Inherited tenant lesson being learned the hard way.
So I recently purchased a duplex in Clarksville, TN that came with a tenant in one side. Man have i learned my lesson! So I guess it started with my neglect for due diligence when it came to the tenant. I didn't have the tenant or the old landlord sign an estoppel agreement and I didn't even think about the security deposit because my Agent had said that once I get a property management company to take over I won't need to worry about any of it, which was fine because I was overseas and did not feel like managing the property through my wife via email so hiring a management company seemed logical. After we had closed on the property my wife had been spending extended amounts of time rehabbing the vacant unit and had not seen our tenant for about a month. We had left notes on her door with my wife's number asking her to contact us ASAP. She had been on a month to month lease with the old owner and we wanted to get her signed into a year lease with us/the management company.
Well we still hadn't heard from her (the house was bought the beginning of April) and it was May so finally my wife decided to pretty much stakeout the tenant until she finally came home at about midnight one night. After finally getting the Tenant's name and phone number we had told her we needed her old lease agreement for the property manager. After another week of not returning phone calls she finally said "just make a new lease" by this time we ditched the property manager idea and decided to take it on ourselves so we said that's fine we just need x amount of money for rent and x amount for the security deposit. I guess the rent was higher than what she was paying the old owner so she was upset about that until i informed her that we were getting a washer and dryer for the unit.
So we set a date for the lease signing and she would bring in the x amount of moneys she needed, when the day comes there had been a tragedy and she wouldn't have the money until the following friday and that the old landlord still has her security deposit. I asked for the landlords number so I couldn't help sort it out. She went dark until that friday. Now we had told her again and again that she needed a full months rent for the signing (we had made an addendum to the lease delaying the security deposit). So the friday she is supposed to sign she shows up with y amount of money. We don't let her sign and she says she won't have the money until June. Needless to say we have sent the 30 day notice and can do nothing but hope she complies. Now does anyone know some attorney's who specialize in this sorta thing near clarksville in case this blows up in my face? sorry for the length btw.