Re: Tenant trying to exit lease early - Landlord Forum thread 358836

Re: Tenant trying to exit lease early by AnonymousFL on December 19, 2018 @13:20

@Gary: There is no need for caps. You can emphasize your points without 'shouting'. Also, she is looking for advise, not a critique on her ability as a landlord.

@Amy: Right now you have a bit of a messy situation and an unhappy tenant. Sometimes you may want to consider things beyond the scope of whether a tenant is liable or responsible. You may want to ask yourself a few questions:
- Can you convert this situation into a reasonable tenant/landlord relationship? Having an unhappy or angry tenant for the duration of a lease can lead to many other problems.
- How likely is it that you can rent the place again if you release her from the lease? You might consider offering to break the least with a buyout (paying equivalent to 1 or 2 months rent to end the lease).
- Have an exterminator inspect the house to assess the 'bedbug' situation. Tell her if he determines that she is the source, she pays for the call. Otherwise, you do. Either way, you do want to get rid of them.

Based on what you have given us, I don't think that your tenant has much ground to stand on. Since much of what you have done is verbal, it is a bit of a he-said she-said, but since agreed to accommodations while the bedroom was being finished, you are more likely to be believed by a judge (if it comes to that). Also, she does have to give you a reasonable amount of time to remedy the bug situation and it does not sound like she has done that.

Regardless of what you do, as you finish the remodel make your decisions on what is best for your rental. While it is nice to try and cater to your tenant, future potential tenants may very well be turned off by the decor. It is generally best to go with lighter earth tone finishes that are easy to maintain.

I wish you the best of luck.

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Re: Tenant trying to exit lease early by Garry on December 19, 2018 @20:43	[ Reply ]

I agree with you, AnonFl. I shouldn't use so many caps. About the "advice", it comes in many forms, both positive and negative. As I read over Amy"s "story", my take was she may be a single woman, working long hours, and still needs more income to make ends meet. It looks like she bought a duplex, and she lives in one part, and rents the other out. Whereas the "numbers on paper" may make sense to her, I don't think she has a good grasp on what many landlords actually go thru to get and keep good tenants. Most LLs never recommend showing/renting a place until all work is completed. Hers wasn't ready yet. And think about this------this was Amy's second T in a short time frame, that has wanted out of the lease early---WHY ??? That's not normal, to have 2 back to back Ts wanting to break their lease early. Were BOTH of those Ts wrong in wanting out early, or does Amy need to change her thinking? Heck, right now, I have 5 Ts (out of 20) that have been with me for 8 to 18 years (all om M2M leases). And I NEVER allow another T of mine to find another T for me. In my opinion, Amy is already over-stressed, working 60 hrs per week, trying to finish a Major renovation, all the while trying to accommodate the T the cheapest way possible-----inside her OWN apartment. The T is doing a slow-burn, and there is friction between them both. The easiest/best thing for Amy to do is let the T go now, give back the deposit only, and totally get the place fixed up, before she tries to rent it again. One more think, AnonFl. If Amy gets stressed out enough over all this, it "could" affect her job performance at work. And NEITHER of us want that. 90% of whatever stress Amy feels now, will be GONE, as soon at this T is gone.

Re: Tenant trying to exit lease early by Amy on December 20, 2018 @00:34	[ Reply ]

The residence is a single family home with a legal mother-n-law/basement apartment. It has a separate entrance and is well suited to the rental market. I live in an area where renting is fairly common but expensive. West Asheville, NC. The previous tenant was nearing the end of her lease and her relationship, thus making the rent difficult for her. She moved to a cheaper rental outside of town. There has never been any friction between myself and a tenant. I have also never had a tenant attempt to outright break a lease. It's always been understood that it is a legal document and negotiating a release is a necessary measure. This tenant has basically tried to toss her deposit at me (knowing I had a right to it anyway), hoping I would let her out of the lease. Why she has decided to do so is beyond me, as the unit was 95% ready when she dropped this little bomb; unless she has had a recent change in her income. She has not phisically been in the house/unit for 2 nights - and yes I will be relieved when she has vacated, but my major relief is having the unit completed.

Re: Tenant trying to exit lease early by Amy on December 20, 2018 @00:06	[ Reply ]

Garry is correct, it's not about me. It is however about the lease that is in place, and how long it takes to find a suitable tenant. The rental is well located and should rent easily during season. However, this is our off season. It may take several months to replace her. I offered her release from the lease when a suitable replacement tenant was signed. I tried to maintain an amicable relationship - that's important when you live above your tenant. She wasn't interested. The unit is very neutral and the tile has turned out nicely. Thank you for your help.