Suing Bad Tenants For Owed Rent And Damages
My question involves landlord-tenant law in the State of: UTAH
I have some horrible tenants (now ex-tenants) and it looks like I am going to have to take them to court for back rent and damages. They owe me a considerable amount of money for back rent and I just went up to the house this weekend to look at all the damages. They were too cheap to buy gas for the heat and were not living in the house for a period of time in the Winter and some pipes froze and caused a lot of damage to the plumbing, sub floor, hardwood floor, and other areas in the house. They also damaged all of the carpets, broke doors and windows, broke the deck, left a lot of garbage around the property, had several loud parties including one with a bonfire (which is illegal due to the fire restrictions), and a lot of other damage around the house.
My questions are regarding bringing them to court and suing them for the damages and back rent:
1. What are the chances that I will get any of this money back?
2. I just found out that one of the ex-tenants just bought a house but still owes me months of back rent and damages - can I place a lien on their possessions?
3. Is there any other legal actions/charges that I can bring against them?
4. Can I sue them for the months that it takes me to repair the damages and the loss of rent (my lease has a clause in it)?
Thank you.
Paul
Re: Suing Bad Tenants For Owed Rent And Damages
1) Magic 8-Ball says: Outlook cloudy. In other words, no one here has any way of answering that question. You may well prevail in court, but collecting the judgment is a whole other ball of wax entirely, and no one can predict whether they will pay up or skip out.
2) You can sue to put a lien on the house.
3) & 4) You really should be taking all of your information - including copies of the signed lease - to an attorney to sort out your options.