As a landlord, finding the ideal resident to rent out your property is the most important step in leasing, and you have to spend significant time checking references and income and doing background checks. But, regardless of how much due diligence you perform, you can still encounter problems with residents. Here are some of the top five things residents try tricking landowners with.
Not Paying Rent On Time
Residents will try to take advantage of landlords and come up with excuses for 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 say they paid you when they have not, always keep up with necessary repairs on your property, and perform regular evaluations of the property to make sure everything is running smoothly.
Extra Occupants
Most people rent in areas where they know people or have friends, which is not a concern until your resident has a friend living with him or her who you are unaware of. If someone is staying at the property and isn’t on the lease, numerous problems could arise, from damaged property to noise complaints. The best way to avoid this is to make sure to state in the lease that no other person may live in the property except those on the lease and that failure to comply will result in eviction.
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 regular evaluations on your property and checking to see whether any pets have appeared.
Damages
Accidents happen and items break, but who ends up paying for the damages? If your lease is in order, and you perform evaluations before and after with the resident, you won’t have to be the one who pays the price. Make sure to make a list and do a walk through the property together on the first day your resident moves in, recording 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 claim that they did not create the new damages done to your property.
Escaping Eviction
Residents will try and say, and sometimes even take legal action, that they are being evicted unfairly. To avoid these encounters, have a clear and concise lease that states the rules specifically and declares the 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 market to rent.
Don’t want to deal with the stress of bad residents? With Real Property Management Excellence, you don’t have to. We can handle everything from damages to complaints and evictions, keeping your identity safe and keeping your mind sane. Don’t stress yourself out over a bad resident; allow us to do the work for you.
To find out more about the services Real Property Management Excellence offers, contact us online or call us at 919-827-1107 for more information.
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.