Nightmare Tenants Making Your Life Miserable?

You’ve heard the stories, right? Nightmare tenants, the unexpected blow to our heads as landlords and real estate investors. They’re always there to ruin the fun. From trashing the property, ignoring eviction notices, to intense criminal behavior, people always find ways to be a major pain. With just a few minutes on Reddit, you can already see numerous unfortunate circumstances as narrated by anonymous landlords. See a few of them down below:

1. Some crazy tenant physically moved the kitchen island to the pool area so they could have an outdoor serving area. Another did the same thing to turn the kitchen island into a fountain! We could at least hope they transferred it on wheels.
2. A landlord got a few calls from their new tenant complaining about roaches. He got a little suspicious because the previous tenant NEVER had roach problems. After a series of events, the tenants eventually left, and when the landlord decided to check the unit, they discovered the reason why they called up that day. There were discarded clothes, plates, glasses, bottles, and roaches all over the apartment! Many, many roaches. The worst part is, the cleaners wouldn’t clean the place until the roaches were gone, and pest control wouldn’t do their job if there were still junk around.
3. When this one carpenter got evicted, he made sure he got the last laugh. Before he left, he bore a hole in the drywall, filled it up with a lot of dead fish, and covered it back up. The landlord couldn’t understand why the smell wouldn’t go away. They discovered the source only after they still couldn’t get rid of the stench after repainting the walls and hiring countless professionals to clean up the place.

Even if we don’t have any valid proof to back these stories up, you’ve either heard of similar accounts from other people or worse, you’ve seen them for yourself! Either way, great landlords like you don’t deserve to go through the trouble of fixing significant damage, going through unjust pest issues, and smelling a bunch of dead fish on the property. Some even have to rebuild the house just because a tenant felt like burning the house down before moving out!

But how can you stop these things from happening? Or the better question for you might be, how can you stop these things from happening again?

 

Keep Bad Tenants Away from Your Property

To avoid these people from stepping into your doors, we’ve noted a few things to help you get started.

Do keep in mind that not having someone renting on your property can be financially better in the long run than letting a problematic tenant continue living there. If you remember the stories from earlier, think of all total costs for repairs that may accumulate over time for a tenant that destroys your apartment slowly, but surely.

We understand that these people might have unresolved issues that need to be fixed, but at the same time, we’re also people that have problems to address ourselves!

A little disclaimer before we begin: This is not an extensive guide to show you all the possibilities but more of a helping hand to point you in the right direction.

The Value of Due Diligence

There’s a reason why banks always do credit checks and employment verification. You can’t just let someone move in without looking into their records. The houses you own are like our bodies, you have to make sure that what you eat is safe and not going to cause you harm. Otherwise, you might be in for a long recovery period.

Double-checking things on the forms you have is a small security measure that can save you from possibly one of the worst experiences of your life. You also want to check your potential tenant’s rental history just to be safe. Recommendations from previous landlords are also good as well. Take note, previous landlords, not current ones. The latter might be trying to pass their hot potato to you!

Even if they’re acquaintances of your friends and family, don’t blindly put your trust in them. If they don’t meet the standards, like a questionable credit score, or a suspicious history, then “No” is an acceptable answer. It’s better to find a better tenant later than a questionable one now.

Know the People Who Might Take Advantage of You

Speaking of friends and family, they might not be the best tenants for you. While they are the people you love, as far as your business is concerned, they’re likely to expect that their love is enough to pay for their dues, even if they don’t mean it.

We know it might be difficult to reject them, and that not all of them would be bad, but it’s always a good practice to recommend them to another landlord both to your benefit. If it bothers you to have that mindset, remember that have a business to run, not a charity organization.

For students or those who’ve just started working, try to get co-signatures from their legal guardians or partners to keep yourself safe from them failing to pay rent. In the same spectrum, do the extra mile for newly-weds to ensure that each of the two can take care of themselves if ever the knot gets untied and the other half leaves.

Have a Foolproof Rental Agreement

Bad tenants are allergic to landlords who know what they’re doing (or those that at least look like they do.) Once they see you’ve got all the bases covered, they’ll likely go for a different victim. Good tenants, on the other hand, usually won’t have problems with the rules.

If a bad apple does manage to get through, you’re going to have to depend on the signed paperwork to serve as a strong deterrent for any improper behavior to keep your pockets (and sanity) safe.

As a side tip, don’t settle for verbal agreements. If the paper shows the rules about late fees, enforce it. Once you let two days slide, you might find yourself allowing them to be late for two months!

 

What If Bad Tenants Get Through?

The countermeasures listed above only act as a screening process for job applicants. As mentioned earlier, bad tenants can still find their way into your homes, just like how smart criminals can live normally and get credit through financial institutions.

If that’s the case for you, don’t worry! The worst is yet to come, but it’s up to you to make sure that it doesn’t happen.

So, what do you do?

Know the Eviction Process

Eviction is one of the best ways to deal with nightmare tenants, but the process can get quite tedious. In Florida, you’re looking at a few weeks to months! Because it’s different for each state, make sure you have an eviction lawyer to help you out. They know the ins and outs of the legal process and their wisdom can definitely benefit your quest to make your life easier.

But even if you’ll be getting help from a lawyer, understanding the rights of your tenants and the rules that precede in your area is a must. Knowledge is power. You don’t want to be at war with a tenant who knows a lot more than you.

The Secret of Cash for Keys

Cash for keys is as simple as it sounds. You give your bad tenants some cash for the keys to the property. Yes, that does mean paying your tenants to leave or buying yourself out of the problem.

It’s not the best solution out there, but if it works for you and the tenant, why not? The villains get out unscathed with justice unserved but you save a lot of money from extra costs and a possible renovation project from an angry tenant.

The Panic Button to Get Rid of Bad Tenants

Does nothing seem to work out? Do you still get irritating tenants over and over again? If there’s a button that would get this headache out of your life, would you press it?

Fortunately for you, there is – just sell your property! Trade your problems for money and peace of mind. Save the hairs on your head from being pulled out while having more time on the things that matter.

But the question is, how can you sell your house and who do you sell it to?

Your best bet is to talk to investors who know what they’re doing. We from Shorefront Investments can help you out! We can give you a free quote. You don’t have to do anything stressful anymore since we’ll do all the work for you. With our years of experience in real estate, you don’t have to worry about us having a hard time. You can call us at (850) 713-4866, send us an email, or fill a form on our front page.