Ex tenant wants own contractor to come in - Landlord Forum thread 237634

Ex tenant wants own contractor to come in by Sun (OH) on October 17, 2011 @16:56

Our tenant caused a fair bit of damage in his apartment before moving out at the end of September. When confronted with the damage he either denied it or claimed he had professionals fix the damage but we found what they did was more to cover things up than to actually fix the problems.

Now that he has learned we have had the issues dealt with by our own professionals and haveevidence of his damage and the botched fixes, his lawyer is pressing us to let the ex tenant have a contractor come in to access the property.

We have a new tenant in that apartment and do not want to bother him. Also we had contractors in and busted ourselves to do our own work to ready the apartment to rerent so almost all of the damage is corrected.

Mind you this is 2 weeks after he vacated and he had plenty of time with sole access to the apartment while he was living there.

My gut says no but will the judge look on us in a negative light if we do not allow this?

Thanks for your response in advance

[ Reply ] [ Return to forum ]

Re: Ex tenant wants own contractor to come in by Anonymous on October 17, 2011 @17:02	[ Reply ]

I have no idea what the judge will decide. Since you've already had the place taken care of by your own professionals, what's the purpose of the ex-tenant sending in his own people? The ex-tenant already has a history of hiring people to cover things up. Are you going before a judge for small claims? If so, you may have to bring in the professionals you hired to speak to the shoddy work they found, etc.

Re: Ex tenant wants own contractor to come in by Jake on October 17, 2011 @17:19	[ Reply ]

Do not communicate further with your ex-tenant or his lawyer. Most of all, do not allow your ex-tenant access to your rental again. Not allowing further access will not be looked on negatively. Have your photos, receipts and contractor assessment of the damages ready to show if your tenant takes you to small claims. Bring a contractor with you as a witness if you can. Be extra sure you have sent your ex-tenant a "settlement statement" with all the expenses you have deducted from his deposit. This should also include any cleaning and lawn maintenance. Check your state law on the internet for the time limit. Most states require 30 days. It is imperative that you follow your state's requirement and send the statement by certified mail with a return receipt requested. If you are taken to court, you will prevail. Simply appear with your photos, receipts and your contractor if possible.