What can you expect now that the COVID-19 renter’s protections have expired?
The answer depends upon two basic things:
- The quality of the tenant/landlord relationship
- If the tenant has kept all their payment agreements.
If these two conditions are met, the chances are good an eviction is not the future.
For those who do not have a good relationship with their landlords and didn’t pay the rent as agreed, the chances are good that an eviction will happen.
There are three general ways to evict a tenant. The eviction can unfold via :
- Voluntarily quitting the property
- Legal Action
- Pay The Tenant to Move
Option #1: Voluntary
The tenant volunteers to leave is the easiest and least stressful option. In this option, the tenant starts the process by giving “notice to vacate” the property. Then leaves at the appointed time. Once the property is vacant, the landlord reviews the property and sees how much of the security deposit to return.
As the path of least resistance, voluntarily leaving has minimal risks, which the security deposit usually covers.
Pro:
- No legal action to pursue
- The process is less stressful
Con:
- No guarantee of collecting past due rent
- Any damages that exceed the security deposit belong to the landlord
- Cannot enter the property until after the time listed in the notice to vacate has passed.
Option #2: Legal Action
Eviction via the courts is the most expensive of the ways to evict a tenant. Legal action also carries the most risk of the three. The typical scenario begins with attempts to collect the rents owed and an unhealthy tenant-landlord relationship. When attempts to collect past rent fails, the landlord begins the legal proceedings necessary to evict the tenants.
Pursuing a legal eviction carries the most risk.
Pro:
- If the court approves, the police can escort the tenant off the property
- Legal right to past due rent
- The court can fine the tenant and hold them legally accountable
Con:
- The process can be expensive
- Required paperwork and wait times
- Not a guarantee the court will grant the eviction
- Retaliatory actions of upset tenants can cause more damage than the security deposit covers
- The courts could rule against the landlord.
Montgomery County has excellent resources if legal action is the best way to evict a tenant.
- How to Evict Process information
- Forms
Option #3: Pay the Tenant to Move
Some landlords have crafted a third alternative solution in states where the legal process to evict is long, detailed, and not guaranteed success.
Necessity is the mother of invention. ~ Plato’s Republic
Some landlords are paying their tenants to leave.
In this arrangement, the landlord offers the tenant a certain amount to leave the property undamaged and within a specific time frame. The pay-off amount usually covers a deposit, the first month’s rent, and some moving costs.
When you add up all the time, unpaid rent, back rent, fees, forms, and worry, paying a tenant to move is cheaper and much less stressful.
In short, you are paying your tenant to move to cut your losses.
Pro:
- Faster
- Less paperwork
- Less chance of revenge destruction
- Private
Con:
- Unless this agreement is in writing, the tenants can back out and keep the money
- The upfront cost
- A bad tenant will not have their actions appear on their credit report
Which way to evict a tenant is right for you?
Determining which way to evict a tenant is never a task a landlord wants to do. Which one is best for your situation?
This depends on your relationship with the tenant.
- If the relationship is healthy and valued, a landlord may be able to talk the tenant into leaving voluntarily or with a small payoff.
- If the relationship has deteriorated or does not exist, pursuing the legal option or the payoff might work for you.
Keep in mind there is a connection between how an eviction unfolds and the amount of damage and debris left after a tenant vacates.
Once you decide which way to evict the tenant you will still need to make cleanup plans.
No matter how big or small the project, All-In Hauling is here to help you.
Call us today at (936) 445-8159 for a free no-obligation quote!
