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Updated over 4 years ago,
NEED HELP- Legal advice on terminating tenant's lease
Hello everyone,
Here is the rundown, I could really, really use some legal advice on this urgent matter I am facing today, please!
I am house hacking and renting a bedroom out in my personal home. Home is in AZ. I work over seas 10 months out of the year and home for two months out of the year. This tenant, I have never met before, and had a person back home (while I was out of the country) interview them and show them the home. She signed a 12month lease with me in my home. We did say (verbally) that the lease can be broken if we aren't a good fit for one another (Unforutnently, this was not written down anywhere).
The lease she signed does say "Lease can be broken by either party with 90 day notice". The guest rules were no more than 3x sleep overs per week, and not more than 1 guest at a time.
I chose this roommate to move in inside my home bc she is an older woman, whos a professional, and single, she told me she wouldn't have many guests she stays to her self and is very private and respectful.
First month was great. Then things changed.
Last week, she had a male guest come over the house at 2 in the morning, then left at 6am. Two-Three hours later another different male guest came over for few hours and left again (all while inside of her bedroom) Now, I am questioning what kind of operation could she be possibly running? Since then, there has been many visits of guests. Technically, she hasn't broken any rules that's written on the lease agreement.
But then...
Corona virus came along. The entire city and the world as we know it are on lock down and many people are suppose to be quarantined. I am due to return home with my daughter in the next coming weeks. So I wrote her an email 10 days ago stating, that I will be returning home with my daughter and would like her to cease all guest activities due to this virus. There is a greater chance of someone bringing this bug inside of the home, and my daughter or myself contacting the disease simply from being inside of our own home. She completely ignores the email, and still TODAY, as WE SPEAK, she has a guest over my home.
What exactly are my options here?
She is completely aware that i have a doorbell camera as well as a indoor camera inside the kitchen facing the living room. she has also shown impropriate behaviors inside the kitchen and sharing spaces inside of my home. ( I have it all on film, some of the things would make you vomit).
I have heard from multiple sources but cannot find it in writing to save my life. The LAW in AZ is I can indeed break the lease of someone renting a room in my own personal home giving them a 30 day notice. I understand that if this was a rental property, laws would favor on the tenants more, but since this is my personal home, I do not need a reason to break this lease on my behalf.
can anyone please shed some light onto this matter? Can I legally break her lease with a 30 day notice?
My main concern now is not only the covid19 exposure by her bringing guests over the house AFTER the fact that I requested her to cease the guests. I also have very expensive furniture, electronics and art that's valued well over 100k, I do not know these older men that are constantly coming inside of my home.
( I will make sure next tenant I choose will understand that there will be a no guest policy. period. )
I really appreciate any feedback as I am desperate to find answers and what my options are within the law.
thank you!!!!