I found this thread in a Google search, ironically two days after joining BiggerPockets and posting a similar question today.
I am reviving it because in my case it is a work in progress for my own property, a property that I have owned and lived at for 14 years. So far, from what I have gathered, it's all about the Lease, and then, all about the landlord holding the tenats 100% accountable for fulfilling the lease. After that, if the lease is not fulfilled and the tenants have been given ample notice, it's eviction time.
Here is my letter to the editor of our local newspaper that was just published yesterday, May.15.2019. It is my response to my current situation:
A Tale of Two Cities
San Manuel today is no longer the nice, quiet town that my wife and I moved to 16 years ago. It has changed, though not in the beautiful way that the yard in which we planted 10 trees over 15 years ago has been transformed. That yard is now a private paradise, a place where we can relax, grow garlic, and cultivate our spice garden, or at least it still would be if it wasn’t for the sound of my new neighbors’ barking dogs in the night, their cars left running even in warm weather until the exhaust fills my carport 10 feet away, the metallic clink of trucks be fixed in their carport at 10 pm and later, and the pungent smell of cigarette smoke that floats over the 3-foot tall wall separating our yards and into my front door.
Unfortunately the 2005 real estate bubble trouble and the 2007-2008 subprime mortgage debacle changed our neighborhood by filling it with rental homes, many sold at auction for ridiculously low prices, and now owned by absentee landlords instead of owner occupants or local landlords. The banks auctioned these empty homes off their books and we got new neighbors, neighbors who often were not vetted by the landlord and have no idea of what county laws apply to their residency and what makes for a considerate neighbor. All that they know is that they have to pay rent to their landlord every month and not be late with their payment.
Absentee landlords have other less attractive nicknames because many are only in the rental business for the cash flow income. You’ve seen the internet ads and videos of how to create your own little real estate empire and retire young and rich. The spokesmen for these stories, along with the book authors who for the small price will share their “time-honored” secrets to success, neglect to explain how difficult it is to be a respectful landlord when you’ve never met, or even seen, your property’s tenants. In many small towns across America like San Manuel this major change in ownership has become disturbing and time-consuming. Residents who own their homes tend to get the short end of the stick.
For the long-term residents, who have had to deal with the many concerns that have accompanied this tiresome game of revolving door tenants, it has become like a second job, requiring them to stay up late at night and report numerous code violations to the county, alert the sheriff’s office about suspicious behavior, and be on point to protect their property, possibly even their personal safety.
At Sheriff Lamb’s Town Hall that was held several nights ago in San Manuel, I felt that his wisest advice was that residents need to create their own neighborhood watch systems. Many friendly neighbors can accomplish together what would be impossible for individuals to do by themselves. He advised that residents get to know their immediate neighbors, meaning the neighbors that you feel are trustworthy, and share the work of securing your block, your street, and ultimately your town. The county will do their best to respond and stand up for codes and laws, this we know, however the burden they carry in modern times is sometimes much greater than they can easily manage.
The point I am getting to is this: more absentee landlords and more rental properties means more local tenants who most likely have not been told county laws and whose lease is probably the standard, off-the-shelf issue, not requiring anything like a basic understanding of respect for neighbors (no cars left running, no loud noises at night, no barking dogs at midnight). As a generic lease it would also be lacking well-thought out rental restrictions like no loud boom-bass vehicles allowed and no other permanent tenants except those stated in the lease. In short, any landlord’s rental occupied by unpleasant tenants deserves your feedback and by doing so we can improve our neighborhoods. How can you provide feedback?
First, get to know the Pinal County “Report A Complaint” page: http://www.pinalcountyaz.gov/CommunityDevelopment/CodeCompliance/Pages/ReportComplaint.aspx,
And for finding a property’s owner/landlord:the county “Treasurer Parcel Inquiry” page:
http://www.pinalcountyaz.gov/Assessor/Pages/ParcelSearch.aspx
To be considerate and fair, first contact the property owner and explain your concerns about the tenants of their rental property. Let them know about any county code violations before you register an actual complaint with Pinal County and give the landlord the chance to rectify the issue on their own. In a parcel search on the county treasurer’s website it is very likely that you will only find the property owner’s mailing address and will have to wait a week or so for a response. If you contact the property owner by mail, email, or phone message and 7-14 days later have not received a response, then officially register the complaint online or by phone.
The county code compliance team will send out an inspector within 5-7 days to look at the violation in question. They will contact the owner with an official county code violation alert that requires a response to the county. Keep in the loop for best results so that you can help improve your neighborhood and enjoy the satisfaction of letting landlords know the impact of their choice of tenants and what it means to the towns they operate within.
