I L♥VE new client calls. The one I received just after lunch was unique. She had just seen me WIN in court.
One of the hazaards of landlording is having tenants who dispute security deposit returns. I have gotten my procedure down to where I rarely go and equally rarely loose.
A tenant to departed in June disputed my $1,500 for yard work and mulch when it is in his lease that he is required to maintain the yard AND mulch 1x annually. The tenant rented the home for 14 months and admittedly did not mulch the yard.
He sues, I counter sue with the use of my attorney and in court today, our JUDGE was to have been a DIFFERENT one from the one sitting....SNAFU as I manage property for this judge's wife...rather than come back, the Plaintiff/tenant agreed and we tried the case.
I had my documents, my paperwork, my before, after and AFTER photos, my paid invoices AND my resident handbook. I handed my exhitits to my attorney and he skillfully presented my case that the tenant did not mow, weed or mulch the yard when he departed NOR did he return the keys in the manner stipulated.
I WON! and rather than having a satisfied judgement against him, he wrote me a check on the spot and we dismissed the case.
I suspect he believed some of the online chatter regarding tenants who thought they had won. They actually lost and vented like they had won. I was willing to take his deposit and call it even and he had to push it.....so he wrote a check for $600+ which included my attorney fees.
Meanwhile, since we went first because I had an attorney, there was a DIY landlord sitting in the court that had their case heard after we had left. They must have remembered my name because when I got back to my office, they left me a message that they wanted to talk to me about managing their home.
....NOT exactly how I want to let prospects know about my management services; however, it is a nice house and once it is cleaned up, it should rent quickly!
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