When property owners decide to rent out their properties and they contact a property manager, the questions lurking in the back of their minds often start with “what if?” They wonder what will happen if they get a bad tenant and an eviction becomes necessary. Here’s the reality: there are three ways to reduce the risk of that happening.
3 Ways To Get Better Tenants
Application and Screening
A good application and screening process will dramatically cut down on your risk of eviction. When you work with a property management company, they will have a good one in place. If you’re not, find a screening company to perform this for you. The most important part of being a landlord is ensuring that an applicant is qualified to rent the property from you.
Lease and Property Managers
When you work with a property manager, you’ll have a good process in place to mitigate any risk to your property. A professional property manager understands tenants and will know how to handle them and read their signals. If rent starts to come in later and later, the property manager will know how to deal with that problem. Your property manager will also ensure a very detailed lease is in force, which is specific about the tenant’s responsibilities where rent is concerned.
Attorney
Access to a good attorney is essential. Bad tenants and evictions are handled according to your lease and through the law. There is nothing above or beyond that. You need to follow the lease and follow the law. Serve your tenants the property notice when they are late with rent. Most areas have a Notice to Pay or Quit. When that notice expires and you still don’t have your rent, an attorney will be able to file the proper complaint within the judicial system to get a court date. Once you have that court date, your attorney will represent you in front of a judge. You’ll be able to rely on your attorney until rent is collected or the eviction is finalized.
It’s very important that everything is done correctly so it stands up in court. A good property management company, working with a good attorney, will keep you protected. While the court system handles the eviction process and everything moves Evictionforward, you can reach out to your tenant directly and try to work with them to gain possession of the property. The entire eviction process equals money lost for you and time spent. It’s never a win. You want to get the tenant out and take the property back so it can go onto the rental market again. Negotiate with your tenants to get them out.
Another benefit to having a property manager and an attorney helping you is that they can take the emotion out of it. It’s hard not to feel hurt when rent isn’t paid, and it’s normal for your emotions to take over. A professional can get you out of that and help you avoid making bad decisions.
You need superior leasing, excellent screening and access to a great property manager and an experienced attorney if you want to avoid eviction. If you have any questions about this process, please contact us at Peabody Residential.