Day 4 as a Landlord, and need to get rid of my tenant

[Patrick Bavaro]

Hello BP! 

As some of you may know, I recently became a landlord over the weekend through my first house-hack. I'm attributing this issue to being new to the game, and not executing my application/screening process as thoroughly as I should have. Lessons learned, and I know I have to do better for the future. 

Anyways, here is my problem. I currently reside in Hollywood, FL (Broward County) and have a SFH with a private efficiency connected to the main part of the house. Living quarters are private, entrance is private, and so on. I am renting to a young male adult who checked all the boxes during the application process. However, during the execution of the lease I know for a fact that it was not review by him and just signed. Stupid me, I should have known better before countersigning.

Anyways, last night my wife and I were sleeping and awoken to the smell of marajuana wafting into our room. At first, I thought I must be dreaming but early this morning while taking my dog out back the tenant opened the door to the efficiency and I was hit with Tsunami of the smell of the Devil's Lettuce. Obviously, in the lease it explicitly states no smoking, synthetic or otherwise in the unit. I should have said something right then and there about the smoking, but I was out the door for work and I wanted to produce a written notice along with an addendum to the lease changing it from a year long lease to a month to month lease. 

One other thing that I am not certain of because I haven't caught it on camera yet, but that I'm pretty convinced of is that during the middle of the night I have notifications from ring. When I open the notifications (usually in the morning, after the fact), I see my tenant walking through their entrance and returning 2-3 minutes later. Keep in mind that this is at 2, 3, and 4 oclock in the morning and has happened 2 nights in a row now. I have a front door camera that is right in front of his vehicle so I know that he is not going to his vehicle for something he forgot at this time. My thoughts is that he is peddling drugs on the side of the house out of view of the camera. Earlier this morning, I changed the view of the camera angle and hope to catch this on camera tonight. 

My question to you fellow landlords is, what's the best way to handle this? Do I produce the written notice, have the tenant sign it? Can I change the lease to month to month as opposed to a year long lease as long as both of us sign-off and agree? With Florida's moratorium on evictions, is there anything that I can do regarding illegal drug use in the home? 

I am planning to be home during lunch hours, and if he is home I am planning to talk to him, serve the written notice, sign the addendum (if legal and allowable), and put me and my wife at ease. 

Thank you for your time reading this and for your advice! 

Patrick

[Jim K.]

First you gotta talk to him. Your I-spy-with-my-little-Nest-camera crap would go over like a lead balloon with one of our local magistrates. Sure, hit him.with a lease amendment, change the lease from yearly to month-to-month, all the paper in the world isn't gonna make that confab you have to have with this "young adult male" easier. Just get out there and start adulting with your mouth. It works wonders when you do it right.