Every landlord hopes for a dream tenant who pays their rent on time and never causes trouble with the neighbors or when renewing the lease agreement. Unfortunately, things don’t always turn out this way.
At some point, every landlord will find themselves grappling with the daunting task of evicting a tenant. If you find yourself wondering what to do with a less-than-stellar tenant, or you simply need to get your property off the rental market, you must go about evicting the renter the right way, and in compliance with existing laws. Here are some valid reasons for which you can evict a tenant:
Non-payment of rent
In a perfect world, a tenant should pay their rent on time (and in full) every month. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. If a tenant is habitually falling behind in rent payment, you might want to send them a “late rent” notice to remind them that they need to pay their rent as per the terms of the lease agreement. If the notice doesn’t prompt action, you can then begin the legal process of evicting them.
Damaged property
Normal wear and tear, like a scuff on the hardwood floor or a fingerprint smudge around a light switch, are acceptable — and expected — from tenants. However, a tenant knocking out a wall or running their skateboard over the wooden floors of their rental isn’t normal wear and tear. Of course, accidents happen and you can overlook a one-off incident, especially if the tenant is willing to pay for the damage — but problem tenants who cause property damage can devalue your investment.
Being a landlord has its share of struggles. One such struggle is having to evict a tenant. Even though you are the property owner, it is important to understand that you can only evict a tenant on lawful grounds as spelled in the state’s landlord-tenant law.