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Basically the renter has more authority in the home than you do. As another poster said do not change the locks, do not turn off the power or the water. In matter of fact start the eviction process as soon as you get up this morning. It can take anywhere from 3-6 months to get somone out of your house. Believe me, my inlaws went through this. It sucks!!!!
I'm not in LI, but I've been a landlord in NY and NC.
This is a scam that tenants have played on people down here in NC and tried to play on us:
They move out, break the lease (without telling anyone -- or even WITH telling you), leave electronics and other belongings that look like garbage to you and me.
The landlord doesn't see them for a while; the tenants don't pay the rent.
So the landlord figures they've skipped town and goes in there and cleans it out, changes locks, and starts to look for a new tenant.
However, the tenant shows up -- even a month or two or three later -- and sees the locks are changed and asks the landlord, "WHERE IS MY STUFF?"
The landlord has disposed of it, of course, because it was garbage.
The tenant then goes to small claims court and says he left $5,000 worth of stuff in his apartment or rental house, and says the landlord illegally seized it. Guess what? HE WINS.
A local rental lawyer told us it has happened a lot.
We had tenants who left old iPODs, computers, and TV -- none of them worked, of course, but who could prove that?
But we didn't take possession of the home. We went through the eviction process and didn't touch the house until it was 100 percent ours, even though it took about two months.
(Then we called up the tenants' employer and gave them a message to tell the former tenants that they left a bunch of stuff at the house and needed to come back and get it and clean it up. And they did! I don't recommend that; we felt safe because we knew one spouse didn't know the other spouse was pulling the scam and would cooperate if nudged.)
So if anyone ever breaks a lease and leaves so much as a paper cup, we will always go through the eviction process. We had to do it a second time and learned a tenant who appeared to have moved out had been living two months secretly in the home and met us at the door with a steak knife. And drunk. We were very lucky to have a very tall and powerful police officer walk in the door first.
You should also take lots of photos of the property every chance you get, too, through the whole process.
Fortunately, we have great tenants now. They are one in a million.
Last edited by lovebrentwood; 10-19-2009 at 07:28 AM..
Wow! I can't believe people are such crooks! Looks like the OP's initial instinct was correct ... don't clean out the house yet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovebrentwood
I'm not in LI, but I've been a landlord in NY and NC.
This is a scam that tenants have played on people down here in NC and tried to play on us:
They move out, break the lease (without telling anyone -- or even WITH telling you), leave electronics and other belongings that look like garbage to you and me.
The landlord doesn't see them for a while; the tenants don't pay the rent.
So the landlord figures they've skipped town and goes in there and cleans it out, changes locks, and starts to look for a new tenant.
However, the tenant shows up -- even a month or two or three later -- and sees the locks are changed and asks the landlord, "WHERE IS MY STUFF?"
The landlord has disposed of it, of course, because it was garbage.
The tenant then goes to small claims court and says he left $5,000 worth of stuff in his apartment or rental house, and says the landlord illegally seized it. Guess what? HE WINS.
A local rental lawyer told us it has happened a lot.
We had tenants who left old iPODs, computers, and TV -- none of them worked, of course, but who could prove that?
But we didn't take possession of the home. We went through the eviction process and didn't touch the house until it was 100 percent ours, even though it took about two months.
(Then we called up the tenants' employer and gave them a message to tell the former tenants that they left a bunch of stuff at the house and needed to come back and get it and clean it up. And they did! I don't recommend that; we felt safe because we knew one spouse didn't know the other spouse was pulling the scam and would cooperate if nudged.)
So if anyone ever breaks a lease and leaves so much as a paper cup, we will always go through the eviction process. We had to do it a second time and learned a tenant who appeared to have moved out had been living two months secretly in the home and met us at the door with a steak knife. And drunk. We were very lucky to have a very tall and powerful police officer walk in the door first.
You should also take lots of photos of the property every chance you get, too, through the whole process.
Fortunately, we have great tenants now. They are one in a million.
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