Should I evict or ride it out?

[Kyle Rice]

I have a tenant who I probably should've evicted a long time ago. Brief history: this tenant is the HR lady at my workplace and I originally broke my own rules by allowing her to have a pet and pay the security's deposit late. Within the first couple months she had a visitor past the 7 days without approval, had an additional pet staying there and there was a fist imprint in the refrigerator door. Since she and her fiancé worked with me I decided to write a letter and have a sit down with them. They agreed to pay the damage for the refrigerator and were apologetic about the other violations. Fast forward to this month...they are now on a month to month lease. She calls me the other day to give 30 days notice on the 11th of the month and asked if I'd let her move out by the 1st of May. I then informed her that we need 30 days notice before the rental due date which is the first and that it must be written. Yesterday she turns in a handwritten letter that is dated the 10th of April and has a few snide remarks in it. Then the following morning my wife saw the tenants now husband drive over a section of our grass and spin his tires,ruining that section of the lawn, while on his way to work. Today I noticed another area where he cut the corner and left huge tire marks in the grass. My question is would you bother with confronting this tenant and or evicting? It's touchy since she handles my pay checks and other papers at my workplace. They will be gone at the end of May. Would you ride it out? At the same time I feel we should not let them get away with all this but I know I've got to choose my battles...Thoughts?

[Marcia Maynard]

Ah, Rule Breakers from the get go! And you enabled them by not enforcing the terms of the rental agreement. Been there. Feel your pain.

If it were me, I would negotiate the matter with them. You both have something to lose and something to gain. You would both benefit from working it out and repairing the relationship. Arrange to meet with them in person at the property.

They want out by May 1 and you want property that is not damaged. Let them out of their rental agreement early in exchange for compensation for damages upfront. Don't wait to use the security deposit to cover all damages, it may not be enough.

Give them a chance to return the property to its original condition (less ordinary wear and tear) and be clear as to what that means. It's in their best interest to do so, as well as yours. Your communication style will need to be kinder than theirs. You just might be able to turn this around.

Get a bid from a reputable company as to what it would take to repair the lawn and any other significant damages of which you are aware. Bring that dollar value to the negotiation table. Everything is negotiable. Let them know you are willing to reconsider. Remain firm, fair and respectful. Even if they are less so.