Owning a rental property is an excellent way to generate extra income for you and your family. However, if you are faced with bad tenants, your wonderful investment can quickly turn into a nightmare! In our latest post, we will provide you with our favorite tips for dealing with bad tenants!
Do own a rental in Southern California? Are you sick and tired of dealing with tenants who aren’t on time with rent or who are destructive to the property? If you have ever experienced a tenant like this, you’ll know it can quickly make you regret owning the rental in the first place! Usually, problems can be remedied on your own, without having to involve outside parties.
How to Deal With Bad Tenants in Southern California
Try To Be Understanding
Landlords should always try to be understanding, especially when it comes to renting payments. Yes, you need to treat your investments like a business, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be human as well.
If an otherwise wonderful tenant is late on rent, try to work with them. Maybe they had an unexpected expense pop up and they’ll be able to catch up on the rent soon. If you have an excellent renter who has only one minor infraction, try to overlook the problem. Chances are they’ll stay on top of their payments from then on and you won’t have any issues.
Stick to Your Guns
You can only be understanding to a point. Once it goes beyond that, you might find that you are dealing with a tenant who is looking for ways to skip out on rent or repairs. If you let someone pay rent late once, they are likely to want to do it again, and again, and again… Be firm with your policy regarding rent payment. While there are situations where you can be flexible, simply not having rent isn’t an excuse. This can be one of the most difficult parts of being a landlord and why many investors hire a property manager to collect rent on their behalf.
Document Everything
Any and all interactions should be recorded and saved. Write down conversation notes with a time and date, save all texts, emails, and any written contact. Take pictures as needed. In situations where damage has occurred or repairs are required.
Hire a Property Manager
If you are a landlord with multiple units, it is definitely worth your time to hire a property manager. A property manager will take care of all the day-to-day tasks of renting out your units, including screening tenants, taking care of maintenance, advertising your rentals, and handling tenant issues. This will free up your time so that you can focus on other things.
Eviction Process
Hopefully, you won’t ever have to deal with the eviction process as a landlord. It is a long and stressful process that varies state to state. First of all, you need to have a good reason to ask the tenant to move. They need to have broken the lease or be behind on rent. At NO point are you allowed to take matters into your own hands, even if they are causing property damage! You will need a court order to remove the tenant’s belongings or change the locks. You will want the courts to see you have done everything right so that they will have no choice but to be on your side in the matter. You will need to provide a formal notice of eviction that includes the day they need to pay by and the amount owed if they want to stay. Place it on their front door and send certified mail so you can prove it has been received. You will have to file with the courts and go through a hearing if the tenant still refuses to move. It is at this point you will be glad you documented everything!
Bad tenants are few and far between. With careful screening and an iron-clad lease, you can ensure a peaceful living environment for all of your tenants!