JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Last Friday, Carl Brav evicted the tenants from his St. Augustine property. He said they had been at the property for a year when they got behind on the lease.
What he discovered during the eviction process was something he describes as unreal.
It was awful," he said.
Brav has been a landlord for a decade and said this is a first.
He said the former tenants not only trashed his property, but they allowed a pig to live in the house; not a potbelly pig, but a full-grown hog.
"It is unreal," Brav said. "A pig was in the middle of the house; dogs were in the closet and I was supposed to get the place back."
Eventually, the animals were removed. But Brav said the tenants also took his personal belongings.
"I called the police and the police said do you have proof the stuff was yours?" he said.
He was told if he didn't that makes it a civil matter. Brav had already spent $400 to evict the tenants and he wasn't ready to spend more money to recover his loss.
Brav and his family are now in the processing of restoring the property. They estimated it will cost them about $2,000 since they're doing most of the work themselves.
After ten years in the landlord and tenant business, Brav said he will be more diligent going forward as to who he will have as a tenant.
"From now on I will do background checks and credit checks on everybody," he said.
Florida's Chapter 83 of state statues covers the relationship between the landlord and the tenant.
The law is there to protect the property owner as well as the tenant. If there are questions or concerns; either party can contact the state at 1-800-435-7352.