Is It Time to Evict Your Tenant? Find Out

• Author: Jeffrey Simmons
• Posted: 2024-06-20

Your rental property is a reliable venture as a housing investor. Therefore, you must do your best to ensure that it raises your expected income. That includes taking proper care of all the houses to improve occupancy. Timely renovations will also help to attract and retain tenants. Failure to fulfill your property owner duties can land you in trouble with the authorities.

Occupants have the right to take you to court for abdicating some of the property owner's duties as indicated in the constitution. On the other hand, you can take action against any tenant that breaches the rental agreement, including evictions, if any of your occupants have any following behaviors:

They Have Not Been Paying Their Rent on Time for Several Months

All your tenants must pay rent by the date indicated in the lease agreement. If that doesn't happen, you have the right to take the necessary legal measures to compel them to pay you what you deserve. You can decide to give your tenant time to pay the accrued rental fees if they request it. They might be facing financial challenges, and it might only be fair to settle the debt if they promise to honor their pledge. However, if you give them time but the same trend continues, start the eviction process before the debt becomes too much.

They Have Been Disturbing Neighbors

As a property owner, it's your responsibility to examine all your tenants before allowing them to rent your property. Unfortunately, it might be hard to detect bad behavior during your interview. Therefore, when they move into your houses, they might start disturbing other neighbors. For example, they might dump rubbish around the compound, play loud music, or be hostile to other renters. When this happens, the aggrieved parties might be afraid of confronting the neighbor who has been irritating them.

Occupants might feel safer to report the incidents to you to take the appropriate action. When this happens, organize a meeting with the annoying tenant and tell them that the other renters complain about their behavior. Then, ask them to live in harmony with their neighbors. However, if the bad behavior continues, serve the misbehaving tenant with an eviction notice, indicating the time you want them to vacate your premises.

Your Tenant Has Been Vandalizing Your Property

As a property owner, you are responsible for keeping your property in good condition. That includes hiring an expert to repair any damaged components when a tenant reports a problem in their house. However, the law is clear about the renovations you should and should not handle. For example, it's your responsibility to regularly repaint all the houses and address all other normal wear and tear issues.

However, tenants have to repair all the components they damage. They can hire experts themselves or ask you to employ yours and deduct the repair fees from their rental charges. Some tenants might be willing to pay for the repairs, while others might refuse, claiming it's your responsibility. You have the right to evict them from your property when this happens.

Your Tenant Has Refused to Move after the Lease Period Ends

One of the factors in the lease agreement is the duration a tenant plans to stay in your property. When the period ends, they have the option of renewing the contract or vacating your property. However, if the rental period ends and the client does not indicate the willingness to prolong the rental period or vacate the house, file a formal eviction with the relevant authorities and follow the proper procedure.

The court might rule in your favor if you have not accepted any rent after the expiry of the lease agreement or you have not committed any other irregularity. In that case, the judge will instruct the tenant to vacate your premises by a specific date. However, if that does not happen, seek the assistance of the law providers to help you remove the tenant from your property.

Bottom Line

Apart from the situations above, there are many other reasons you can evict tenants from your property. However, remember that tenants also have rights. Therefore, before evicting them from your house, find out what your state's eviction laws indicate to ensure that you don't get into trouble with the authorities. If possible, consult a professional lawyer for advice. They will direct on the best action to take whenever any of your tenants go against the directions in the lease agreement.