Need some help here with tenants. Serious problem. Please!

[Tom V.]

Hi all, having a serious situation here at a 3 family property I own.

It's a 3 family property. A few months back, the 3rd floor tenant stopped paying rent. Evicted him. Cost a couple grand to do, but got rid of him.

He caused thousands of dollars damage to the property, which insurance would not cover, as it was negligence.

I paid to repair the place.

Right after that, the 1st floor tenants told us they don't think it's fair that the 3rd floor "got away" without paying rent, so they're not paying either. They said "evict us if you can still afford it".

So we threw them out too.

Now, our 2nd floor tenant, which has been ducking us on the rent, told us that we need to pay her 3200 in cash or she won't pay rent anymore either.

She is saying that we owe her the money because the hallway lights are on her electric bill and it's "illegal" to be set up that way.

The 3200 is for her electric bill.

Thing is, it is NOT a common area. 1st floor has their own private entrance, with their own lights, on their own bill.

The hallway in question is specifically for the 2nd and 3rd floors. There are 2 lights on her electric that go to the 2nd floor, 3rd floor has their own lighting, on their own bill.

EVERYTHING is separate!

She also claims that since she constantly trips one particular 15 amp breaker that there's "faulty electrical". Things is, she has the stove, fridge, washer and dryer, televisions, cable boxes, and fish tanks all in the same damn room. She's overloading the circuit!

She said if we don't pay her immediately, she's going to make claims against us to the state and have our heads.

We don't feel we have done anything wrong.

This is NOT the first run-in we've had with her. Just the latest.

The eviction and repairs have completely drained us. All of our reserves, everything.

We're to the point where we'll lose everything, and she knows it.

What the hell do i do?