Tenants getting a divorce

[Chris Stromdahl]

Hello,

I got an email this evening from my tenants about them deciding to get a divorce. They have lived in the house since December 2014 and are great tenants overall. Of course though, I want to protect everyone's interest in the matter.

What are your suggestions for working through the lease, etc.

I have not talked with them yet, but it sounds like the husband wants to stay and bring in roommates. This is fine with me as I would have them go through the normal screening process.

Any guidance/experience would be appreciated. This is my first time going through this.

Thanks, Chris

[Chris Szepessy]

Are they month to month or yearly? If month to month and they gave proper notice, then there's nothing to charge them for other than repairs. If they're breaking their lease and leaving early, then charge whatever your "damages" are (length of vacancy, advertising costs, repairs, etc.). You do need to try to mitigate your damages by trying to re-rent the place as quickly as possible. Divorces are hard enough to deal with. I know this is a business, but I would try to be as understanding and reasonable as possible with them. They've been good tenants for nearly 4 years...something I would definitely take into consideration before I started charging them "admin fees."