Tenants will not allow access to make repair

My thoughts exactly. A worse scenario will be a meth lab. Then your house becomes condemned as uninhabitable. Why would any tenant be that "private?" Any concerns about privacy would have been resolved by their being present when you inspect.

Reply to
PaPaPeng
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I think you have left out alot of details.

Your lease if you have one will state your rights, usualy in my state

24 hr notice is all that is necessary but some preprinted leases do not have that provision. and your entry is illegal if denied. Read your lease. And include "Lanlord may Enter Anytime" in your next one .

You say you are evicting them, go rent Pacifc Heights the movie [ I think that is the movie I remember]. Im sure they are hostile and hate you also. The Police ,County Court Clerk or DA will give you Free correct advise for your individual situation, no need to pay an atty, yet. But you might be better off with one as you do not know your rights or anything.

You say you are evicting them, learn your states laws, we dont know them. Free online legal advise is at

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If you have legal rights to enter, do so and cut the chain, but be real carefull and do it with the police , if police refuse, a partner and a pocket Voice Recorder , and camera-better camcorder.

They are likely hiding something, I ve had drug dealers-users deny access, And I`ve had rent scam Pros refuse to pay knowing they would get many months till the sherriff would actualy evict,3-6mo and most cold weather states do not evict in winter. You may have a long battle of no rent money and this is their game, but you give no details on your location or lease.

Do not break the law, do not turn off utilties. learn the law and act fast. You have leagal rights, use them correctly, legaly or they will win.

Reply to
m Ransley

If it were me, I'd immediately begin the eviction process. They are most likely doing something very illegal, which could put your property at risk of confiscation.

Bob

Reply to
Bob

Well, yes it appears that YOU do. The alternative, of course is that you can sit and steam for the next 3-6 months while eviction slowly works it's way along. Your insurance is not going to pay for any damage caused by the leak unless you mitigate the damage by fixing the pipe immediately. They don't care one bit what you have to do to get the repairs done. First thing to do is get the water turned off at the street, and padlocked.

Captain Joe Redcloud

Reply to
Captain Joe Redcloud

The tenants are apparently hostile, and without a lawyer, he can't get the police to intervene. He needs a lawyer.

Okay, YOU gain entry and fix the plumbing for him, then! Please let us know how you make out.

landlord/tenant laws.

repairs,

"Reasonable" is not part of this particular situation.

Captain Joe Redcloud

Reply to
Captain Joe Redcloud

Instead of wasting time HERE, I'd do the following *TODAY*.

1) Walk into court office: "The basement of my rental's becoming flooded because my tenants won't let me and the cops can't help - I need a judge to do TOMORROW so the cops will accompany me blah blah blah....". There are certain experiences which get sympathy from all sentient beings in civilized countries. A flooded basement is one of them.

2) Walk into police station, ask to speak with commanding officer, see if he/she has a creative idea, or can send an officer who has more experience with these situations. The law is the law, but there *are* cops who are pretty creative with words. I've seen it. Finally, ask the CO if he's got any connections that'll get to a judge faster, so the necessary paperwork can be obtained. When they need a warrant quickly, they don't wait for weeks.

3) Call insurance company NOW and inform agent of what's going on. If there are angles for dealing messes like this, you need to know about them. If your agent gives you a blank stare, you need a new agent. If you're going to continue renting to slimeballs, you may need to explore more options on your policy.

4) Get out the yellow pages and start calling cleaning companies. Not "maid services", but companies who know how to do major cleanups in houses where (for instance), people have been arrested after being found to have 84 abused pets and the floors & carpets are atrocious. The police or fire dept may be able to provide names. When dead bodies are found, especially gunshot victims, the situation often requires more than your usual carpet cleaning company. Why do all this? If you turn off the water at the curb, as someone else suggested, your tenants are probably going to "misbehave". Interview cleaning services and have a name ready to call. A friend of mine had a sewer back up into his basement a few years back. He couldn't seem to get it completely clean. He found a company that had the job done in a couple of hours. They exist. Fine one NOW.

5) Try and remember who told you it was a good idea to own certain types of rental properties. Cut off all contact with this idiot.
Reply to
Doug Kanter

Good question. Mr. Landlord still hasn't told us how he knows there's a leak. Hmmm.....

Reply to
Doug Kanter

I'm sure the water authority will inform him of that when he calls.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

Contact the sheriff rather than the police. Sheriff should have a lot more experience with this sort of thing. I'm guessing they will send a deputy out there with you when you go with the bolt cutter to cut the chains or drill the locks.

Good luck, you're gonna need it, Bob

Reply to
zxcvbob

....

I wouldn't expect any more and probably far less...

In at least some jurisdictions, sheriffs do not have authority inside the city--only the county. In general, it's a good way to get in the middle of a turf war you

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

Reply to
zxcvbob

He needs the attoryney because the first thing he should do after shutting off the water is sell the property, given that he's manifestly not mentally prepared to manage it.

Reply to
Goedjn

It depends entirely on WHY you are turning off the water. You can't turn off water to force someone to leave, but you can turn off water to prevent damage or a dangerous situation from developing. In this case, water may be spraying all over wiring in the basement. You can turn off the water to prevent electrocution and fire.

Reply to
Red Cloud©

The first question is how serious is this leak? If, for example, you can see it through a window and it serious enough that it can be doing damage to equipment, wiring, etc, then I would get the water shut off outside immeadiately. That is well within any landlord's rights. I would take a photo of the leak too, if possible, or at least have a couple witnesses present that can verify that there was a serious leak and what you did.

If it's not an immediate threat, then I would try revisiting the local police/sheriff as others have suggested. You may find someone sympathetic to helping you gain access and it doesn't cost anything to try. In every state that I'm aware of, a landlord has the right to enter after giving reasonable notice. And for a true emergency, you can enter without notice.

If the police won't assist, then the logical next step is getting an attorney, unless you are knowledgable about how to go about getting a court order yourself.

Reply to
trader4

a) I got the water bill. b) I asked them. c) They told me.

Reply to
William.Deans

Interesting thought. Might be a good idea for the OP to keep detailed records of everyone he speaks with, especially individual cops and their badge numbers. Complaints in writing couldn't hurt, either.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

First, I find it hard to believe you are not allowed to shut off the water when it is leaking severely and possibly causing damage to the building. Second, I never said to shut off the water. I just said to send them a letter that states that you will.Two different deals completely! Greg

Reply to
Greg O

"First, I find it hard to believe you are not allowed to shut off the water when it is leaking severely and possibly causing damage to the building. "

Of course it's hard to believe, because it's not true. You can't shut off utilities to force people to move, but you most certainly can shut them off if there is a legitimate emergency. And you most certainly can when there is a serious leak that you're trying to fix, but the tenent refuses you access to do it.

Reply to
trader4

Think twice before calling the insurance company for advice. At least don't identify your policy number or address. I have heard (though I cant prove) that in the past, people's premiums have been increased or policies cancelled simply for inquiring about certain claims.

Reply to
PipeDown

If your agent is so lousy that your rates go up after asking questions, you need a new agent.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

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