST looking at YOURSELF to see if there's anything YOU said or did that led up to it. Sometimes you don't know what your tenants may be going through. That's because many times you don't even know your tenant's personally if you never come to know them well enough to know what they're going through. I'm not saying all tenants on landlords are good because not all are good. Those who are, if things were going good before and now they went South, take a good long, hard and very honest. Look at yourself, what did YOU do to cause THIS to happen? Sometimes, if you anger someone and you're clearly in the wrong, they're going to lash out at you by lashing out at something you care about. If they can't lash out at you directly, they'll do it indirectly. Always take a good long heart on us. Look at yourself because it may be something that happened. Previously that you long since forgot about and now it's resurfaced. There are just some of those times when you just have to look at yourself to see what you did to upset your tenant and cause something like this to happen. Be There are just some of those times when you just have to look at yourself to see what you did to upset your tenant and cause something like this to happen, because yes, it can happen. I've seen a limited view of what I'm talking about. I know a little bit about how people behave drunk in ways they won't behave sober so I DO know what i'm talking about. If you abuse alcohol and you get drunk and maybe you say or do something Harsh to one of your tenants that maybe you shouldn't have said or done, and then THEY retaliate LATER, you could blame yourself for your part. What i'm saying is don't make enemies because you may regret it later, right when you can leaWhat I'm saying is don't make enemies because you may regret it later right when you can LEAST afford to have enemies, ESPECIALLY if THEY have possession of YOUR property. It may be there home but if you try to harass them out of their home. Or put unfair restrictions on them by poking and prodding in areas of your tenant's life. That don't concern you if they're not doing nothing wrong, then YOU need to look at YOURSELF if they do something to your property. Don't insert yourself into their way of life, because you never know when they may last out at you and your property As an expression of something you said or did to them that you shouldn't have when you should've kept your nose out of it Staying out of where you don't belong will help to keep your properties safer if you're NOT the cause of someone else's anger.

[@LandlordAttorney]

Every situation is a little different. Tenants and Landlords need to work together to make the most out of their business relationship. It's never good when one side tries to harm the other, but if there is a substantial breach of the lease, the harmed party should seek the assistance of the courts.