I have a tenant that has hired a lawyer and stated that she will not be paying me my rent for October & November, plus she wants her full security deposit back. Reasons behind this behavior: We've had critter issues in her side of the duplex since February of this year, it started off with bats, then mice, then raccoons, and now finally squirrels...it's finally been verified that it is squirrels...found insulation and walnuts in the upstairs bathroom vanity drawer. I understand her frustration with this, that's why I've spent close to $3000.00 since February with the Critter Control Company trying to fix this problem. She left the window open in a bedroom she was sleeping in and a bat came in while she was sleeping. She killed the bat with a hammer, and the Critter Control guy disposed of it. A day or two later she calls me up and wants me to pay for her to have rabies shots, in case the bat scratched her while she was sleeping...I agreed to this one day later, after consultation. Every time this tenant has had a complaint about a critter noise, it has been about a week before the rent is due, there is a pattern and that's what annoys me more than anything. She has found a convienent way to not pay her rent. I feel I've done everything in my powers to alleviate the problem. What are my options in dealing with this situation? I live in Michigan, and the rental unit was totally remodeled before she moved in, actually since I bought the duplex she has been my only tenant. I admit to a certain point that I felt sorry for her, she was a woman going through a messy divorce with 2 children and I bent over backwards to accommodate her and the situation which was presented to me at the time. Hell, I even gave her a T.V. when she moved in, she had none. I believe she is emotionally unstable and somewhat irrational. The state in question is Michigan
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Her lawyer states in the letter I got that she will stay until November 30th, and she expects a full refund of her security deposit. It also states: "If you choose to file a complaint against Ms. Smith, please be advised that we intend to file a counter-complaint carefully detailing the incidents with the bats and the resulting costs to our clients. We also caution you against publishing any information to the credit reporting agencies". The amount we're talking about is $2500 for rent and another $1250 for the security deposit. The reason the bat got in was it's a double hung window and the screen is only on the bottom. She opened it and pushed the top down with no screen for exposure. The letter states that all further correspondence is to be sent to the lawyers office. The lawyer I found out is a personal injury lawyer, go figure.