Possible Fraud - Tenant

[Bruce Chang]

Tenants are playing the mold card and trying to scare us into paying for hotel fees, clothing, mattresses, furniture, etc. And now veiled threats that they will notify other tenants in the building that there is a mold issue.  We think that these tenants have played the game before.  In fact, we  found a very similar thread on Biggerpockets posted a few years ago with tenants using the same tactics.  We tried to reach out to the landlord, but they have not posted on Biggerpockets in a long time.  Is this something that we could report to law enforcement?

[Marcia Maynard]

What are the facts? Need specifics. Maybe there's a mold issue, maybe not. What do you know for sure? What is the tenant's side of the story? You've only presented your impression/opinion. Nothing to report to law enforcement, even if your impression turns out to be true, as it would be a civil matter. 

As a property owner and landlord, it's important to have in place a good maintenance team, comprehensive insurance policies, and great attorneys.

You also need to know landlord-tenant law better than your tenants do and abide by such. First step is to establish and maintain a good landlord-tenant relationship. This includes being proactive with maintenance and addressing problems and tenant needs (real or perceived) as they arise.