If a friend temporarily lived in my house and no lease was made up and no security deposit was set, am I able to sue her damages she caused?
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If a friend temporarily lived in my house and no lease was made up and no security deposit was set, am I able to sue her damages she caused?
Her dog destroyed my screen door and ripped up a section of my carpet. When she moved out, she left her bedroom covered in dog poo and urine. The carpet was so heavily soaked in urine and poo that I had to pull the carpet up. She told me that she was going to come back to clean the room up after she moved and she never came back. If I took her to small claims court with pictures of the door and bedroom carpet, would I have a good chance of winning?
Asked on June 11, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Mississippi
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
Regardless of the lease or no lease situation with your friend whose dog caused damages to your house, your friend is responsible for all damages caused by her pet to your property under the laws of all states in this country.
From what you have written and assuming the photographs depict what you say they depict as to the damages caused by the dog, you have a good chance of establishing liability against your friend assuming she shows up in small claims court. You need to get evidence to establish the costs of repairing the items that were damaged.
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