Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in New York

I got sued today, my ex tenant who was a nightmare tenant is taking me to small claims court for $5000. she claims that the home which i own and she was renting had three leaks within the 9 months she lived there and damaged her belongings. the first leak was because she decided to change the knobs in the shower, did it incorrectly and the water leaked behind the wall and into a downstairs foyer. there were no belongings in there, the second leak was caused by her family cracking the toilet bowl in the same bathroom, the water leaked to the same area. again no belongings there. after many problems with them i decided i was not going to renew her lease and notified her 3 months in advance of this. 3 days after i notified her the house sprung a more serious leak from the main pipe. it is located in the boiler room and the water ran into the laundry room, and the garage. i told her i did not have the money to keep repairing the home after her, and i would terminate the lease early if it was mutually agreeable. i returned a months worth of rent to her as good faith so she could use it for a deposit on another home. another month and half went by, she hadnt moved out and was not paying any rent either, then a small fire occured in the home in the garage. some of her belongings were damaged in the fire. but it looks suspicious. what should i do? she left my house in shambles i got an estimate from a contractor, she did over $7000 worth of damage to the house, she left rubbish throughout the house and damaged doors, walls, and light fixtures, even schmeering dog feces on the carpets. honestly the worst experience of my life. i am gonna counter sue but what am i up against?


Asked on 9/14/10, 5:41 pm

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