Landlord Question and Answer Forum

I had an applicant beg and beg to choose her for our rental even though her income to rent ratio was questionable. After her constant calling and emailing daily saying how much she wanted the house and having a great FICO we agreed to a one year lease. She was at the house measurering 4 days in a row prior to walk through and signing. When we met to sign the lease, we did a walk through for agreement of move-in condition. Then sitting dowm to sign lease papers, she got nervous and asked if she could have a friend review the lease for her. She gave me a check for 1st mo.rent and security +pet deposit. Since it was getting late in the evening so we planned on meeting in the morning to sign. I deposited the check on the way home. She now calls me the next day to say she can't move in the house, there was a musty smell in the house and it was making her sick because she has an auto-immune disease. She had put a stop payment on the check, tore out the carpet in the closets and claimed mold was making her sick. Can I bill her for the carpet replacement and clean up that was neccessary and the days until I got another tenant in? I had someone 4 days later sign and move in. I also haveseveral voicemail of her asking me to confirm she had the house was hers. But she never gave me back the signed lease. She then had her attorney sister send a nasty email accusing me of knowingly renting a moldy house, it was not!

Always have the lease signed and deposit on the same day. If she tore up carpets that means she willfully destroyed your property. If there is no mold there is no reason for her to do this. Maybe she was trying to scam you.

Posted by Dawn A, WI on Sunday, November 11, 2012