Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
First, they didn't want to pay rent, saying they will move out soon. When I want to collect the rent, they refused to pay, so they lived the last month on deposit. As time neared, I approached them to inquire about their move out date, they gave me a date, but they never did move out that date. When I finally caught them again, they said they will move out the following week. Fine.
The following week, they moved! But refused to return the keys!! When I call them, they promised to return it a week after, claiming they are busy and what not.
Well, it's been a week, I tried to follow up with them, but now they just turn nasty, and accuse me of 1) harrasing them 2) possesing their mail.
The lease has officially expired, and I believe they have moved out all their stuff. What can I do now? Can I just assume the place abondoned and change the locks? Also, I never had the chance to inspect the place after they moved, I have a bad feeling that they damaged the place.
You should always change the locks when someone moves out. It becomes a liability issue. What if that person comes back in when you have a new tenant there? Legally you would be in a very bad position. Just make it an additional charge when they move in. Also, if you don't do this already- be sure to conduct a thorough background check online in addition to getting references from former landlords. And be sure to charge a fee for that as well. Anyone who is worth being your tenant isn't going to have a problem with that and you can save yourself a lot of worry and aggravation moving forward.
Last edited by EastBoundandDownChick; 05-28-2011 at 04:01 PM..
Just forget about the keys and change the lock. I mean even if
they return the keys, you still needs to change the lock anyway.
They could easily copy extra keys before returning the original
keys to you.
But what about the possible damages to the place?
I heard lots of scraching sounds and pounding when they move out. If the floor is damaged, it would take me thousands of dollars to repair
And their accusation of me taking their mail? If they just have random friends pose as witness and allege that they saw me taking their mail, what can I do to protect myself from all these absurdness?
If they damaged the place and you didn't get the last month's rent you have a case right there. I would sue them and take them for everything you can, but that's just me. Find an attorney who works on contingency. Don't worry about the mail issue. It isn't going to hold any water in court.
If they damaged the place and you didn't get the last month's rent you have a case right there. I would sue them and take them for everything you can, but that's just me. Find an attorney who works on contingency. Don't worry about the mail issue. It isn't going to hold any water in court.
Most lawyers ONLY work on contingency if it involves personal injury and nothing else.
Just forget about the keys and change the lock. I mean even if they return the keys, you still needs to change the lock anyway. They could easily copy extra keys before returning the original keys to you.
I thought this was the procedure followed by all landlords.
I understand locks must be changed anyway before the next tenants can move in, and have done so in the past. The problem is, when they don't surrender the keys, I really can't just go ahead and change the locks myself, because they can accuse me of stealing their things, as they did regarding the mail. They still come back (avoding us, of couse) to take some random crappy stuff out of the house. I believe they have nothing valuable left behind, however, they still won't surrender the keys, so they can claim they still live here and sue me for damage if I actually went on to have the keys changed.
It has been such a headache, does anyone know if I can call the precint and ask that they send someone over to act as a neutral person so I can open the door to examine for any damages?
I understand locks must be changed anyway before the next tenants can move in, and have done so in the past. The problem is, when they don't surrender the keys, I really can't just go ahead and change the locks myself, because they can accuse me of stealing their things, as they did regarding the mail. They still come back (avoding us, of couse) to take some random crappy stuff out of the house. I believe they have nothing valuable left behind, however, they still won't surrender the keys, so they can claim they still live here and sue me for damage if I actually went on to have the keys changed.
It has been such a headache, does anyone know if I can call the precint and ask that they send someone over to act as a neutral person so I can open the door to examine for any damages?
Thanks!
You can also take pictures and video of the apartment
to prove the damages they done and the items they left
if you(or they) take you to court.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
