Suing a foreign tenant

[Greg G]

Jurisdiction

California

I have a rental application from a foreign family that wants to have an adult and 3 children lease our house for 1 year while they study English. They have $100K in a bank account to cover the expenses for the year and income of $200K per year.

In the event that they tried to leave before the lease was up and their security deposit wasn't enough to cover any remaining rent, how could I sue them in a California small claims court? Serving them in a foreign country would be difficult and how would I collect on any judgement?

Any advice from landlords that have rented to foreign nationals?

Thanks!

 

[adjusterjack]

I've never had the occasion to rent to foreigners but common sense tells me if they skip out on the lease you might as well just accept it as a cost of being a landlord and move on. It's hard enough to sue and collect from local deadbeats.

Common sense also tells me that you get as much rent and as big a deposit as the law allows.

California allows you a maximum security deposit of the equivalent of two months rent if unfurnished and 3 months rent if furnished.

See 1950.5 (c) at:

CA Codes (civ:1940-1954.1)

If you are renting furnished you get the first month's rent plus the equivalent of 3 months rent as security deposit. And you get the whole amount upon signing the lease, none of this part now part later.

Make sure you read the entire security deposit statute and the landlord tenant statute in its entirety and learn your rights and obligations.

Oh, one thing I always did when I had rentals was I went to pick up rent personally on the due date. That was written into the lease and it gave me the opportunity to look around and see if the property was being taken care of .

 

[army judge]

I have a rental application from a foreign family that wants to have an adult and 3 children lease our house for 1 year while they study English. They have $100K in a bank account to cover the expenses for the year income of $200K per year.

In the event that they tried to leave before the lease was up and their security deposit wasn't enough to cover any remaining rent, how could I sue them in a California small claims court? Serving them in a foreign country would be difficult and how would I collect on any judgement?

Any advice from landlords that have rented to foreign nationals?

Thanks!

If I couldn't properly vet a prospective tenant, I would refuse to rent to him or her.

In the situation you propose, I'd walk away from that deal.

My "spidey" senses are easily aroused.

I've never been hurt by being too cautious.

With foreign nationals, once they go rogue, you have no legal remedies.

 

[mightymoose]

Ditto... Is simply rent to someone else who didn't raise all these concerns.