What do I do with this tenant in Oakland CA ? Lawsuit alert!

[Joanne Tsai]

Hi All, 

My husband has a rental property in Oakland CA, where tenants are heavily protected by law. 

We recently hired a real estate agent to find a tenant. A lease contract was signed by both tenant and my husband already a week ago. The rental agreement starts in July 15th. 

So, after the contract was signed, this lady started making some "ridiculous" requests:  re-clean the whole place, repaint the whole property, and must  be with the paint that she approves. Then she wanted to replace all the blinds to the style she likes (she did say she can pay for it), and she tells us that she has lung disease (she is 65, retired and has a court order where her ex-husband paid her significant amount on monthly basis).

The realtor who has been on all the communication above told my husband she felt this woman would eventually bring a lawsuit to her and my husband. At first blush, I thought she was very demanding and clean freak, but now the contract was signed, what should we do to protect ourselves? any advice would be greatly appreciated.   

Joanne

[David O.]

So, if I understand correctly, the Realtor that screened and placed the tenant for you tells you after the fact that they feel the new tenant is a lawsuit waiting to happen? I find it difficult to believe that there were no red flags during the process. What the heck.

You need to fire the Realtor and find someone else to do your screening and placement for you, or do it yourself.