What to do if I’m a landlord with 2 tenants/roomates who are only 2 months into their 12 month lease but they started ruining each other’s belongings and threatening each other?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What to do if I’m a landlord with 2 tenants/roomates who are only 2 months into their 12 month lease but they started ruining each other’s belongings and threatening each other?
The 1 has a police report. Can I just let them both out of the lease and give 30 day notice as I don’t want anyone getting injured? It is that bad. What else can I do? Do I legally have to let 1 out of her lease since she feels “unsafe”? She told me she contacted a lawyer and they told her this.
Asked on January 29, 2016 under Real Estate Law, Pennsylvania
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 8 years ago | Contributor
You need to take reasonable steps to protect tenants from violence, theft, and even disturbance of their peaceful enjoymen, if they are being disturbed, victimized, etc. by other tenants. If you don't take such actions, the tenants woukd have grounds to terminate the lease and/or seek monetary compensation from you. Since both are at fault andarw acting wrongly, you probably should take steps to evict both of them, since each has the right to be protected from the other; the matter could be resolved then, if agreeable to all, by an agreement under which one leaves and one stays. Since the situation involves feuding roommates in the same unit, it is more complex and sensitive than the average tenant squabble; you are advised to retain a landlord-tenant attorney to help you out, not only to deal with those complexities but also to insulate or distance you from the strife. Contact a lawyer right away, to show that you are taking reasonable action.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.