I have a couple that moved in June 1 and I just received an email from the woman saying that she and the man have broken up and now she can’t afford the apartment on her own. She asked him to leave, but he’s refusing since he’s on the lease. My objective now is to minimize any loss of rent or damage to the apartment. Is it better to keep the deposit and have them move out by June 30 or tell her that I’m not going let her out of the lease and she needs to see if she can get a roommate or something but risk her not being able to pay the rent me having to evict her.

It’s a desirable apartment in a desirable neighborhood and I’m usually able to rent it in a couple of weeks.

Thoughts and constructive feedback.

Over my 48 years of being a landlord or rental income property, I've had maybe 20 to 30 couples breakup at the beginning of their lease. Each and every time I'm asked to step in and help out, it back fires around 30% of the time -- I end up being the bad guy!

So instead of being a savior to my tenants, I opt to protect my income stream by documenting everything!

Here is one horrible story. A married couple moved into a inexpensive No-bedroom unit. She had good credit and he had a solid job with minimal income. By themselves they couldn't afford a cardboard box, but together they could handle the rent.

The wife got board and got a new flavor of the month. Moved out and asked for a divorce. The husband kept the apartment because with his bad credit, he could never find another place to rent. The now x-wife moved in with her new fling.

Then the husband could afford the unit by himself and moved in his new girlfriend. For a short while things were great. Then the girl friend left and the husband had to move in with his parents.

The day before the husband moved, he called his x-wife, asking her to take the stuff she left behind. He left a new key under the door mat. She, unable to afford her new place, moved back into her old apartment, my unit.

So now the husband was gone but his x-wife too occupancy in her old unit. In Los Angeles, it is almost impossible to evict anyone for any reason--taking up to 1 year to evict and get a lock-out.

So I lost years worth of rent and paid my attorney $1,500. Losing over $17,000.

SO in my eviction case I did not ask for back damages, only an eviction. Then I sued the Husband, x-wife, the husbands new x-girlfriend, the x-wife's x-boyfriend, the co-signer mom and dad of the husband and the brother of the x-wife.

I gave all of them 30 days to pay up, or my case in small claims court would go forward.

They laughed at me. SO I sent a copy of the case filings to all of their bosses. I called my generosity back fired and using fraud the x-wife moved back in and took advantage of Los Angeles's loose eviction laws.

Then I went to a share holder meetings of the company the husband and his parents worked for. I got to speak. How I allowed him to stay even though his x-wife moved out and on his salary it was hard to pay the bills. And how the husband lift a key under the mat so the x-wife could steel 1 years worth of rent... Fraud and/or stupidity. And how the x-wife and husband made up and he stayed in the apartment when I wasn't looking.

I can't see any point in trying to retain a tenant that can not pay the rent. Have a hefty early termination fee in your lease so you don't have to return her deposit and if you can get it rented fast, you should end up OK. Summer is the easiest tie to find tenants.

Since they signed as a couple, and now they don't want to be a couple - let them pay you for changing the terms of the lease....breaking it.