Tenant taking advantage of retired Landlords

[Doris Walsh]

Where do I start.  I have a Villa in pre-foreclosure that is rented to a woman in 40's who originally signed a lease with us thru a management company.  She has been using the fact that the house has been in foreclosure telling us that we are breaking the law by not paying our mortgage and we have broken the lease.  She has gone as far as depositing the rent monies in our bank deducting for repairs that she has agreed to pay for since we revised the lease with our lawyer that she would cover ALL repairs up to $300. a month for a reduction of $100. a month in her rent. 

She has claimed an air conditioner bill that she can't produce that she said got trashed.  Her lease is up September 30th. She had forced us to return her security deposit money early since she said she would never get it back from the bank.  I told her the house would not foreclosure before her lease expired but she continuously used this against us.

We have the house up for sale now that the prices have gone up and am working with the new loan servicer since the mortgage note was sold.  I need her cooperation to show the property and even offered her a discount in the last month's rent until she said the ac broke again and she was not going to pay for it.  I tried to talk to her on the phone & she rushed me off.  She acts like the owner of the property.  When I told her she is taking advantage of us she sends me the most discusting harassing e-mail you could imagine accusing me of belittling, harassing her. 

Besides that she works in financial investment with senior seniors advising and helping them with their monies.  But she treats us like this.  What can we do?  I see so many websites that deal with Landlord harassment but nothing about Tenant harassment. Her rent was originally $950. a month down to $850. for the repair agreement and the last check deposited we got was for $600.

And she is threatening me to sit in the house until we give her a Court Order!  She thinks she can live there for FREE!  I sent her the 30 day notice not to renew her lease 3 weeks ago and she has not secured another place to move as of yet.  Our villa should now be renting for at least $1200. a month.