Inherited tenant with no security deposit.. any advice?

[Jonathan Sekerak]

I've just acquired my first property, which came with a tenant in place. I found out late in DD that the seller (also inherited tenant) did not have a security deposit in place. The tenant has lived there for 5+ years, and the condition of the home is poor, with numerous items in need of repair, which are often difficult to fix due to the tenant's clutter status (approaching hoarder levels).

I have come to the decision that it would be easiest to not renew the tenant's lease, get them and their clutter cleared out, and begin repair work on the issues that are sure to deteriorate further in the near future. However, I am worried that the tenant will not respond favorably to being displaced from their home of 5 years, and could potentially trash the place before vacating

Does anyone have experience dealing with a tenant without security deposit in place? Any advice would be much appreciated!

[Thomas S.]

Go ahead with your plans to non renew his lease. It is very rare that a tenant will actually do damage simply due to a non renewal. As a new owner most tenants anticipate being terminated. This sounds like a tenant that you should not be keeping. Get him out and do the reno. Hopefully you will be able to charge a much higher rent.

I would not be concerned about retaliation..