Evicted tenant distroyed my house, how can I be paid for?

[Harita Konjeti]

I evicted a tenant who was not paying. 

He broke the gas line, left his belongings all over, dog poop all over and dog has scratched the sheetrock to make big holes in wall, carpet was torn off.  Is there anyway I can be paid? Any suggestions?

[Account Closed]

That's really unfortunate.  Going to court can be time consuming and stressful.  It might not be worth your time to go to court.  If I was in this position I would keep the deposit, make the repairs, rent the house, and move on.  It could be a great learning experience going forward.  You might need to tweak your tenant screening process. 

Being a landlord isn't always easy.  Hopefully this doesn't make you stop investing in real estate.  Good luck!