This is a story about a landlord, a tenant, an allegedly trashed Buckhead house and thousands of dollars.
The landlord won’t give back her tenant’s security deposit because she said his three dogs damaged her house, one she rented out for $75,000 a year.
The tenant is suing her for the money -- $30,000, which includes a refundable security deposit, one month’s rent paid “by mistake” – as well as interest and attorney’s fees.
The landlord is a woman named Sandra Weber.
The tenant was Hawks guard Jamal Crawford, who is making $10.1 million in the 2010-11 season.
The fingers are pointing both ways. Crawford wants his money. Weber says he shouldn’t get it because he violated the lease by having three dogs – two too many – in the house and that they chewed furniture and stained the carpet. Some of the damage was noted during a walk through after he moved out. The rest Weber saw after she moved back in the house.
“Some of it was, not after the fact, but after the inspection,” said Bob Thompson, Weber’s lawyer. “She was going to let it go, but then they sued her for $30,000.”
Crawford rented Weber’s home for a year. When he moved out in September 2010, Weber, along with Crawford’s realtor and manager, did a walkthrough of the home.
A move-out statement has the words “no defects” handwritten and initialed for the dining room, den, and laundry room. For the garage, the document lists that the room was “painted without authorization,” that the baseboard was replaced, wires have been cut and that there’s a smell.
An additional, typed-up move-out statement lists further damage: the garage door and trim were bitten by dogs; there were pet stains on the carpet; the door was ripped off the mailbox; and two chairs in a patio set were destroyed by pets, requiring Weber to replace the entire $3,800 set.
“I think it’s an unfortunate situation where sometimes people try to take advantage of other people. I am just going to take the high road and not talk about it in this setting. When it’s the proper time it will be dealt with,” Crawford told the AJC.
Crawford’s lawsuit was filed in Fulton County State Court. Weber filed a response, saying that he damaged the house. They are waiting to see what happens, Thompson said.
Reporter Michael Cunningham contributed to this article
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