As a landlord, finding the right resident to rent out your property is one of the most essential steps in leasing, and you have to spend significant time checking references and income and doing background checks. Still, regardless of how much due diligence you perform, you may still encounter issues with residents. Here are some of the top five things residents try tricking landowners with.
Paying Rent
The first is not paying rent on time. Residents will try to take advantage of landlords and give excuses on why they have not timely paid their rent. 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 prevent these excuses is to keep records of rent collection so your residents can never claim they paid you when they have not, always keep up with necessary repairs on your property, and do regular evaluations of the property to ensure everything is running smoothly.
Extra Occupants
Next, residents try to get away with a person living at the property who is not on the lease. Majority of people rent in areas where they know people or have friends, which is not an issue until your resident has a friend staying with him or her you had no idea about. If someone is living at the property and isn’t on the lease, many issues could arise, from damaged property to noise complaints. The best way to keep this from happening is to make sure to indicate in the lease that no other person may live in the property except those on the lease and that failure to observed said rule will result in eviction.
Furry Friends
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 with no consent from the landlord and without paying a pet fee, if applicable. Avoid this by performing regular evaluations on your property and checking to see whether any pets have surfaced.
Accidental Damages
The fourth thing is damages. Accidents happen and items break, but who has to pay 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 apartment with the same list that has all the preexisting damages so your resident can’t argue that they did not deal the new damages to your property.
Avoiding Eviction
The fifth and final thing residents try to get away with is dodging eviction. Residents will try and argue, and sometimes even take legal action, that they are being evicted unjustly. To avoid these conflicts, have a clear and concise lease that states the rules explicitly and states what qualifies as terms for eviction. This way, if the resident tries to take legal action, you have a great chance of winning your case, and if the resident refuses to move, you can take legal action to get them out of your property and get it back on the rental property market.
In Conclusion
Don’t want to deal with the hassle of bad residents? With Real Property Management East San Gabriel Valley, you won’t have to. We can handle everything from damages to complaints and evictions, protecting your identity and keeping your mind sane. Don’t stress yourself out over a problematic resident; let us do the work for you.
To learn more about the services that Real Property Management East San Gabriel Valley offers, contact us online or call us at 626-600-2884 today.
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.