As a landlord, finding the right resident to rent out your property is the most crucial step in leasing, and you need to spend significant time checking references and income and performing background checks. But regardless of how much due diligence you do, you may still meet issues with residents. Here are five common things that residents try to get away with.
The first is not paying rent on time. Residents will attempt to exploit landlords and come up with excuses for why they have not paid their rent on time. Popular excuses range from “I’m waiting for my paycheck from work to come in” to “You haven’t repaired damages in the house, so I shouldn’t have to pay rent until they are fixed.” The best way to avoid these excuses is to keep records of rent collection so your residents can never claim they paid you when they have not, always stay up to date on vital repairs on your property, and keep up with regular evaluations of the property to make sure everything is running well.
Next, residents try to get away with a person living at the property who is not on the lease. Many people rent in areas where they know people or have friends, which is not an issue until your resident has a friend living with him or her who you are unaware of. If someone is living at the property and isn’t on the lease, many problems can arise, from damaged property to noise complaints. The best way to keep this from happening is to make sure to include in the lease that no other person may stay in the property except those on the lease and that failure to comply will result in eviction.
The third thing residents try to get away with is keeping pets in a “no pet policy” property. Most residents will wait weeks or even months after they move in to try and sneak a pet into the property without the consent of the landlord and without paying a pet fee, if applicable. Prevent this by maintaining routine evaluations on your property and checking to see whether any pets have shown up.
The fourth thing is damages. Accidents happen and items break, but who ends up paying for the damages? If your lease is in order, and you do evaluations before and after with the resident, you won’t have to be the one who pays the price. Make sure to create a list and do a walk through the property together on the first day your resident moves in, marking all preexisting damages. Then, the day before your resident moves out, walk through the property with the same list that has all the preexisting damages so your resident can’t claim that they did not create the new damages done to your property.
The fifth and final thing residents try to get away with is escaping eviction. Residents will try and argue, and occasionally even take legal action, that they are being evicted unfairly. To avoid these issues, have a clear and concise lease that states the rules specifically and declares what qualifies as terms to evict. This way, if the resident attempts to take legal action, you have a good chance of winning your case, and if the resident refuses to move, you can take legal action to get them off your property and get it back on the market to rent.
Don’t want to deal with the trouble of bad residents? With Real Property Management Brevard you don’t have to. We can handle everything from damages to complaints and evictions, guarding your identity and keeping your mind sane. Don’t stress yourself out over a bad resident; allow us to do the work for you.
Would you like to know more? Schedule an appointment with Real Property Management Brevard for a free assessment of your property. For more information, contact us online or call us at 321-610-8022.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
