First deal and tenant is a drug dealer!

[Matt Blutowski]

Sorry, this is complicated, but I want good advise from any/all, so I'm going to include some details.

I closed on my first duplex two weeks ago. The property was fully occupied and according to the previous lease, I'm stuck with the tenants unless they break the lease.

Issue 1: One of the three people living in UNIT 2 moved out and has not been paying there share of rent. Initially the remaining tenants in unit 2 said they were not going to pay the entire rent, but now they say they will. They also planned to sue the third tenant. The tenant that moved out just contacted me. They will pay me all the rent due for the remainder of the lease, but they want to be removed from the lease. Basically, I create a new lease with the two current tenants for 2/3 of the rent and receive the other 1/3 up front for letting tenant 3 out of the lease. A good solution, until I learned WHY tenant #3 wanted to move out of UNIT 2.

Tenant three claims that UNIT 1 is being occupied by a coke dealer. I suspected something was not right about unit 1 before I was told this. Two other people familiar with this tenant/property have said things before. UNIT 2 pays rent on time, though the lease is for 1 person, but there are two people living there and a dog. They are not allowed to have a dog, nor is occupancy two people.

Apparently, two tenants of UNIT 2 are customers of the tenant in UNIT 1 and there are drugs there all the time. A tenant in Unit 2 has a criminal record which includes several assaults as well as a rape (found not guilty). The suspected drug dealer in UNIT 1 has no record.

I'm supportive of a new lease for UNIT 2 that does not include that third teanant. However my larger concern is the teanant in UNIT 1 and his drug dealing. He is in violation of the lease (with dog and second occupant)? I don't want to cross this person, but don't want my new property on TV news with busted doors, etc.

Again, these tenants were not mine, but I have to live with them or try to evict for cause. Unit 2 lease ends in April, UNIT 1 lease ends in August. The previous landlords were absentee landlords.

Any helpful advice would be appreciated!!! Should I just try to ride this out until the lease ends, or use the dog as a path to evict??