Landlords often come across bad tenants that are hard to handle and cause trouble for others living in the neighborhood. If you are a landlord dealing with this problem, this post is for you.
5 Tips to Deal with Bad Tenants
The five tips mentioned below will help you deal with terrible tenants.
- Stay Calm, Be Objective and Think Rationally
While it is easier to get angry at unruly tenants, do not let your emotions get the better of you. As a landlord, you need to act as a voice of reason. Therefore, you must deal with the situation carefully and listen to both sides of the story, i.e., the complainant and the tenant causing trouble. This will help as your tenant will be more receptive instead of acting out.
- Document Everything
You can avoid conflict with any troublesome tenants by documenting everything in writing. This may increase your workload a little, but it is one of the best ways to deal with bad tenants. You must clearly state all rules, terms, conditions, and responsibilities that a tenant must fulfill in a tenancy agreement.
- Try to Gain the Confidence of Other Tenants/Residents
If you are a landlord of multi-family apartments or property and have to deal with bad tenants, try to get other tenants on your side. You can request them to witness the behavior of the tenant in question.
In case you are a landlord of a house in a neighborhood, you can seek the support and confidence of other residents. They can bear witness to your claims against the tenant in a court of law.
- Ask the Bad Tenant to Leave
If you reach a breaking point, it is best to ask the bad tenants to leave your property. While getting your rebellious tenant to leave voluntarily can be difficult, it’s not impossible. You can start by sending a written notice to your tenant asking them to vacate the property as per your lease terms.
If the tenant leaves as per the contract, then great! If not, unfortunately, you will not be able to force the tenant out of the property. If the tenant refuses to leave, you will only have the option to pursue a costly eviction process.
- Starting Eviction Process
Eviction of the tenant should always be your last resort since it can be an expensive process. As a landlord, you must familiarize yourself with an eviction process and all legal requirements associated with it. However, many states allow you to evict a tenant only if:
- Your tenant fails to pay their rent at all
- Your tenant fails to vacate the property once the lease ends
- Your tenant violates the terms and conditions stated in the lease contract
Therefore, you must remember that you cannot evict a tenant just because you cannot get along or do not like them.
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