Bad tenant in rent by the room
Hi Fam,
I really don't know where else to turn to: i have a tenant with a 1 year lease in rent-by the-room unit in Salem MA, who is driving everyone crazy.
Other tenant called Police on him because he started recording her resting on the living room couch. It has become unbearable for all, and lawyers here in MA say 1 police report is not enough to evict. He sends me 4 emails a day complaining about the conditions in common areas, such as this below. what do you recommend? thank you!
"For the record.
On September 14 at 7:30 PM one of my small grey blue plates was in the kitchen sink with food residue on it. I did not use that plate and I did not put it there. I reported this to you the same evening.
This morning the dishes have been washed. That plate is not in my kitchen cabinet where I keep my dishes. It is in another person's dish rack to the left of the sink.
On August 31 at 9:56 PM I sent you a photograph of my cabinet with all of my dishes in it.
Photograph taken this morning are attached."
I asked him to move and he wouldn't. He is also on RAFT.
Most Popular Reply
I would consult your eviction attorney. You're in South Beach, so you should brush up on your Florida Statutes, particularly chapter 83.52 Tenant’s obligation to maintain dwelling unit. section 7. It says "The tenant at all times during the tenancy shall: Conduct himself or herself, and require other persons on the premises with his or her consent to conduct themselves, in a manner that does not unreasonably disturb the tenant’s neighbors or constitute a breach of the peace.".
I would serve him with a 7 day notice to cure his offending behavior. If the problem persists then evict him for non-compliance. I'm not a lawyer, so this isn't legal advice. It's best you consult an attorney.
Another thing you should consider, due to the potential unstable personality conflicts of rooming houses, is making your leases month to month. Maybe even quarterly that automaticly renews with an option to cancel upon advance written notice.