Being a landlord has its perks, but there are going to be difficult things you have to deal with as well.
Finding great tenants is every property owner's dream, but even with a thorough tenant vetting system, you won't know what you have until they're in there. In the worst circumstances, you may get to the point where you have to evict someone.
No landlord likes evicting a tenant, but desperate times call for desperate measures. In this post, we're going to give you a step-by-step guide through the eviction process so that you can get the bad tenant out and a good one in. Keep reading and you'll be able to efficiently deal with your problem tenants.
Try to Reason With the Tenant
There are various reasons why you might want to evict a tenant, but the best thing to do first is to try and reason with them. Whether it's a few late payments or a noise complaint, refer them to your rental agreement and give them one more chance before you take further action.
Look At Eviction Laws
Having given them a bit more rope, you need to look at state eviction laws to make sure that you actually can evict them. In most places, evictions are possible if the landlord can prove a track record of late or missed payments, illegal behavior, or disrupting the neighbors. It can also be helpful to discuss matters with an attorney that specializes in eviction law.
As long as you're not unlawfully evicting a tenant, then you should be good to proceed with the eviction notice when the time is right.
Evicting a Tenant With a Quit Notice
Quit notices come in three forms:
- Pay rent or quit notices inform the tenant that they must pay their rent within a given time frame or vacate the property.
- Cure or quit notices inform the tenant that they must rectify the damage they've done or immediately cease unruly behavior.
- Unconditional quit notices inform the tenant that they must vacate the property within a given time frame - there's nothing that can be done to rectify the situation.
Usually, you'd give the tenant one of the first two quit notices, then when nothing is rectified, serve them the unconditional quit notice. Some states allow you to go straight to unconditional quit notices.
Going to Court
If a tenant fails to vacate your property even after they've been served a quit notice, you may end up in court. As long as you've got documentation of the tenant's wrongdoing over a long period of time, it should be a quick process that goes in your favor.
Help From a Property Manager
Evicting a tenant isn't an overly complicated process, but it can be somewhat gruelling. If you want to avoid going through this process, it can be really helpful to hire a property manager. A good property manager will not only take care of your evictions, but they'll advertise your property and interview tenants so that you're getting the best possible ones.
Five Star Property Management is San Mateo's best full-service property manager. To learn more about our services, visit our website and when you're ready to talk about how we can help you maximize your property, don't hesitate to contact us.