property abandonment

[kfesler]

i am a landlord in the state of georgia and own some rental houses. i have just realized that a tenant has moved out on june 5 when rent was due for the month of june and has moved to texas without paying their last months rent to complete their original lease. they did not give formal written notice; however, they did mention the possibility of leaving on the 8th and that they would pay for the rent then. in the lease it states that the power and water need to be on for the final inspection in order to get their deposit back. the house is trashed and no power or water is on. what are my rights, can i enter this home today and clean it up to get it rented again? do i file a claim with small claims court to get the last month's rent as well as any additional damage money indicated? thanks kfesler

 

[TCB4U2B2B]

Time To Move On

Hello kfesler

Since the tenant broke the lease by the actions taken of skipping out on you, enter your property and do as needed to prepare it for the next occupant.

Regarding the filing of actions and winning the case in small claims court, you'll win by default assuming the tenant is already long gone and isn't likely to appear. Tenant appearing or not, collecting is another matter.

Best advice is to forget the whole matter, put it behind you and move on. You got BURNT! Granted. All part of the business of being a landlord.