Tenants don't want to leave/house should be condemmed

[donnal]

We live in Florida and will close April 30th on a house which currently has renters whose lease expires on 4/30. The house has major foundation problems which would be much too costly for us to have repaired - almost as much as the house is appraised at! Quite obviously, we purchased this property for the land although we had had hopes of being able to repair the house if the cost was reasonable. Our problem is the now renters do not want to vacate and they have told us so. We feel badly for them BUT have no intentions of renting a house which has a sinking foundation. The rainy season in Florida is almost upon us and we cannot take on this liability. In fact, the realty commpay from whom they are now renting refused to renew their lease due to the liability. We are trying to delay the closing in order to give them more time, but this is up to the present owner. The present owner, thus far, has been less than cooperative in getting anything done and we have been told he is a very difficult person to deal wtih. Where do we stand legally? As it stands now, we refuse to close until the tenants are gone. Can the present owner hold us to an April 30th closing? On the tenant issue, is there anything legally that could be done so they can stay in the house w/o us being held libel? ANy help is appreciated. Many thanks. Donna

 

[LL]

You have to wait until you are the owner for you to give notices ending their tenancies.

You should have specified in the sales contract that you are to be given possession upon closing. Don't feel so sorry for the tenants.

Once you are the owner, then you can terminate their tenancy by the usual means. If they do not comply, you can evict them. In the meantime, after their tenancy ends, they are no longer there with your permission, and they can't really sue you for the condition of the house under those circumstances.