Amy Austin and Tara Gordon (Hoffman) rented a house from us in Cocoa, FL.

Initially, Amy Austin and one other tenant (not being named here) signed a lease with another family back in September 2015 through September 2016.  This lease was satisfied properly.  The other family had moved out and Amy wanted to stay along with the other tenant for another year renewal.  The name of the other tenant is being withheld because this individual ‘satisfied’ the lease and to the best of our knowledge, caused no damages or issues during their time.

The unnamed tenant moved out at the beginning of February 2017.  Upon that point, two months of rent became unpaid.  Amy was living strictly on disability and based on her income alone, it was not enough pay rent.  She insisted that she would be able to take care of the rent.

A three day notice was delivered to Amy Austin on April 20th 2017 after it was clear that she could not keep up with rent.  Upon this being served, we noticed that one of her “family” (as she claimed they to be) Tara Gordon (Hoffman) made a posting on a Facebook rental group seeking new living arrangements.  After looking over this individual’s profile, it was clear that they had been staying in the rental house without our knowledge or consent.

In addition, Tara Gordon (Hoffman) had two children and a husband at the time.  We decided to call the prior tenant and ask why they moved out.  The prior tenant specifically explained that Tara Gordon and her full family was living in the house since the beginning of the lease in September 2016 and they were not helping to pay anything towards rent or utilities.  The individual stated that he grew tired of the situation and the number of people in the house so he moved out.

We attempted to make things right with Amy Austin and Tara Gordon at that time.  It was understood that Tara’s husband (Steven Hoffman) was separated and already moved out of state.  The tenants pleaded with us indicating that they had no where else to go and they would be homeless if we did not help.

Because we try our best to help our tenants, we agreed to create a new lease agreement starting June 2017 with Amy Austin and Tara Gordon (Hoffman).  Rent was increased to pay back the past due rent over the 12 months.

Immediately when rent was due, they explained that Tara Gordon did not get paid until the next day and they still would not have the full amount to make rent.  They promised to do all they could pay just one day after rent was due.  That day came and went and when pressed on the situation again, they asked for a couple more days.  Upon checking with them at that time, Amy Austin explained that they had moved out of the house because they could not afford to live there any longer.

We took possession of the property and began assessing the situation.  The tenants left everything behind and significant damages.  Below are pictures of the home in the condition they left it in.

Amy Austin and Tara Gordon (Hoffman) also breached the lease by smoking inside the house.  A can of cigarette butts (as pictured above) were found. In addition, Amy Austin had a dog and during the time there, the dog had two litters of puppies which was also against the terms of their lease. There was significant dog feces on the floors that required cleaning.

This is a list of damages and repairs that were required:

• The house had a smell of both dogs and smoking that had to be remediated
• Several interior doors were damaged that required replacement
• All of the closet doors were missing and required replacement
• It was found several times that the air conditioner filter was not changed as per the lease agreement.  The return duct work was filthy and required cleaning
• A service call was required on the air conditioner to clean the coils
• Complete top-to-bottom painting was required due to the smoke damage and lack of cleanliness
• Large amount of trash and junk left behind throughout the house
• Major cleaning required due to dog feces, writing on appliances, walls, and floors and more
• Broken kitchen cabinet required repair
• Countertops required replacement due to the laminate buckling off (brand new countertops were installed two years ago)
• Refrigerator had writing on the sides and a broken handle that required repair
• Exterior lawn maintenance was not well-kept
• Holes in the walls required repair
• Full demolition and construction of the bath tub and tile surround
• New toilet and vanity in the bathroom from damages
• Ceiling fan replacements
• Baseboard and trim repairs
• The ceilings appeared to have smoke damage and all of the ceilings needed re-painted
• Front glass storm door was damaged (we did not replace it, just took it down)
• Drains in the house were clogged and required a plumber to clean out
• Roach and pest infestations required extermination treatments

Below is a material list of items that were needed to put the house back into a move-in ready state:

• Seven closet doors
• Three interior doors
• Light switches, outlets, and covers
• New bathtub, shower head, cement backer board, thinset, grout, and tile to reconstruct bathtub
• New toilet and bathroom vanity
• Ten gallons wall paint
• Five gallons ceiling paint
• Five gallons paint for doors, trim, and baseboard
• Lightbulbs
• New locks since keys were not returned
• Drywall and drywall materials
• Three ceiling fans
• Six pieces of baseboard
• Three pieces of kitchen countertops
• Six window blinds
• New sliding patio window screen

Cost of materials: $1,785.67

The total cost of labor was $3,930.50

A security deposit of only $600.00 was obtained from the tenants.  Unpaid rent totaled $3,400.00 (not including any late fees).  Subtracting the security deposit, a total of $8,516.17 was the total debt that was submitted to the credit reporting agencies.

