Problem tenant

[Constantia Petrou]

Hi everyone,

I am in CA, the owner of a rental property, and have run into a nightmare tenant who broke his lease 6 months into a 1 year fixed term contract. They have been a pain since their announcement of their breaking the lease. They attempted every trick to try and get out of their lease without paying. They involved a lawyer to bully me but I have kept my professionalism and have not fallen in their traps. Now they left the keys on the kitchen counter (I saw them when I entered with proper notice and their permission to show the house to a prospective tenant) but they are not responding to my email communication to confirm that they officially turn over possession of the house to me, the owner. Any suggestions on what I can do to confirm I have possession and start getting the house rent-ready so that I can rent to much better people than them? They did send a formal letter about 28 days ago that they would be vacating the property by Feb 24. Thanks a lot.