Just outside Baton Rouge city limits in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
Tenant had been a good paying communicative lessee for over a year. I moved from the area and designated another person to collect rent on the 1st. On occasion, this tenant did not have the money until a fews days later, but always paid.
Hurricane Gustav hit the city and power was out for weeks, tenant evacuated and upon tenant's return, informed the rent collector that September rent money was used to purchase a generator among other necessities. I was very understanding, the month went by and I had my rent collector begin asking for October rent. Rent collector knocked on the door daily, and a little girl was sent outside to say that Grandpa will bring rent over later. Never happened. October 10th and rent collector arrives at an abandoned house with all doors left open and all keys on the counter. House is filled with trash and a horrible odor, a few items remain in the yard along with the rotten garbage.
A representative of mine flew in to assess the damage, clean up and find a new tenant. I called the Sheriff out and moments before he arrives, a person appears and begins taking things from the yard. He gets the lessee on the phone, who says he will be right over. Never shows up. Sheriff discusses options with my representative, and lessee is on the phone again with the above random person claiming that they moved out due to infestation and plumbing issues and are breaking the lease. It is agreed that lessee will come retrieve all the items.
No communication or money from them since their payment of August rent, which was on time (the 1st). They have contacted me by phone in the past, so there's no reason they couldn't contact me again.
And now they can just leave the place completely trashed, not pay me, and I still have to file eviction papers? How do I approach that? I need to be legally allowed to clean up my house, replace floors and other destroyed parts, and get a new tenant in there.
Tenant had been a good paying communicative lessee for over a year. I moved from the area and designated another person to collect rent on the 1st. On occasion, this tenant did not have the money until a fews days later, but always paid.
Hurricane Gustav hit the city and power was out for weeks, tenant evacuated and upon tenant's return, informed the rent collector that September rent money was used to purchase a generator among other necessities. I was very understanding, the month went by and I had my rent collector begin asking for October rent. Rent collector knocked on the door daily, and a little girl was sent outside to say that Grandpa will bring rent over later. Never happened. October 10th and rent collector arrives at an abandoned house with all doors left open and all keys on the counter. House is filled with trash and a horrible odor, a few items remain in the yard along with the rotten garbage.
A representative of mine flew in to assess the damage, clean up and find a new tenant. I called the Sheriff out and moments before he arrives, a person appears and begins taking things from the yard. He gets the lessee on the phone, who says he will be right over. Never shows up. Sheriff discusses options with my representative, and lessee is on the phone again with the above random person claiming that they moved out due to infestation and plumbing issues and are breaking the lease. It is agreed that lessee will come retrieve all the items.
No communication or money from them since their payment of August rent, which was on time (the 1st). They have contacted me by phone in the past, so there's no reason they couldn't contact me again.
And now they can just leave the place completely trashed, not pay me, and I still have to file eviction papers? How do I approach that? I need to be legally allowed to clean up my house, replace floors and other destroyed parts, and get a new tenant in there.