We would not recommend renting to Amy Austin or Tara Gordon (Hoffman) as future tenants based on how they left the house, the three months of unpaid rent, and the amount of damage we were left with.

Jaleen Irizarry and Michael Clarysse rented a home from us from December 2013 through December 2016 in Melbourne, Florida.  The lease was not renewed at the end of the term.

In the beginning, the two were paying rent on time. However, by April 2014, rent payments started getting behind. From April 2014 until May 2016, rent payments were equally late as they were on time.

After the May 2016 period, Jaleen Irizarry kicked Michael out of the house (which she had no right to do since they were equally named on the lease). Upon this happening, the rent was late every month and only about half of the rent was paid.

We were understanding of Jaleen’s position and she indicated that she would get caught up with working extra hours at work, especially with her starting a better-paying job around the same timeframe.  However, it never occurred. We held out for as long as we could, especially since they were tenants for three years.

At the end of December 2016, the tenants were a little over three months late on rent. In addition, the tenants never moved water and trash services to their name throughout the lease, so they were reimbursing us monthly for this cost. This also resulted in four months of water and trash service not being paid (since it was billed a month behind).

In mid-November, a Three Day Notice was delivered with the full amount of rent due. We also informed Jaleen Irizarry that we would not be renewing the lease because of the situation and informed her she needed to be out by December 7th. In the end, she moved out of the property by December 9th but left furniture and other belongings behind.

However, the damages to the house were extensive.  Pictures below show the condition of the home as it was left to us.

• Complete re-painting of the entire house due to crayons, markers, holes, and other damages
• Ceilings needed re-painted.  A great deal of dust was throughout the house, leading us to believe the AC filters were not changed per our automated monthly e-mail notifications
• Several rooms required additional priming of the walls before painting
• Removal of stickers on the walls
• Floor thresholds between bedrooms were all damaged
• Laminate flooring in all bedrooms required complete replacement
• Closet organizers in the bedroom closets were damaged
• Baseboard and trim damages throughout the house
• Large amount of debris / trash removal
• All bedroom doors were damaged and hinges almost falling off
• Damage to overhead lights in the house with the glass globes missing
• Lawn maintenance with at least a month of no care or mowing
• Major cleaning on the inside of the house including appliances
• Countertop damage in the corner

Material list:

• Interior doors
• Caulking supplies
• Five gallons wall paint
• Two gallons white semi-gloss paint
• Five gallons wall primer
• Three floor thresholds
• Tile flooring supplies, grout, thinset
• Baseboard and trim

Total cost of materials was $XXX.XX (coming soon).

Cost of labor to repair everything applicable to tenant damages was $2,900.00 (approximate – updated total coming soon)

Total rent and utilities that were left unpaid was $2,892.44

We would not recommend renting to Jaleen Irizarry and Michael Clarysse based on the following:

• Payments were equally late as they were on time
• Significant damage to the interior of the property
• Property maintenance was not maintained as per the lease (HVAC filters, lawn)
• Junk and debris was left behind

Cailey Seymour and William (Bill) Gerhard Jr rented a home from us from February 2016 through November 2016 in Cocoa, Florida.  The initial lease was to come up for renewal/termination in February 2017.

In the beginning, the rent was being paid on time and they were also doing improvements around the house.  They wanted to work on the curb appeal of the house and so they asked if they could purchase some mulch for the front and back of the house – which we approved and paid for.

However, we began having trouble with Cailey R Seymour and William N Gerhard Jr shortly after this timeframe.

