Re: My tenant stole my stuff! - Landlord Forum thread 263656

Re: My tenant stole my stuff! by NY-LL on August 9, 2012 @16:01

Nonetheless, the tenants will eventually be held accountable for the stolen appliances.
The tenant probably used a professional moving company or hired a professional rental van or truck. Check with the neighbors to confirm if anyone took notice of the name of the truck company used to move the tenants. The USPS may be able to provide a forwarding address to the police department. The tenants’ former employer(s) may also have a forwarding address for the tenant’s final paycheck.

The State of Maine allows the landlord to collect a maximum security deposit of two (2) months rent. In the future, require a security deposit which reflects the actual cost of appliances, apparatus, and fixtures, including carpeting which tenants have been known to remove upon vacating.

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Re: My tenant stole my stuff! by Land and Lorder (ME) on August 9, 2012 @16:50	[ Reply ]

It's great to think about getting 2 months of a security deposit, but in my area, it's unfortunately not really going to happen. My unit would sit empty far, far too long. That's just not the norm around here. A tenant would look at spending 3x the monthly rent just to move in and go rent somewhere else that wasn't requiring so much. That's why I screen so carefully. Like I said in my original post, this guy was a great tenant. His application came back great, a credit score in the high 700's, small auto loan under $5,000 was his only debt, had lived in regionally known apartment complexes where I was able to easily verify his status, 2 months of paystubs, etc. No red flags at all. I will attempt to contact his employer and see if the neighbors may know what moving company he used.