When do you evict (be honest!)

Question

New topic:  I hear a lot of landlords say all proudly:  "I evict those #&#*D%@ tenants 5 minutes after the rent is late".  OK.  Be honest, when do you start the process?  Do you give anyone some slack?  If so, when?

And lastly, what lesson (if any) have you learned the hard way when it comes to eviction and collecting rent?

This ought to be fun!   :crazed:

Scott

Account Closed · Answer

I missed one of your questions.

I give slack when a good tenant calls me in advance and makes arrangements in advance and has a clear schedule for when they are going to pay and they know where the money is coming from.

If you are going to be a landlord, you must learn to not accept empty promises in lieu of cash for the rent.

Account Closed · Answer

Pay or quit on day 5, file for eviction on day 10 (that's my state law, I can't do it any faster).

If they just generally annoy me, but are paying, I give a 30 day notice.

If there is some violation of the rental agreement, it's a 72 hour notice to cure, and if they don't cure, it's eviction time.

I want my money on time, and I want my property undamaged. If they can't do that, they can go live somewhere else.

David Sanders · Answer

Thanks guys!  I know this was a stretch on the topic of this specific thread, but since I caught both of you at the same time.

I am close to picking up a 4plex, all four are Sec 8 tenants.  I have and do have several rentals, none ever on the Sec 8 program.

Went to the HUD office to get the info and they make it sound like a Hands-Off Rental program.  I knew better!

Thanks again guys!!!!

PS... Mike just finished your book, GREAT addition to my Library!!!!!!!

Michael Rossi · Answer

I'm down to about 20% Section 8 at the moment.

Mike

David Sanders · Answer

Mike & TC, what % of your rentals are Sec8?

Our local area actually sent out letters to Landlords asking to sign up due to a lack a rentals.

Thanks

Tom C · Answer

Thanks Mike.. I only have one section 8 so far.

Tom C · Answer

Mike,

What do you do when section 8 pay part of the rent, but the tenant doesn't pay theirs? I have my deposited directly into my business account from section 8, which means I cashed the check. Haven't ran across this problem yet, but its sure to happen.

Michael Rossi · Answer

TC,

If section 8 is paying the vast majority of the rent (tenant portion only a few bucks), I will usually keep the Section 8 money and fax a letter to Section 8 telling them that the tenant hasn't paid their portion and asking them to terminate their Section 8 effective the next month.  This often gets the tenant to pay their portion of the rent plus the late fee.  If they  don't pay their portion, then I let Section 8 terminate their benefits and I evict them at the beginning of the next month.

If the tenant's portion is more than just a miniscule amount, then I send the Section 8 payment back and evict them as soon as they're late.

That's how I handle it.

Mike

Will Barnett · Answer

I used to make the mistake of accepting partial payments with the tenant promising to pay the rest in a week or 2.  I eventually got tired of this routine and filed for eviction only to find out that if you accept any amount of payment that month, you cannot evict.

Accept only the full rental amount or none at all.

Frank Adams · Answer

I no longer have rentals, but when I did (16 of them) I told the tenants when they were filling out the application the following:

1. Rent is DUE on the 1st of the month

2. Rent is LATE on the 2nd of the month.

3. I file a 3 DAY NOTICE TO PAY OR QUIT, on the 3rd of the month.

4. 3 days later I'm at the JP's cour filing for eviction.

5. Judge Yeoman runs the buiest JP court in Harris County, he brooks no BS and ALWAYS evicts for non-payment.

6. Any questions?

Once I started this procedure I only had 3 evictions over the next 10 years.

The biggest problem is landlords who believe the BS, and/or don't follow the legal process EXACTLY. When I hear someone say; "it took 6 months to evict those deadbeats", I always say to myself; "no, it took 6 weeks to evict them, it took 4 1/2 months for you to get off your dead a** and DO IT.

all cash