Identifying and Handling Problem Tenants

Problem tenants can make life extremely difficult for a landlord. Those that seemed to be perfectly reasonable tenants may soon turn out to be perfect horrors from hell. Or, they may rack up months of unpaid rent or past-due rent skipping without paying their dues. It is suggested you follow the following tips and strategies to help avoid renting to problem tenants or to handle them, if already stuck with them.

1. Insist everything should be in writing. Ask for references and follow up on them to ensure everything is as said to be. Include a code of conduct in your rental agreements, clearly stating action that will be taken if a tenant breaks the code.
2. Conduct background checks. A tenant who has posed problems for other landlords will have a record on his / her activities. There are different services that can provide a landlord with background information regarding prospective tenants, such as, criminal records, etc. allowing you to determine whether the applicant will prove to be a problem tenant or not.
3. Credit checks are essential. Along with background checks, get relevant information from applicants for your rental property that will allow you to perform a credit check. For credit checks, you require their full name and social security number on their application, including permission for you to perform the check.
4. Think with your head and not your heart. Don’t fall for any hard luck story as problem tenants are master craftsmen, able to weave a tale of hardship and woes, taking in landlords and charming them into offering them their place to stay.
5. Verify references. If references given by an applicant do not pan out, there may be something wrong. Often, people rely on the fact landlords may be too busy to follow up on the references provided. Don’t make the same mistake, beware of inaccurate references.
6. Make a record of late payments. Ensure your lease stipulates the cut-off date for rental payments. Always, make a record of late payments, as this will help in case you have to file for eviction.
7. Take into account complaints from tenants and neighbours. Not living on the site can make it tough to track the goings-on at your rental site. Tenant complaints about other tenants should be heard out and noted. For single family units, enlist the neighbours to report strange or illegal activity.
8. It is better not to go in for tenants wanting a six-month or one-year lease. Tenants who will be there for a few months are best avoided, as tenants who move out quickly, means incurring advertising or re-leasing costs.
9. A landlord must be knowledgeable about his rights. Knowing landlord / tenant state laws empowers you to deal with unpleasant situations. As long as you know the rental laws, you will not violate any fair housing acts by evicting an unwanted tenant.
10. Take action immediately. If a tenant proves to be troublesome, take action at once. Enforce lease terms or they will continue to take advantage of you, simply stand your ground including documenting problems and then acting swiftly.

As long as a landlord has a legally binding rental agreement, no matter what the tenant problems, it will help protect a landlord’s interests and property. A powerful legal recourse in case something goes with a tenant or potential tenant, a lease or rental agreement is an absolute essential.