Eviction Timeline/Policy?

Just curious what system other investors are using with respect to their eviction timeline…

I’ve had a few evictions with my current system and am wondering if I am being unreasonable or not.

Here is the current system that I’m using:

The rent is due on the 1st. A late fee is not charged until the 6th. The manager posts the late notice on the home’s front door on the 6th that denotes the current balance with the late fee. The late fee is 12% of the monthly lot rent.(there is no maximum late fee in this state) A 5 day eviction filing notice is posted on the resident’s door on the 10th of the month. Manager door knocks on the 15th. Eviction paperwork/fee is sent to court house on the 17th. Police officer serves official court notice on the 24th.

The thought behind the system is that the resident should have had 2 pay periods by the 16th. If they blew the 1st paycheck at the bar, horse races, casino, fill in the blank… they still have 1 more to save their home. Also, they have already used 1/2 of the product that I’ve given without paying for it.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Sounds perfect. Two technical issues to think about. One is that you might need to back off the 6th, as it is technically possible that someone mailed the rent on the fifth and you did not receive it due to a postal error. Most operators roll your timeclock back one day, as no judge will consider rent on the 7th being timely, but the 6th is kind of gray. The other is to double-check your late fee, as a personal injury lawyer would have a field day with a class action if you don’t have it nailed, You may be 100% on target, I’d just double check – maybe call the state mobile home association for verification.

Sounds like you have a good no pay/no stay system in place!

We don’t do the second round of collection attempts with our manager. We’ve never knocked on a door for rent - ever. We post 5-day notices on the 7th; we evict on the 12th - like clockwork. No tears. No drama. No ugly ‘manager vs. tenant’ drama with a door knock. Just a timely eviction.

Word will get around in your park, you’ll get paid quicker, and your manager will enjoy his/her job better if you just process all evictions as fast as the law allows.

To your continued success,

-jl-

We have recently experimented with having the manager take a slightly more active role of the pleasant pest, and found that it does make the collections rate higher. We learned this from our manager Frank (not me) in Muskogee, who has one of the highest collections rates of any of the parks we own – despite the fact that it is certainly not the richest tenant base. His secret was being a cordial pest, bugging customers at every turn who have not yet paid (the mailbox, the dumpster, everywhere). After seeing Frank’s success, we adopted that approach with our other managers, and it has paid large dividends.

But let me emphasize this is not the “pay your rent or I’m going to beat you up” type of affair. Instead, it’s no different than the constant reminder you would receive at a luxury hotel if your charge card was declined.

Could I please have ‘Muskogee Frank’s’ phone number? I’d like to make him a job offer to move to Oklahoma City.

(:P)

-jl-

Muskogee Frank has one of the nicest homes in Muskogee – the original mom & pop’s residence with 3 car garage and a master bedroom with fireplace, and a game room with a full working bar with beer on tap. As long as he’s manager, he gets to live in that house, He’s not going anywhere no matter what you pay him, unless you can build him an even larger house.

I can’t compete with the size of the house, but I can match the ‘beer on tap’ part of your offer :)-D and raise you ‘whiskey on tap.’ :)o

What does Muskogee Frank say to that?!

-jl-

I doubt that offer can compete – the bar is fully stocked already.