is this the first sign of trouble? - Landlord Forum thread 362371

is this the first sign of trouble? by Jeff on May 18, 2023 @15:33

Our property in Illinois is currently rented out to a young couple. Recently, I discovered moisture-related damage to the hardwood floor in the dinning room, and when I asked the tenants about it, they failed to provide an explanation or inform me about it. Instead, they claimed that the floor was not properly sealed, causing it to cup/warp. To assess the damage and repair costs, I contacted a flooring company, which determined that it was indeed water damage and estimated the repair cost to be at least $3,000. As a result of this incident, I have postponed preparing a renewal agreement for them to sign.

What bothers me is not so much the damage itself but rather the fact that the tenants failed to notify me and then denied any wrongdoing. Additionally, I discovered that they installed a smart lock and replaced the doorbell with a Ring doorbell without my knowledge or consent. While I wouldn't have objected to these modifications if they had asked, the fact that they made them without consulting me raises concerns about other undisclosed changes they may have made to the property. When I asked the tenant about the maintenance he claimed to have performed, he did not provide a satisfactory answer, which further adds to my concerns.

I'm trying to decide whether I should renew their lease for another year or give them a two-month notice to find a new home. Or, considering that they violated the lease agreement by not informing me about the damages and taking necessary steps to prevent further damage, should I terminate the lease at the end of this month? Note: their current lease ends at the end of the month.

What would you do?

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Re: is this the first sign of trouble? by Garry on May 18, 2023 @20:49	[ Reply ]

There are several things you should do. First, schedule an inspection of the whole place with them, (thru both phone, letter, email, and text ) sometime before the end of May. Meet them there and take a pad and paper with you, and use your phone camera if you need to. BE NICE. Ask questions if you need to, but DON,T get into an argument with them. Tell them you will contact them in a week about renewing the lease. For the moment, allow the lease to expire, and automatically become a M2M lease. Now, you have time to decide what you want to do, based on what you saw at your inspection, and how they responded to your Q's. I would NOT recommend doing another 1 year lease (with them, or any future tenants.) If they are good paying Ts, and have mostly kept up your place, increase their rent by 10%, (based on inflation this past year) and stay on a M2M lease. If not, give them notice to move. DO NOT try to repair the floor while they are still living there, or even get any other bids. ( that $3,000 bid seems EXTREMELY HIGH to me----get 3 other bids AFTER the current Ts are gone ) If they have put in a new smart lock, you need the code, or a key to be able to get in, in case you need to do work, or for an emergency. If they are not willing to do that, then YES, give them notice to move. A landlord should NEVER be locked out of their own rental property. As a final note, if you keep these tenants, you may want to schedule another inspection October, to see how they're doing.