Rental Rehab after fire and tenant issues
I'll preface this that I will be speaking with a local attorney to get their opinion on Monday but wanted to see what this group thought of my situation.
I have a duplex that had a single room and contents fire. The fire was caused by an extension cord, coiled under a pile of clothes that was running a window air conditioner.
The tenants have lived in the unit since 1994. I purchased the unit 3 years ago. They have always paid like clockwork. The unit was trashed from smoke damage throughout and minimal upkeep over the last 26 years. I insisted they relocate so that I could rehab the unit. I agreed that they could move back in after the rehab.
At this point we're 80 days since they moved out, 20 of which were used by the cleaning / rehab company. It took another 20 days to get my insurance to approve the use of my contractors for the rehab. At this point we're about 2 days from being done and we've only been working on it for about 40 days. The rehab has included all new attic insulation, all new windows throughout the unit. New sheetrock, tape, texture etc. in the fire room. New Kitchen cabinets and floor. New bathroom floor and all fixtures. New electrical fixtures throughout. New Paint. Refinished hardwoods. A major rehab and it will ultimately be a very nice home, a dramatic improvement over what they were living in before.
Today I got my 3rd text message from the tenant ranting about how long this rehab is taking and what a hardship it has been. They're living in temporary executive suites which are less than a mile from the apartment.
After receiving this morning's message I immediately called the tenant. After listening to his rant for about 30 seconds I told him to look for another place to live. He replied "you're evicting me during covid", I replied, "you had a fire in your apartment". He then asked "do I need to speak to my lawyer" to which I replied, "knock yourself out".
As I said before, I plan to speak to an attorney on Monday. Does anyone have any experience with something like this? We live in a very good rental market. Most likely this unit will have 20+ applications in a few days if put up for rent.
I implied they would be able to move back. I have changed my mind based upon their actions since moving out. We do not have a current signed lease agreement as I was planning on having them sign a new lease before moving back in. The lease agreement they were under was drafted 7-8 years ago by previous landlords.
I'm open to any guidance or suggestions you can offer as I move forward with this situation.