Q: If I let a “friend” live in my empty home and she destroyed walls carpet etc can I sue after I’ve fixed it and sold it?
Pet urine on all carpeting and major drywall damage. Also painted when I asked her not to so repainted the entire home. I have receipts & before her photos of home. After her. And after fixing. Thank you! Going to try and resolve out of court but first want to make sure I can. Also We did have a contract I made which she signed.
A:
You may have a small claims action, but before you go that route, consider what your time and money is worth. Also - and this may sound like a dumb question, but is something you'd need to legally prove - how can you prove she lived there or that the place was not in that condition before she did live there? And how are you going to prove when she left? What if she says she never lived there?
This is why apartment complexes and other landlords have people - even "friends" - sign leases. So that there is no question how things were and how things are now.
The last consideration is what will happen if you win? Does this friend have a job or other assets you can legally collect from? If she normally runs up a lot of debt and goes from job-to-job or works "under the table", good luck, as you might find yourself with a piece of paper saying she owes you money and not much else.
1 user found this answer helpful
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
