Withdrawing a lease from a future tenant

[Margharita Silva]

Hi everyone, 

I have a situation where i have a tenant in good standing and she gave me her 60 day notice to move out before lease renewal. I found a qualified new tenant and offered him a lease. The tenant in my apartment just broke the news to me that she is in the process of buying a home and that there was a problem with the bank's appraisal and that she might end up having to stay in the apartment after the fact. How do you think is the best to handle this situation? Would i have any issues if i had to withdraw the contract with the other tenant incase this one refuses to leave? Would i open myself up for any damages? I prefer to just have her leave and get the new tenant in because since she is on the market looking for a home purchase, I prefer to have a tenant who will stay there 2 yrs at least and the new tenant is solid financially and credit wise. She was the one who gave me the 60 day notice but now says she has nowhere to go. Any advice? 

[Karl B.]

I would simply tell the current tenant that she needs to move out when she stated she would as you have someone lined up to move in immediately after she's supposed to vacate. 

If she scoffs tell her she'll be financially responsible for any costs related to the moving-in tenant's expenses due to them not being able to move in (storage fees, a hotel room, etc.) and that you'll immediately start eviction on her which could cause an issue with her buying her home. 

Sometimes you've gotta bring out the big guns - why should you lose money and a new tenant due to your current tenant reneging on her moveout date?