Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California
What rights does a landlord have if the tenants have already moved out and the landlord found massive pet damage to the home whereas no pets were allowed? What kind of recourse action can be taken?
1 Answer from Attorneys
First, document the damage: pictures, video, statements from the neighbors that your former tenants indeed had a pet. Second, if you happen to have photos of the rental unit and its condition before the tenants moved in, add it to the file. Third, fix the damage to bring the rental unit in the shape it was in before the tenants moved in, and keep the receipts that you will copy and send to the former tenant within 21 days of their move-out date, justifying your witholding the entire/portion of the deposit.
If the security deposit is not sufficient to cover the damage to the rental unit, file a lawsuit in small claims court for the remainder.
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