Tenant Lease Objections

[Kris L.]

Ran into an issue today that I hadn’t considered, and not sure how to deal with it.

Tenant had put down deposit to hold property. Went to sign lease, and they scratched out some of the lease clauses. Mostly they didn’t really apply to this particular property, but the big one was the clause where they accept property “as is”. There are a few minor defects, things like a small scratch in the fridge, a couple scratches on the LVP, but the house is in very good shape. I am suspicious that they may have gotten cold feet.

I have no intention of letting them dictate core lease terms like this. And plan to retain their deposit if they refuse to sign the lease because of the lost time in finding a tenant, but I could see a case if they stated that they signed under duress for their $1200 holding fee.

What would you do in this situation?