Half of a tenant couple is moving out

[Carol Venolia]

Hi all,

I'm sure this happens a lot, but it's the first time it's happened to me. A tenant couple has been having problems, and the guy now wants to move out--in a lot less than 30 days. The gal wants to stay on, and apparently can afford to. The couple is behind on paying me rent by a few hundred dollars, and the guy wants to apply his half of the security deposit to pay part of what he owes me (and pay me the rest in cash).

I'm a bit overwhelmed by the newness of this. Anyone have thoughts or advice on how to proceed?

Many thanks!

Carol

[Jennifer Bennett]

Christine is right.

My policy: your relationship problems are not my business problems.

I keep them both on the lease until the end of the lease. They are both liable for rent and damages. If, at the end of the lease (or on month to month), then we can talk about walking the property & deducting what's necessary from the security deposit, then starting over with new sec dep and new lease with just her on lease. It benefits you to keep them both on lease.

Hope this helps!