Our manager, along with ourselves as owners, were desperate to sell a home to someone who claimed to not have any money to put down.
We agreed to let them move in and pay for their deposits on a payment plan. They moved in beginning of June and we have not seen one penny from them AT ALL. Okay, lesson learned.
In Texas the eviction rules are pretty good for us, but I am worried about the home. Specifically, there is a good stove and refridgerator we just bought and these people seem perfect potential candiates to “take them with” when they leave.
My inclination, since they have been living for free in our park for almost two months now, is to have the manager just go in and take the stove and fridge away.
If you’re worried that the tenants will do something to the house while they live there, then removing their “property”, which will require that you trespass and possibly break and enter will certainly ensure that they will damage your property. And also- state laws most probably prohibit what you are proposing as retaliatory.
It sounds like not only did you allow them to move in with no money, but also did no criminal, credit, previous landlord checks nor employment verification. Surely their background would indicate that they are deadbeat tenants (i.e., poor job history, no landlord referrals, lots of judgements, etc).
As painful as it is, you’ll just have to let them stay until you can evict properly, otherwise they could get a free lawyer to rake you over the tenant/landlord coals for breaking the law.
DO NOT add anymore fuel to your fire, It’s very painful but if your so called tenants happen to know the law you could be paying them a whole lot more than a couple of months rent. Get your attorney involved and yes you will have to throw more good money after bad but there is only one way to do this and that’s the right way. Chaulk it up as a valuable Lesson Learned, Don’t feel bad anyone that has been in the rental business very long has had it happen to them too. Good Luck
response, but the way I handle this stuff is with cash. It costs me 312 to evict, plus court costs, time, aggravation, etc. My way is to NOT get confrontational, but to approach it like this," tough what you are goimg thru, but I need a paying tenant in here, can we get you out by Saturday? If so, I have 300 in cash to help you on your way." This really has worked for me…and an added bonus, is I hate giving deadbeats cash soooooo much, I am extra careful screening (for a month or two!)
We have a bunch of rentals and our motto is Better Empty Than
Wrong. This can be so tough when you are finally ready to get some rent money starting to come in on a home, but a week (or even a month) empty won’t kill us and a good tenant is such a great assett.
IMHO try to keep communications open with them and find out where they are moving to…stealing appliances is a felony, and here in Florida, they will arrest 'em!