Well it finally happened... one of my tenants got arrested

[Michael H.]

I'm not really sure what I should do (if anything) about this situation. 

What I know so far is that I had a couple and small child move into one of my properties less than a month ago. They both passed credit and criminal background checks no problem. My partner who deals with the tenants more than I do, told me they seem like perfectly fine people. Last night we were informed by our onsite tenant/super that the husband was arrested. We did a FOYA request for the request report, and my partner was able to speak to the arresting officer. She explained to the officer who she was and the officer told her the husband has been arrested for abuse, presumably to the wife. I'm not sure what the exact charges will be or if it matters.

We haven't done anything with our tenant as of yet, would like to engage the hive mind to see what you come up with.

This is a first for us and any suggestions, ideas, or thoughts would be appreciated.

[Nathan Gesner]

I agree with @Account Closed. Talk to the spouse. I wouldn't say this is a huge concern because it could have been a heated argument between spouses and it could have been something was exaggerated to the police, but you need to know a couple things:

1. If she is afraid for the safety of herself or the child, you are required by law to let her break the lease and move out.

2. If she files a restraining or no-contact order, you may need to remove him from the lease and change the locks. In that case, I would serve him a notice in jail so he understands he no longer has rights to the property. He will probably have to go in with police escort to retrieve his things.

3. If he was physically violent and plans to come back, you need to determine whether you'll allow that. You don't want him to become a threat to others or a disturbance. If other tenants find out he was violent and still living there, they may feel uncomfortable and you could lose good renters.