[AngryLandord]

I am posting this because a background check does no good if the tenants involved have bad backgrounds and no one ever files a report to save the next landlord from going through this and hopefully if you are considering becoming a landlord or home owner in this state at least I warned you.., IF YOU ARE RICH, you will not have the problems I have gone through. but if you are a poor struggling home owner you will find out why so many government owned forclosure signs are going up in this area...!

I called state's attorney last wk to report a crime, vandalism on my rental property, This morning I finally got a return call by an investigator at the Citrus County State's Attorneys office, that a nonpaying vandal tenant, that was given unconditional quit notice and two notices by an attorney, and was told to get off property over a months ago, ,#1"Not a squatter", &#2 "has the right to cut a hole in the shed and destroy the gates and doors and windows to the dwelling if they lose a key, instead of calling a locksmith or the landlord to get another key" when "I asked him to put that in writing", he got rude and said, "I only told you that as a courtesy", he said "he could have hung up on me after telling me it was a civil issue"...!
the Sheriffs Department DOES NOT WANT TO WRITE A report or file charges when vandalism or criminal mischief is done to the property, instead they insist it is a civl matter and a landlord/tenant issue, they only paid one months rents, and no security deposit, yet they squatted and vandalized the property until they knew they could squat no longer without going to court, even though she and her felon boyfriend, had no lease or contract allowing them to stay and she signed rules telling them to leave if unwilling to comply with rules,,, the States Attorney's Office and Sheriffs dept. kept saying I have to take them to small claims court, even though the damages exceed small claims, I have an attorney who also gave them two notices to get off property, and right before they got a court date set in stone, the vandals left right before they got issued any court papers, now I am told without a forward address, no papers can be sent to them to go to court...! While I am stuck paying a fortune in attorney fees, court costs, filing fees, and process server fees, as well as damages to my property, and they had a little dog there, they claimed it died, it looked perfectly healthy two wks prior to their claim, yet they never took it to vet, or pound, and buzzards are flying all over my backyard, and there is it looks like puke and blood stains on the carpet, I think they slammed the dog into the wall, the way they were slamming everything else around in there, there is NO JUSTICE IN CITRUS COUNTY FLORIDA..and if I were a Hotle they would have treated me with different rules, but as a tax paying home owner, they have driven me into bankruptcy and I am praying you will know this before I have to loose my investments.... WARNING TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO BE A HOME OWNER OR A LANDLORD IN CITRUS COUNTY FLORIDA, PLEASE DONT LET THE LEGAL SYSTEM HERE, DO TO YOU WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO ME...!

[AngryLandord]

bad computer connection a few typos, Hotel owner, the sheriff department and laws in florida proetect Hotel owners, but not property owners that make their living as landlords, if you can call it a living, lets compare, a landlord/home owner makes around 500 a month, and has to pay, maybe a morttgage, and insurance and taxes and repairs, and court nightmare if bad tenant, while an attorney and the courts make a fortune and in one month the cost can exceed everything a landlord/homeowner could make in a year...!

[MAniacTHW]

Originally Posted by floridasandy

if you are thinking about buying a rental property be sure you know what you are getting yourself into,

Why would ANYBODY get into a business if they didn't know what they were getting into? This is "Welcome To Life 101."

[old_cold]

Angry
Let Florida off the hook
The situation is the same in most states

[Retiredcoach]

Originally Posted by AngryLandord

bad computer connection a few typos, Hotel owner, the sheriff department and laws in florida proetect Hotel owners, but not property owners that make their living as landlords, if you can call it a living, lets compare, a landlord/home owner makes around 500 a month, and has to pay, maybe a morttgage, and insurance and taxes and repairs, and court nightmare if bad tenant, while an attorney and the courts make a fortune and in one month the cost can exceed everything a landlord/homeowner could make in a year...!

I have been a landlord for over 30 years, but I still remember some early advice that has allowed me to avoid the nightmare that you are now living. One old - time landlord (with over 100 rental units) shared with me his advice on renting a property to a person with a sad life story, asking you for a chance to prove himself/herself (usually a herself) to you. His words ring clear, as he said , "if you rent to a person playing on your heart strings, you will undoubtedly soon experience this person's death grip on your purse strings". What were you thinking when you rented your property to someone who could not afford a security deposit?

Other bits of advice: (1) Consider giving a rotten tenant a monetary "bonus" for his/her moving costs (this costs a whole lot less than the attorney fees, court costs, and the ongoing property damages & rent lost). Getting "blood from a turnip" would probably be easier than recovering anywhere near the monies you are hoping to recover via the court process; (2) Establish renting standards (good credit, no criminal history, a positive rental history) and don't diminish your standards; (3) No wise previous landlord will write/say things to you that can/will place them in a possible lawsuit for slander; (4) Do not put immediate renatl income before goo common sense.

As much as it may be a hard pill to swallow, you made the mistake of renting to an individual that was not able to meet even minimal rental standards. There is not a court in the country, nor a law enforcement agency, that will "fix" your foolish mistake anywhere in this country, not only in Florida.

[GORDON LONG]

Actually, there is a law in florida that covers tenants that destroy and steal property....It is called criminal mischief and theft. If the criminal mischief(damage 1000 and above a felony) is damages to walls, floors, etc., you have a right to file "direct file" with the state attorney office in your jurisdiction.
If there is theft - (above 300 grand theft) then again, you have the right to file a "direct file" with the state attorney in your jurisdiction. File a delayed police report in a sub station in the city or county where you live, then get a copy and march over to the intake division of your state attorney office, ask to speak to an Assistant State Attorney that handles direct files. You will get help.

[Retiredcoach]

Originally Posted by GORDON LONG

Actually, there is a law in florida that covers tenants that destroy and steal property....It is called criminal mischief and theft. If the criminal mischief(damage 1000 and above a felony) is damages to walls, floors, etc., you have a right to file "direct file" with the state attorney office in your jurisdiction.
If there is theft - (above 300 grand theft) then again, you have the right to file a "direct file" with the state attorney in your jurisdiction. File a delayed police report in a sub station in the city or county where you live, then get a copy and march over to the intake division of your state attorney office, ask to speak to an Assistant State Attorney that handles direct files. You will get help.

It sure does sound to me that the AngryLandlord has already explored this option, and he has been "dismissed" by the state attorney in his jurisdiction. Maybe you have a legal background personally (I do not), but from the experiences of most of the landlords that I know, it is almost impossible to elevate tenant damages of a rental property to criminal levels in the eyes of the courts. He may choose to "correct" his inquiry with the state attorney, but to what end? He needs to find the solution to getting this lousy tenant to leave ASAP without incurring the ongoing damages and loss of money.

[damagedbeyondrepair]

Sounds very familiar, need to talk with you personally, give me a call/email @ [EMAIL="rdover274@aol.com"]rdover274@aol.com[/EMAIL]

[floridabobrentals]

Do a proper credit check, verified employment, first and last months rent and a security deposit equal to 1 months rent and you will be a very happy land lord. In Florida if the tenant is three days late, you are able to start the eviction process. Eviction time in Florida is as fast as 33 days if you do the paper work right. You cant lose.


Read more: //www.city-data.com/forum/flori...#ixzz217eeL1pg

[Nancy in Nokomis]

Not all renters are people who cannot buy a home - We are relocating and moving to Florida and plan to rent before buying to be sure we want to live in Florida. I have enough money in the bank to buy a home and also another home I want to sell - so its not like we cant afford to buy. We are also worried about home prices falling farther so that is another reason why we are renting. Not all renters are the "lowest of the low" like one poster stated.

And - BTW - I would treat a rental home just as carefully as my own home -