Tenant Damaging Property
Your tenant is damaging your property beyond normal wear and tear.
Document damage immediately, send violation notice, consider eviction for severe cases.
Start with the lease violation noticeThe order to do this in.
Skipping a step is what gets a case dismissed rather than merely delayed. Work down the list.
Document damage immediately
Photos, videos, repair estimates. The more evidence the better.
Assess severity
Minor damage vs. major destruction affects your response.
Send Lease Violation Notice
For ongoing damage or neglect, formal notice required.
Get the template for this stepRequire repairs or reimbursement
Tenant may be responsible for repair costs beyond normal wear.
Consider eviction for severe cases
Intentional destruction may warrant immediate eviction in some states.
Three ways landlords lose this.
Self-help eviction
Changing the locks, cutting the utilities or removing belongings is illegal in every state, regardless of how far behind the rent is. It converts your strong case into their damages claim.
Assuming your state works like the last one you read about
Notice periods, deposit caps and required language differ by state and often by city. Verify against the jurisdiction the property sits in.
Waiting too long to get a lawyer
Once the tenant contests, raises habitability, or gets representation, the cost of an attorney is smaller than the cost of the month you are about to lose.
Forms you will need
Keep the paper trail from day one.
Every notice you generate is dated, complete and filed against the tenancy. If this ends up in front of a judge, the record is the case.