pending eviction/unpaid rent not disclosed before closing

[Lucas Wagner]

So I recently purchased a duplex in Wisconsin.  The seller did not disclose that one of the tenants had owed money for several months and had a signed 'Eviction Stipulation' that basically said if they didn't pay the balance, they'd be evicted the day after the closing.  The stipulation was signed by all parties and dated 2 weeks prior to closing.

This basically put me in a position where I had to either work it out with the tenant on my first full day of ownership or move right into eviction.

Two items worth noting:

1) I received a full month's worth of security deposit for the unit at closing.

2) The tenant dropped off a full rent payment for this month right away so they don't owe me any money for this month.

Has this happened to anyone?  Is it worth pursuing or should I just eat it and move on?

[Edith TenBroek]

I would take the payment, give the tenant a fresh start, and move on.  From the tenant's perspective, you could be their life saver, keeping them from having to pay a big backlog of rent which they probably don't have.  They may strive to be a better tenant for you, for awhile anyway. Worst case scenario, you have to evict next month, but with luck you won't.