We have trash service which the park pays for. There are some tenants who leave their trash out in a bag overnight for pickup instead of a can. Rodents, crows and raccoons get into it making a mess. Tenants are supposed to provide their own trash cans. How would you handle these tenants? Has anyone tried fining when they do something like this?
You give a warning and if it repeats you issue an eviction.
That is the only method of enforcing community rules. If they do not follow the rules you do not want them as tenants.
Evicting for rules violations can sometimes be expensive and hard to do. Further more, eviction should not be your first stop on something like this. We enforce a $40 fine for this kind of thing. Issue out a letter stating what this fine will be issued for. For example: Trash in the yard, leaves not raked every month, yard not mowed every two weeks, etc. People quickly get the point. It also helps if your manager is proactive and is not afraid to speak with tenants directly about these issues.
What you are telling tenants is that it is OK to not follow community rules they simply have to pay a financial penalty for those rules they wish to ignore.
Your first stop should be a warning if that does not achieve the desired results you are wasting your time on disrespectful tenants. Give them a warning then follow up with a eviction notice if they do not correct their mistakes. If they then do as instructed the eviction order is withdrawn. If they do not then you would have ended up evicting anyway.
You can fine them if you want and no reason not providing your state landlord/tenant regulations allow for financial penalties but it should be with the eviction notice not instead of.
The eviction route for leaving trash out in a bag can get difficult. Court will suggest mediation, feel sorry for the tenant, give them another chance, attorney fees. I want to train them. Maybe first a warning. Then a charge, then terminate. Some of them don’t have trash cans. So, warning, then buy a can and charge them more than if they purchased it at big box.
Frank, how do you handle it?