From our understanding, Cailey was responsible for ensuring rent was paid.  She was the primary contact with us and let us know when the rent would be paid and amounts deposited.  On several occasions, we found Cailey to be very dishonest regarding payments and had excuses for why rent wasn’t being paid on time (which were mostly all disproved).

Overall, they were late each month starting in June 2016.

Two Three Day Notices were delivered to their home due to the late rent.  After the first notice was delivered, we contacted Bill Gerhard Jr to alert him to the situation. When we spoke with him, he claimed that he had absolutely no knowledge of what was going on and claimed he was not aware that a three day notice was even delivered.  After a conversation with him, we worked out agreeable payment arrangements to get caught up.

Unfortunately those attempts did not work with rent not being paid.  He made one payment (which was less than agreed) and then provided excuses about why agreed payments were being missed. We then had another Three Day Notice delivered in mid-November and we were going to proceed with eviction.

A conversation was started with Cailey Seymour once the second notice was received.  She was advised that we would be willing to let them stay until December 1st, and at that time, possession needed to be turned over.  If it was not, we would begin the eviction process.

On a positive note, the tenants did move out willingly on December 1st.

However, the damages to the house were extensive.  Pictures below show the condition of the home as it was left to us.

• Complete re-painting of the entire house
• Several rooms required additional priming of the walls before painting
• Removal of stickers on the walls
• Two bedroom floor thresholds need replaced
• Large Ceiling hole in one of the bedrooms (about 12×12)
• Attic entry was damaged with the ceiling around it cracked
• Yard needed fully mowed and brush removed/trimmed
• Large amount of debris / trash removal
• Laundry room door was damaged
• Kitchen sink area damaged
• Closet door installation
• Baseboard and flooring repairs
• Major cleaning on the inside of the house including appliances

Material list:

• Plywood
• Interior 24″ door
• Two packs of two garage door rollers
• Caulking supplies
• Bi-Fold 36″ closet door
• Five gallons wall paint
• Two gallons white semi-gloss paint
• Five gallons wall primer
• Two floor thresholds
• Drywall
• Baseboard

Total cost of materials was $482.32.

Cost of labor to repair everything applicable to tenant damages was $1,980.00

The total cost lost was $4,812.32

We would not recommend renting to Cailey R Seymour and Bill N Gerhard Jr based on the following:

• The couple was dishonest with payments and ended up 2.5 months behind in rent
• The couple painted the house different colors, which was not fully completed, without consent
• The lawn was left overgrown and was not mowed in well over two months
• A considerable amount of junk and debris was left behind
• Tenant had an additional teenage child move in without consent or approval
• Tenant brought additional pets into the house without consent or approval (pet rats and a cat)

Brandon Fincke and Ethan Nash rented a home from us in Titusville, Florida from late 2015 through late 2016.

Shortly after moving in, a notice from the city was received for a code violation.  The city indicated that the grass/lawn was not being kept up.  This was remedied after the notice was received.

Initially, the lease was written for Brandon Fincke and Kaylie Benedict.  Both resided together until February 2016 until a domestic violence charge was brought against Brandon Fincke.  At that point, Florida law requires that one of the parties move out and have a ‘no contact’ order with one another.  Because Kaylie Benedict was unable to afford the rent on her own, she voluntarily moved out and left the house to Brandon Fincke.

Shortly after, Brandon requested that a friend move in with him – Ethan Nash.  They filled out the application process and we approved them for tenancy.  However, we have a very high belief that Ethan J Nash moved in before the application was completed and approved.

The tenants failed to move water services over to their name during the entire tenancy, so they were reimbursing us monthly.  However, there was significant water usage on a monthly basis (7,000 – 8,000 gallons a month).  We questioned Brandon and Ethan and they would never reply with a reason.

As a positive note, the rent was always paid on time.  There were no issues with collecting rent.

However, upon the time of the lease termination, we provided 45 days notice to both Brandon and Ethan asking if they intended to renew.  Ethan Nash did respond and let us know he planned to move out, but many attempts to ask Brandon failed – even by certified mail.

They vacated the house a few days after the lease expired on November 12, 2016 with no notice.  Because of this, they were charged for one additional month of rent per our lease that stipulates a 30 day notice must be given as a minimum.

Our contractor visited the house and provided a list of damages and repairs that were needed to restore the house back to move-in ready condition.  Below are the photos taken of the rooms although most of the damages cannot be seen in the pictures.

