Are Landlords Responsible for Tenants’ Behavior?
Landlords pre-screen tenants to know whether or not they have prior criminal convictions, evictions, and poor credit records. Smart landlords take precautions to protect themselves from liability to third parties due to tenant behavior. But in Georgia, a recent court decision stated that a landlord was not responsible for his tenant’s alleged drug dealing, and a small-claims court suit against him was dismissed. The plaintiff, Lori Davis, accused landlord John Weigle, Jr. of renting a property in her neighborhood as a “known neighborhood drug house.” A judge in Richmond County, GA ruled that she failed to prove that the landlord owes her $5,000 due to his management of the rental property. He says he had no knowledge of his tenant dealing drugs. Davis is described as an activist, pushing for a new city law to hold property owners responsible for Chronic Nuisance Properties. Current state law in Georgia says that landlords are not responsible to third parties for their tenants’ behavior
