Tenant trashed, vandalized & abandoned my rental in Phoenix, AZ

Tenant trashed, vandalized & abandoned my rental in Phoenix, AZ

Investor · austin, TX · Member since 2015 · 33 posts · 13 votes

My tenant, who I thought was a good tenant until last month, shocked me. On the agreed up on move out day/time, he was no where to be found and all the doors were left open. 

Story, Inside the house,

- blinds were missing and patio window was shattered (vandalism ?)

- dog poop all over the place (trashing ?)

- no walk out inspection (abandonment ?)

I gave so much space to this family (bad bad credit and he was smooth/persuasive talker), but little did I know that he was a professional renter.

  Help me please

1) I have $1800 as security deposit. How can I issue "itemized statement of deductions"? What level of itemization should I do (is it sufficient to say handyman bill $X, painter bill $X, carpenter bill $X; or should I also sub itemization)? Should I provide the invoices/receipts from the contractors to this tenant. Please suggest a legally valid "itemized statement of deductions"

2) he is a professional tenant; is there any remote chance of him coming after me

3) what is it "obviously" I can do to get the damages from tenant ($4800 - $1800)? Is there any letter I can issue to him or report to credit bureau, that I can do before going to court. 

4) I wanted it to go on his record; is there any rental score agency (similar to credit scoring agencies)?

5) how much time gap I can have to go to court (small claims), in Arizona? 

6) My tenant just moved out; so what should I do and should not do, to make my case more winnable in the court

7) are there any other expenses that I can add (ex: lost rental, lost my time, emotional trauma etc)

8) can I sue him for his actions in the regular court? on what grounds?

9) can I go to small claims court (or regular court) without knowing his mailing address. I have his SSN, drivers license and employer address. Is there any service I can use to get his mailing address

That is lot of questions. Any thing else I should know or be aware of. Thanks for everyone for responding to this post

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Ayne C.Pro Member
Rental Property Investor · Tampa, FL · Member since 2018 · 251 posts · 124 votes
7y

I would retain a lawyer and not try to DIY this process.

Good luck.  You will learn tons through this and know what to avoid next time.

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  • Ayne C.Pro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Tampa, FL · Member since 2018 · 251 posts · 124 votes
    7y

    I would retain a lawyer and not try to DIY this process.

    Good luck.  You will learn tons through this and know what to avoid next time.

  • Member since 2016 · 13k+ posts · 12k+ votes
    7y

    Itemise all expenses. The work must be performed by a contractor, landlord time is worth nothing so do not do the work your self otherwise all you can charge for is material.

    Small claims court is your best option, sit down with your lawyer initially to get things rolling. Claim for everything possible regarding contractor cost, lost income etc. Do not include frivolous claims like "emotional trauma".  Keep it serious.

    It is unfortunate when we run into professional tenants but the signs were apparent in this case upfront. This tenant would have been a obvious rejection for me, hard lesson learned but next time you will be aware.

  • Leclaire, IA · Member since 2016 · 161 posts · 130 votes
    7y
    @Ashley Chris Take many many pictures and hopefully you took plenty of pictures before he moved in.
  • Real Estate Agent · Member since 2018 · 77 posts · 36 votes
    7y

    Yeap - at the minimum - a call to a lawyer and tons of pics - leave it for now, that is your best bet.  

  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    7y

    @Ashley Chris I don't mean to insult you but the problem isn't that he is a professional tenant. It's that you're an amateur Landlord.

    He had "bad bad credit" but you call him a good tenant. Why? Because he paid every month? Some tenants pay like clockwork just to keep you from looking too closely. The house has dog poop all over and you're anticipating $4,800 in damages so I'm guessing you didn't inspect the place at all.

    Your questions demonstrate you don't have a fundamental understanding of the law or basic Landlord rights. I recommend you hire an attorney to straighten this out, though odds are you will never see a dime of it. 

    Once this is cleaned up, I recommend you hire a property manager. Consider this:

    Rent is $2,000 a month

    Property manager charges 10% a month or $2,400 a year. That's half of what you're paying for the damages and doesn't even count the vacancy while you try to fix the place up, plus a good PM can bring you peace of mind.

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