Landlord Question and Answer Forum

State: Alaska Last year, I had a tenant who abandoned a unit, leaving only a dirty mattress and a table to be disposed of, the apartment had to be professionally cleaned, and all of my attempts to contact the tenant finally ended with him disconnecting his phone. I posted notice on the door, rekeyed the locks after a month, and re-rented the place. I kept the security deposit to cover lost rent, and thought that was that. This morning (over a year later!) I received a text message from the guy, who stated he wanted to re-rent the unit. He is apologizing for his behavior and for abandoning the property, and wants to make amends. He offered to pay for the disposal fees and the cleaning fees I incurred. He's asking for my mailing address to send a check, or to meet in person (which I absolutely will not do). If I allow this, will it come back to bite me?? I'm wondering specifically if this in some way obligates me to return his security deposit. Weird situation, is it not??

Oh my! That is really cool in a way, seeking redemption almost. However, that is a big risk! good luck to you!

Posted by Bill F, MS on Friday, September 2, 2016