Vandalism by our Tenants

Perhaps we should have expected it...

We had these tenants who, when they moved in, promised that their dogs would not bother our livestock. In November, one of their dogs almost killed one of our goats. The veterinary bill for this goat was around $250. She survived, but her neck is not right. Her head is turned to the right and the neck is still stiff and swollen.

After the incident, we asked about the tenant's insurance policy. Having a tenant liability and damage policy is required, in writing, in the lease. This turned out to be only one of the lease violations. The upshot was that we asked them to leave. They refused. We filed for eviction and won. The court said that they had to move out by December 24. Because of their dogs, we could not inspect the unit: those "gentle dogs" were actually pit bulls.

Today, we saw that they had moved out. The yard was trashed. The rear door of the unit was kicked out at the bottom. A bedroom window was broken. Holes had been punched into various walls with a kitchen knife or a hunting knife. In two places, they had kicked holes in the walls, just above the floor. The door between the master bedroom and its bathroom and the entry door to the master bedroom each had a hole punched in it. Casing had been torn off of some of the door frames and one of the door frames had been broken, leaving nothing secure to hang the door on. The unit, which as specified in the lease, is a non-smoking living space, reeked of marijuana. To top it all off, THEY POURED CONCRETE DOWN TWO OF THE TOILETS AND ONE OF THE BATHROOM SINKS!

We called the Sheriff's office and reported it. We also called our insurance company and asked them to send an adjuster.