Here is a list of repairs that needed to be made:

• Pet damage to the carpeting in the two bedrooms.  Therefore, new flooring was required in two bedrooms
• Over-powering dog smell throughout the house
• Baseboard in two bedrooms were damaged and required replacement
• Three interior doors required replacement due to holes in the doors
• Master bedroom was painted a very dark charcoal color without consent or approval
• Several holes in the walls
• Entire house required re-painting
• Tenants placed three locksets on each of the three bedroom doors
• Outside trim required re-painting.  Brandon Fincke began painting the trim outside to a very light green color but never finished.  Therefore, all of the trim needed re-painted
• Parts of the laminate flooring in the main living area were separated
• Thermostat needed installed (originally agreed with Brandon that he would install it because there were a few days late on rent one month)

Below is a list of materials required to make the home move-in ready:

• Grout, thinset, and 260 floor tiles to remedy the two bedrooms
• New deadbolt for the door (keys were not returned)
• Thermostat and AC filter
• Ten gallons of interior wall paint
• One gallon exterior paint
• Two gallons interior primer
• Two gallons of semi-gloss paint for trim, baseboard, and doors
• Three interior 32″ doors
• Three new door knobs for the bedrooms
• 120 feet of new baseboard

The total cost of materials was $810.43.

Two water bills were left for us to pay which totaled $128.38.

The total cost of labor was $1,750 making a complete total of $2,688.81 in costs.

The security deposit on file was attributed to one additional month of rent since a notice was not given upon move-out.

We would not recommend renting to Brandon T Fincke or Ethan J Nash based on the following:

• Brandon Fincke had very poor communication and would not respond to messages
• Very high water consumption for two single adults
• Large cost of damages that were left for us to pay out of pocket.

Glen Perry and Adrianna Perry rented a home from us in 2014 in Rockledge, Florida.

The original lease was from November 1, 2014 through October 31, 2016.

Glen contacted us in July 2016 noting that him and his wife were having some personal problems and they had to break the lease. We were understanding with the situation until we saw the damages and the debris left behind.  In addition, they also did not pay rent for the month of June.

Below is pictures of the house and how they left it.

This is a list of damages and repairs that were required:

• The house smelled very badly of dog.  Required extensive work to rectify the smell.
• Dog poop was noted on the floors of a few rooms
• Candle wax was embedded on the tiles and grout in one of the bedrooms.
• Swimming pool had to be removed
• Blow-up hot tub had to be removed
• Large amount of trash and junk left behind throughout the house
• A large amount of pavers were placed in the backyard that had to be removed.
• Colored sand was placed below the pool which required removal
• Exterior lawn maintenance was not well-kept
• Two interior doors had holes in them and required repair
• Two door jambs were busted and required repair
• The ceilings appeared to have smoke damage and all of the ceilings needed re-painted
• All of the trim and baseboard required re-painting
• The entire interior of the property needed re-painted and several holes filled
• The handle to the refrigerator was broken off and required replacement
• Two windows – one in the master bedroom and one in the back bedroom – required replacement. We noted of a very small crack in a window in the kitchen but these two windows had very large cracks and were duct-taped.
• New closet door was needed in a bedroom due to a very large hole in the door
• Mini blinds were removed from the house and seven new blinds were needed
• Two ceiling fans were not working.  They were given a credit on a month of rent to purchase and replace but this was never completed

Below is a material list of items that were needed to put the house back into a move-in ready state:

• Two interior door knobs
• Two ceiling fans
• Ten gallons of interior wall paint
• Five gallons of white ceiling paint
• Two interior 24″ doors
• One 60″ sliding closet mirror door
• Seven mini blinds
• Two door jamb kits
• New handle for the refrigerator
• Two new windows

Cost of materials: $924.63

The total cost of labor was $2,580.97

A security deposit equal to one month of rent was kept, which effectively paid for the month of rent they were behind.  Late fees Therefore, the total cost we incurred out of pocket was $3,505.60

We would not recommend renting to Glen Perry or Adrianna Perry as future tenants based on how they left the house, the month of unpaid rent, and the breach of lease by putting in a pool and hot tub in the backyard.