Tenants May Have Damaged Property on Purpose

[Kristy F.]

Hello all,

I need your advice regarding an emergency. I have a triplex in San Francisco, where the third floor tenants are protected and paying below-market price rent. They have been there for two decades, and I inherited them when I purchased the property. Since day one, they have been a hassle to deal with. They've requested kitchen remodel, repaint, upgrades to windows and blinds, etc. I've probably spent over $10k on their apartment with them paying less than half of market rent. I know, it burns.

The wife's most recent request has been a bathroom remodel, which I refused two weeks ago. But this morning, my second floor tenant texts me to say there is water leakage all over the ceiling of her room. She called the third floor and they told her that their toilet was "leaking". I then receive an email from the third floor tenants saying that their toilet is leaking from the base. Then 20 minutes later, I receive another email from them saying that the toilet is not leaking, but just overflowing because the lever to flush isn't working properly.

Now, would this count as their fault? If it is, technically I can terminate their lease and get rid of a huge pain in the you know what. I would appreciate any advice on what to do.