The court’s job ends with the judgment. Collecting on that judgment is on you. Your ex-tenant might pay you immediately, and if so, great. Now it is time to celebrate. But what do you do if they don’t?
Ultimately, it's up to you whether allowing e-cigarettes is worth the extra cleanup effort or the potential fire hazards, much like allowing pets could mean more work after tenants move out.
If there were extensive damages to the property or if the tenant left without paying last month’s rent and there were damages, you’re out some money, and that isn’t right. You have options, though.
Using a collection agency could work for you, but be prepared for disappointment. You’ll have a better chance of collecting your money if you hire a collection agency that specializes in collecting rent from tenants.
It’s difficult to know what to look for or to know whether you inspected everything you should, so it helps to have a checklist with you. Landlords often provide tenants with a checklist, but if yours doesn’t, you can use this one.
There is no question that you can and should take control of your abandoned property, but you can’t just start re-keying and tossing out your ex-tenants’ belongings. Your tenant might have left but had every intention of returning to the property. If you took possession in that instance, your tenant could claim wrongful eviction, and you might need to pay damages.
You can’t just move out and declare your home a rental. There are some things you need to do first to convert your home. Find out what they are.
Landlord and tenant responsibilities can be complicated. This guide will outline which party is responsible for common landlord/tenant issues.
If you have a rental property in a snowy climate, you're responsible for snow removal, although you can make tenants responsible by adding a lease clause. The tools you need include snow shovels, scrapers, brooms, salt and sand spreaders, and possibly a snow blower.
I recently spoke with Lucas Hall to get his opinion on what it takes to get into the furnished rental business and to get his best advice for landlords who are thinking about breaking into this niche segment of “landlording.”