Landlord Question and Answer Forum

State of CA. Mt tenant of ten years recently gave 30-day notice and moved out. I did not provide in writing requesting to inspect the condo for damage prior to this 30-day and neither did the tenant. He moved out and my general contractor came up with $800 of material and labor to fix broken items and deep cleaning. Again not including normal wear and tear items. I provided the list of itemized repairs completed and along with what remained of his security deposit refund and delivered to the tenant within 21-days. He simply has refused to accept any of this and instead claims to be preparing to take me to court. Any advise? I've fried reaching out to this guy via email to discuss this itemized bill but he is not interested. As a rookie landlord does he have a case against me? The only thing I could find in my research is that I should have requested a walk through within the 30-day notice to terminate the lease. Any advise appreciated. Thanks

Actually, YOU (not the tenant) are required to give the tenant a Written Notice for pre-inspection NO SOONER than 2 wks before termination. This should be done via Certified, Return Receipt……You just learned a costly lesson. If you take him to Court, the Judge will rule in his favor (due to non-notification) without even listening to your claim. There’s also a good chance you will be fined several 100 $$$$ + returning the full sec.dpst….The good news, you can deduct the expenses on your taxes. -----Disclaimer: Since I’ve been answering a lot of questions, I thought I would make the following statement. I’m not affiliated with EZlandlord Forms. I’m just here (not sure how long) to help those that have questions. Having 40+ yrs with Rental Property and done well, it’s my way of “Pay it Forward (check out the movie).” However, it is up to you to become familiar with Fed/State/Local and Tax Laws. I always like to know if the suggestions I offer are helpful. Feel free to comment anytime. Thanks in Advance. BTW...check out the Rental Property Organizer at Simp-List.com. Free Trial Download. A great program at a great price @ $50.00! Check it out

Posted by Bob R, CA on Wednesday, May 22, 2013