My tenant's lease is up soon, and he is going out of town this weekend. He does not want me to show the property when he is gone Fri, Sat, Sun. I need to get a new tenant to take his side though asap. Anyone ever have this happen, or any advice on this situation?
Trust me, it will show much better when they leave and you have gone in to touch up paint and clean the place. If you show it now, the prospects will see a dirty house and it will smell like the current guy. I would wait to show it.
Trust me, it will show much better when they leave and you have gone in to touch up paint and clean the place. If you show it now, the prospects will see a dirty house and it will smell like the current guy. I would wait to show it.
I heartily second @Anthony Dooley's response. Pre-Internet, it apparently didn't matter as much, but it certainly does now that color photos are such an integral part of marketing your properties. Say goodbye to your current tenant, get in there and spruce the place up, get your pics taken and Photoshopped for the advertisement.
The only think I would add is that you should also talk to your CPA about the tax advantages of doing things this way.
If the current tenant is asking you to wait to show it until he is back in town, I would try to work with him on that. Sure, depending on your local laws and your lease, you might be legally able to show it while he is gone (in Ohio we need to provide 24 hour notice), but personally, I would rather be flexible than deal with an angry tenant before move-out. The last thing you want is for him to accuse you or a prospective tenant of stealing something from the apartment while he was gone. Assuming the apartment is in good condition and will show well, try to work with him on a showing date/time that works better.
Of course, if the place is dirty or not in ideal condition, I agree with the previous posters: wait until he’s out so you can get it in top condition to attract the best tenants.
Trust me, it will show much better when they leave and you have gone in to touch up paint and clean the place. If you show it now, the prospects will see a dirty house and it will smell like the current guy. I would wait to show it.
I heartily second @Anthony Dooley's response. Pre-Internet, it apparently didn't matter as much, but it certainly does now that color photos are such an integral part of marketing your properties. Say goodbye to your current tenant, get in there and spruce the place up, get your pics taken and Photoshopped for the advertisement.
The only think I would add is that you should also talk to your CPA about the tax advantages of doing things this way.
If the current tenant is asking you to wait to show it until he is back in town, I would try to work with him on that. Sure, depending on your local laws and your lease, you might be legally able to show it while he is gone (in Ohio we need to provide 24 hour notice), but personally, I would rather be flexible than deal with an angry tenant before move-out. The last thing you want is for him to accuse you or a prospective tenant of stealing something from the apartment while he was gone. Assuming the apartment is in good condition and will show well, try to work with him on a showing date/time that works better.
Of course, if the place is dirty or not in ideal condition, I agree with the previous posters: wait until he’s out so you can get it in top condition to attract the best tenants.
@Stephanie M.
I toured an apartment building this summer looking to buy . It was a triplex and one of the units I went into was occupIed . InsIde it was pitch black with blankets on the windows . Tenant insisted the realtor and I do not turn on any lights or allow her cats out .
There were candles and a small lamp on to aid in navigation but it was really weird .there were occult crafts and paIntIngs everywhere .when I met her It was apparent She was a wItch! I dId a hard pass on that one! Moral of the story is don’t have the tenant around if you can help it , it’s only going to scare people off .ideally he’d be moved out before you show it . My dad always insisted I wash and clean out my car before I get it Inspected . “ a clean Car Will Pass inspection much easier than a dirty one “ my dad would say . Same holds true in real estate when having tenants or buyers check out your property
I toured an apartment building this summer looking to buy . It was a triplex and one of the units I went into was occupIed . InsIde it was pitch black with blankets on the windows . Tenant insisted the realtor and I do not turn on any lights or allow her cats out .
There were candles and a small lamp on to aid in navigation but it was really weird .there were occult crafts and paIntIngs everywhere .when I met her It was apparent She was a wItch! I dId a hard pass on that one! Moral of the story is don’t have the tenant around if you can help it , it’s only going to scare people off .ideally he’d be moved out before you show it . My dad always insisted I wash and clean out my car before I get it Inspected . “ a clean Car Will Pass inspection much easier than a dirty one “ my dad would say . Same holds true in real estate when having tenants or buyers check out your property
@Stephanie M.
If I were a tenant I can't say I'd want some unknown person wandering through my place. The person could be a thief for all anybody knows.
Stephanie M. - I use pre-tenant photos when marketing my properties whenever possible so I can get strong interest before the current tenant has left. Vacancy can stretch out and be expensive. Add to your next lease that you can go into the property at any time for maintenance reasons or with 24 hours notice and there’s a fee/fine if they block you from doing so. You should have the ability to show it anytime if it’s safe and they’ve given their 30-60 days notice. You have to protect your right to get it re-rented.
I was leasing properties on commission as a PM company employee in Philadelphia 5 years ago and one tenant had a new crated puppy set up on a laptop webcam. The tenant had emailed back asking us not to show it without her there after giving the 24 hour notice. I was in the building anyway so I showed it without her there and fortunately the first clients I took signed for the property available September in June AND they signed an addendum that the current tenant didn’t have to repaint because they really liked her accent wall colors. But she tried to get me fired over it because she perceived her crated dog was freaking out. (Without barking, etc.). She didn’t have any legal clauses allowing her to block my showing and my job was to rent the portfolio. We went from 40 current and future vacancies to 5 future (Sept 1) vacancies during 6 weeks of my aggressive leasing (I left to start grad school in mid July). Though maybe I’m just selfishly justifying not observing a high maintenance tenant’s wishes because it worked out. (Property was leased and she didn’t have strangers coming through 10+ times with her having to go out of her way to be there).
If landlords stop being greedy we wouldn't run into these issues. What if you show the place and sign a lease with the new tenant, and on their move in day you find the the old tenant has decided to stay another month? I would NEVER lease an occupied unit. It's just a month of rent at most that you're losing, and the headaches you eliminate by not showing an occupied unit is worth a month of lost rent!