What course of action can a landlord take if a tenant removes items from the home that were in the home when they moved in?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What course of action can a landlord take if a tenant removes items from the home that were in the home when they moved in?
Tenants have replaced all the appliances in the home with new appliances without the written permission of the landlord. The old appliances are no where to be found. The tenant has given their 30 day notice as well as their intent to remove the new appliances from the home.
Asked on September 7, 2011 under Real Estate Law, Virginia
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
You need to carefully read the written lease (assuming there is one) between the tenant and the landlord for the subject rental in that its terms control the obligations owed as to the other in the absence of conflicting state law. Read carefully any provisions regarding repairs and appliances.
In general, the tenant probably was allowed to install new appliances in the rented unit during his or her occupancy at his or her own costs BUT was not allowed to dispose of the replaced appliances belonging to the landlord.
If the current tenant intends to terminate the lease for the unit and take the new appliances, he or she may, however the tenant is obligated for the costs of new appliances and their installation to the landlord since the appliances that were present at the lease's inception are gone.
Good luck.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.