Having trouble with a problem tenant? Or are you wondering what you would do in the event of a tenant who wasn’t following through on a contract? Before you consider forcing a tenant to leave because of late rent payments or untidiness, get in touch with a rental property manager. Having assistance with the eviction process can save you legal strife, because there are a lot of rules that you may not know.
Grounds for eviction and the process are different in every state. In no state are you allowed to forcibly remove a tenant’s belongings from the property and toss them into the street or the driveway, no matter how frustrated you are with the people. Nor can you lock tenants out, turn off utilities, or do anything else to make them leave. Even if you handle the problem in a rational manner, getting tenants out involves a good amount of legal headache, and doing it alone makes the chance of mistakes rise.
Anything you do in the process can be used against you in a court of law, and will have to hold up for scrutiny by a judge in the event of a lawsuit. Skip the risk, however large or small it may be, and let a property manager handle the problem for you. You can easily find help by looking online, and companies like Rhino Management offer eviction services. We even handle tenant complaints before anything gets serious on either end. If things have escalated, get help before things spin out of control. Even the best of us get frustrated and make unwise decisions when feeling cornered or threatened. Let a property manager step in and ease the strain.
It’s understandable to want to evict a tenant who is consistently behind on payments, engages in criminal activities, breaks rules that are specifically outlined in the contract, lets people stay with them for long periods of time, and the list goes on for problematic behaviors. However, legally, you cannot forcibly remove a tenant from the property or threaten them. Everything must be done under the law (and if there is criminal activity occurring, report it to the police – do not try to handle it yourself). Make sure that the contract you’ve written is clear and detailed so that you can use it to help you if a court appearance is needed, either asked for by you or if you are sued by a tenant. Do everything you can to stay in line with the laws – the easiest way to do this is to get help from a property manager. With their legal training and skill, things will go smoothly and the odds of things going badly on your end will decrease.
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