In a perfect world, every tenant would pay their rent on time and cause no property damage. Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world and as long as it keeps turning, there will be bad tenants. Odds are, if you are reading this, you just might be renting to one. If you want to learn how to get rid of a bad tenant, the first step is to know how to identify one. In the interest of thoroughness, let’s define a bad tenant.
A bad tenant is a renter who does any or all of the following:
- Fails to pay rent
- Violates the lease
- Causes significant property damage
- Breaks noise, occupancy, or health ordinances
- Cause health or safety hazards
How to Get a Tenant to Vacate
So how do you get rid of a bad tenant? What is the best practice for getting a tenant to vacate your rental property now and forevermore? There are a couple of options for how this might be dealt with depending on your situation.
Talk to the Tenant
If your renter has good intentions and poor financial management, this might be your best option. There is a chance that a civil discussion could help your tenant to see the error in his or her ways and understand why they can no longer live in your rental property. Having this conversation in a public place is a good idea, as it might keep your tenant from causing a scene. It is smart to have a script written out so that you cover everything that you need to say, and you do not get worked up and cause the situation to escalate. It will be an awkward conversation but having that conversation is a lot classier than slapping an eviction notice onto their door in the middle of the night. You might be able to save yourself some of the trouble of a court case.
Evict the Tenant
If you have tried talking to your tenant and have gotten nowhere, it might be time to consider eviction. When evicting a tenant, do not take matters into your own hands. You will need a court order before you can remove the tenant’s belongings or the tenant, change the locks, or shut of any essential utilities. Become well acquainted with the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act and carefully follow the rules so that the court has no reason to rule against you. You will need documented proof of your reason for evicting the tenant (see the bulleted list on what makes a bad tenant). You have to give a formal notice of eviction—this is usually a document that gives an ultimatum. For example: pay the rent that you owe, or you will be evicted. Make sure that the eviction notice establishes why the tenant is being evicted as well as what they can do to avoid the eviction.
Pay the Tenant to Leave
Now, this last idea is much less conventional than the previous ideas but it is interesting nonetheless. This seems to be a contradictory method since odds are you are evicting the tenant because they owe you money. If the amount you would lose on the tenant by paying them off is less than the amount you would spend on an eviction case, paying the client to leave might be worth it!
Hire a Property Management Company in Provo
A property management company, such as Keyrenter Provo, can take over the duties of dealing with tenants. If you do not have the time or do not want the responsibility, Keyrenter will get the job done for you in a timely and efficient manner. Contact our expert team today at (801) 614-2000.