One thing all rental property owners, landlords and property managers try to avoid is dealing with evictions and similar legalities. However, this is just an unfortunate part of owning and managing rental units. Luckily is very possible to prevent filling your vacancies with unreliable occupants. By administering these prevention techniques, you can avoid far more future eviction cases.
How to Prevent the Likelihood of Eviction through Proper Marketing Techniques and an Applicant Screening Process
By hiring a property manager or management team with the proper qualifications and ability to effectively market your property for rent, you will attract more quality tenants. A professional property manager will only advertise your vacancies through reliable online and print resources. They’ll list the property specifications including any amenities or positive aspects about its location and condition. This should include photographs and floorplans whenever possible.
After drawing in attention from your preferred audience, your property manager will provide interested individuals with an application that can only be submitted upon completion of all requested information and a small application fee. The information on the application along with the data collected from copies of all documentation required from the prospective tenant will be used to perform a credit check and criminal history review. Anyone with an insufficient credit history, past evictions, or a criminal record that includes felonies or other potentially hazardous criminal cases should be overlooked for residency.
The potential tenant should also provide accurate employment information on their application. They should include their past jobs if they have been employed at their current location for less than a few years. Their employment verification is extremely important and they should have a clean occupational history. They must provide the phone numbers and contact information for all previous places of employment as well as any references. Their application should prove their ability to maintain a job without concern.
How to Effectively Handle Missed Payments and Evictions
It’s never easy or fun dealing with disruptive and uncooperative tenants. These occupants can truly be difficult to deal with even if they’re at fault. Unlike many other states, Texas tenant/landlord laws only require 30 to 45 days of missed payments to lawfully evict a tenant. Other states require anywhere from six to eight months before any legal moves can be made to evict a tenant.
Before hastily sending a tenant an eviction notice over a missed payment, try to reach out to them as quickly as possible. Most property managers will call tenants with missed payments right after the grace period for monthly rent has ended. If you find it difficult to reach the tenant, send out a notice. If the tenant is compliant, suggest a payment plan arrangement until the debt is paid in full. Always try to work out a payment plan with a tenant before threatening eviction. If the tenant falters at the agreed upon arrangement, consider the process of eviction.
The process of tenant removal always starts with a hand delivered eviction notice. This notice usually states that they (the occupant) are responsible for paying the debt within a specified amount of time. If they continue to ignore the debt, a Petition for Eviction is filed with the courthouse. The property manager or owner of the property rentals will be held responsible for all associated fees in the beginning of this legal process. The court will then require that the disruptive tenant show up in court on the set hearing date. During this hearing, the judge will inform the guilty party of their rights and grant them five days to move out of the rental unit. The tenant does have the right to appeal the case instead of leaving the premises but this must also be completed before the end of the five day period.
To learn how a property manager can help you handle any evictions and issues involving unruly tenants, call Katy Property Management at 281.398.9844. We’ll give you more insight on our dependable and successful property management services.