Tenant will not stop smoking in my house. Tenant has broken lease many times for various things. I live next to her in the duplex. About 1 month a and a half ago she said she would sue me if I tried evicting her. She said she fell down the stairs and fractured hip. She has a hip replacement and came into the house with a bad hip by the way. Gave tenant 48 notice and then she cancelled on me last minute. I was to go inside and assess the smoking damage inside the house. I go inside my apt and it smells really strong of cigarrette yet again. Leave three VM's letting her know how much work I put into the apt and she is destrying it with her smoking. My cloths and body smell of cigarrete on my side even though I do not smoke. Tenant called back telling she's going to sue me for harrasment of herself and her daughter which is untrue. she also left me a VM saying she would sue me over some light bulbs in front of the house that I already replaced. I need to have serv pro go in there and quote me out a smoke damage removal from the carpets and walls. I cannot get in there at all. Please help!!!! --198.7.xxx.xxx

Good Luck. --71.205.xx.xx

New Jersey --192.4.xxx.xxx

Post eviction, serve notice, etc whatever your state law requires. I'm with J on this one: you need to be the one in charge, not the tenant (paraphrase of ALDO's rule: The Landlord is in charge, the Tenant is not). Sounds to me like this tenant is walking all over you. Bad Tenants can sense an inexperienced or weak LL and will not stop until they've ripped you off and you go broke. Don't let it happen. Stand up for yourself. No more verbal communication with this joker. Send all notices via certified letters, do not answer phone calls from this tenant, everything goes thru your attorney. Start today, have her gone by the end of the month. Clean up and re-rent. Enjoy life! --204.80.xxx.xx

BTW, if you don't take our advice...I'M GONNA SUE YOU! (said in whiny voice of stupid tenant who spends all day watching Jerry Springer Show). --204.80.xxx.xx

Post a 24hr notice for inspection of damaged unit to align with written moving notice, while there remind tenant that the smoke damage alone will be expensive so you would like to hire a painter to begin now and charge it into the next months rent as damage. Take 2 painters in to check in detail of room sizes and costs to mitigate the smoke damage, ask for written estimates and ask them in the tenant presence if they will testify in court on the condition of this unit - take the camera with you also to get the tenant smoking pictures and the painter also for credibility. On the next showing you remind them you do not rent to smokers or pets over 15lbs. --99.147.xx.xxx

Your tenant is a bully and has probably gotten her way many time by being like this. Stop talking to her. Get an eviction lawyer and let him do his job. --12.77.xx.x

Where is pmh posting "sell"? I feel so special... --162.114.xx.xx

Hire an eviction attorney and stop being your tenant's doormat. --71.126.xxx.xx

doesn't sound like landlording is for you. --96.237.xxx.xxx