Please Help!!

[Mills-Mom]

we live in tennessee. my husband and i decided when we bought our new home a year ago that we would try renting our old home and quickly decided it was not something we wanted to do. a lady we know thourgh mutual friends approached us about buying it she said that she was leaving her husband,needed somewhere to go and when the divorce was over she would buy. we never signed an agreement w/ her nor did we collect a deposit thinking she was going to buy. we have since found out that she doesn't want to buy. she wanted a 60 day notice which we agreed to, but now she has not yet paid april rent. she has always paid on the first never been late once..she hasn't not given us any explanation as to why she is late. i am planning on approahing her about it but i am not sure what i can leagally do if she for instance says she cant pay or will pay later in the month. that would not be acceptable. we now have house listed and would like her out asap. I am also terrified cause she has 4 kids and i am afraid if it goes to court no judge would throw her out. please help

sonya

 

[LL]

Don't be afraid to go to court. 4 kids or not, a judge cannot allow her to occupy your property, not pay rent, and also violate the law that I am sure exists about landlords ability to terminate a tenancy.

Get a lawyer who specializes in evictions, hire him, and get this tenant out as soon as possible. It may take you a few months to do that, so get started right away.

I would not be surprised to learn that she has done this before.

The lesson here is, never let a tenant move in without a signed lease agreement, an investigation including credit and income, and a income source that can be attached.