Best Ways to Avoid Renting to Nightmare Tenants

Renting your property doesn’t always go smoothly. It would be an ideal rental experience if all your tenants would pay rent on time and care for your property as if it were their own, but that’s not always the case; there will always be bad tenants that will damage your property and impede your rental flow.

Even though you can always do an in-depth tenant background check on your own, hiring a Real Estate Management Software Solution can help you avoid these nightmare tenants.

To limit the potential risks of hiring bad tenants in the future, let us give you some of the best ways to avoid renting to nightmare tenants.

1. Make Your Rental Property Desirable

You will more likely attract good tenants if your property is in good condition. Neglected properties will only attract people who cannot secure a nicer home. Tenants who choose to live in a desirable rental property will almost certainly maintain and take better care of it.

Good tenants will not rent a property with many maintenance issues, and they surely wouldn’t pay rent in full if they know that they are not receiving good value for the property.

2. Get Enough References

All potential tenants need to complete a rental application. Don't try to hasten this process; it’s very important to know their rental history and financial capabilities. Be wary of tenants who will give you an upfront payment just to skip this process. Contact their previous landlord and their employer to verify if the things they put in their application are true.

It is also better if you find the number of the employer yourself because some tenants will supply their friend's phone number to disguise themselves as their employer. Taking the extra mile to fully reference your tenants will help you avoid nightmare tenants in the future.

3. Match the Property to Suit the Occupants' Needs

Try to match the property with the lifestyle or the needs of the occupants. You don't say yes to a renter just because they can pay you well; for example, it is not smart to allow a family of five to rent a two-bedroom apartment because it’ll just be prone to tenant damages. A growing family needs a lot more space than that. Having too many occupants in a small rental property will make it more difficult for them to keep it in good condition.

4. Make Sure all of the Paperwork is Established

The tenancy agreement should be properly discussed to avoid future problems. It should contain important clauses such as the dos and don'ts, the apartment eviction process, and rules about subletting, pets, noise, revision of rent, and so on. Tenants must be fully aware of these things to avoid problems, especially when it comes to apartment eviction, where the landlord can give a residential eviction notice when the tenants fail to pay rent two months in a row.

There should also be a complete inventory and photos that will serve as a record and guide for tenants at the end of the tenancy. Having proof like this will let them know how to leave the rental property properly without any problems and how to get their security deposit back.

Make sure that all of the paperwork is filed and understood by the tenants to prevent problems in the future. If you fail to serve it correctly, then you may find yourself having to pay fines and it will make it much more difficult to evict those nightmare tenants. Everything can be used against you if you fail to make sure that all the paperwork is in place.

5. Maintain a Good Relationship

Try to have a good relationship with your tenants by keeping open communication with them. Listening to their complaints and responding promptly to any maintenance issues will make them feel that they are being served well. It is also good to visit their place regularly to avoid major repairs. Delaying responses will just make them angry, and that's the last thing you want to happen.

How to Evict Nightmare Tenants 

If you’re dealing with a nightmare tenant, there are legal steps that you can take. Nightmare tenants are unavoidable sometimes, even if you do a thorough tenant screening.

The eviction process varies by jurisdiction, but below are some of the standard steps to follow when evicting nightmare tenants.

Check Applicable Landlord-Tenant Laws

The first thing to do is check the local laws in your municipality and make sure that you’re on the right side. It‘s better if you speak with a real estate lawyer so they can give you advice on what you need to do.

Legal Reasons to Evict Tenants

Once you’ve reviewed the laws, you need a valid and legal reason why you need to evict a particular tenant. Some of the tenant violations that can be grounds for eviction include; conducting illegal activity, failure to pay rent, subletting, or violating the rental agreement repeatedly.

Discuss the Issue with the Tenant

The eviction procedure can be time-consuming and costly. Discussing the eviction problem with the tenant without going through the complicated process will save you time and money. Most tenants will realize that they can’t afford to have a bad mark on their credit report; if you discuss the repercussions of going through an eviction, they may realize that it’s better to leave than to get evicted.

You may even want to offer the tenant a sum of money to move out voluntarily to save both parties from the high cost of eviction.

Written Notice of Eviction

To formalize your complaint, you should serve the tenant with the proper written notice of eviction. This may include a “quit or pay” notice stating that the rent is overdue and must pay in full, including fees, or leave the property without delay. Other forms of notice of evictions are the “cure or quit” notice and the “unconditional” notice.

Sue for an Eviction

If you can’t handle your nightmare tenant at all, you may want to hire a lawyer to handle the eviction proceedings. This will be very pricey, but it will guarantee you that you’re doing it legally. Some landlords fail to evict their tenants lawfully, which costs them a lot in damages.

Court Hearing

Make sure that you and your lawyer bring all of the necessary documents needed for the case. Some things that you need to bring include payment records, the original lease agreement, evidence, a copy of the notice of eviction, etc.

Evict the Tenant

Once you’ve done all of the property eviction processes properly, you’ll have a big chance that the court will rule to your advantage. The court will give an order that will allow you to evict the tenant from your property legally.

Local law enforcement will have a copy of the writ and will give the tenant time to vacate the property; otherwise, they have the right to physically remove the evicted tenant and confiscate their belongings.

Past Due Rent Collection

The court will grant you to collect past due payments once you win the case. Most landlords will hire a collection agency, especially if the tenant is hard to locate.

Final Words

Every landlord experiences a nightmare tenant at some point. Make sure you follow the tips above to avoid and legally evict these people. You can also choose to hire a real estate management software solution company to help you attract and screen the right tenants for you, such as ExactEstate. Let us set up a free demo for you.