Landlord Question and Answer Forum

I have a tenant that has not yet paid her monthly rent. I went to the courthouse to have her served with a 5 day pay of vacate notice. In the meantime, I did an inspection and found the property ruined. No one could have prepared me for what I saw; flooded basement (standing water), mold that had wicked up the walls, broken cabinet drawers, light fixtures, AC unit, window casings, screens, holes in walls and doors, water stained ceilings, mold growing in brand new dishwasher, ruined brand new stove, oil splashes on every wall and dirt, soiled carpets and the list goes on. The tennat did not attempt to clean up or clear out the rubbish before or after the inspection. Since there was standing water in the basement, I had to immediately send out professionals to determine the source of the water, clean up water and mitigate the mold. Servpro (the company hired to take care of the flood) cannot complete the job because the tenant will not remove content from the basement. She is not cooperating at all. This is so frustrating. I will be meeting with an attorney because I don't know where to go from here...ugh. J'me

You have the right as a landlord to secure your property. If the tenant has property - try and move it to a safe place if you can. But overall, you have the right to have your property repaired. Take PICS!!!!

Posted by Donna , NC on Thursday, July 19, 2012