Fire Caused By Tenant

[rono]

Hello,

From Southern California, Panorama City

On March 21, 2006, there was a fire in one of our units which was caused, according to the fire department, by a lit candle that was left burning during the day while the tenant was gone. This tenant wanted to be able to return to the unit, and requested a letter stating that we would allow her to remain as a tenant when the repairs were finished. The letter I wrote her stated that she could move back after repairs were completed at the yearly 3% increased rent which she had already been notified about many months beforehand. In the letter I made a mistake and wrote one hundred dollars more than her rent should be. She caught this mistake and asked me to rewrite the letter with the correct amount, but I never did. I have several questions concerning everything that has occurred. One of my questions are, could we have evicted her from the building because she caused the fire? Since I sent her the letter allowing her to return, is it too late to evict her? If I can't evict her, can I raise her rent more than the yearly 3% due to the expense of the repairs? To date, she personally has not paid the rent since the fire. The insurance has paid the loss of rent, although, not at the rental increase that began on May 1, 2006. Also, if we are legally bound to have her as a tenant, can we, or should we start a new contract and ask for first and last months rent?

Thank You
Rosanne CaliforniaWhat is the name of your state?

[seniorjudge]

Originally Posted by rono

Hello,

From Southern California, Panorama City

On March 21, 2006, there was a fire in one of our units which was caused, according to the fire department, by a lit candle that was left burning during the day while the tenant was gone. This tenant wanted to be able to return to the unit, and requested a letter stating that we would allow her to remain as a tenant when the repairs were finished. The letter I wrote her stated that she could move back after repairs were completed at the yearly 3% increased rent which she had already been notified about many months beforehand. In the letter I made a mistake and wrote one hundred dollars more than her rent should be. She caught this mistake and asked me to rewrite the letter with the correct amount, but I never did. I have several questions concerning everything that has occurred. One of my questions are, could we have evicted her from the building because she caused the fire? Since I sent her the letter allowing her to return, is it too late to evict her? If I can't evict her, can I raise her rent more than the yearly 3% due to the expense of the repairs? To date, she personally has not paid the rent since the fire. The insurance has paid the loss of rent, although, not at the rental increase that began on May 1, 2006. Also, if we are legally bound to have her as a tenant, can we, or should we start a new contract and ask for first and last months rent?

Thank You
Rosanne CaliforniaWhat is the name of your state?

Hire a lawyer and kick her arsonist butt out into the street.