Eviction is probably not something you want to deal with if you can avoid it, but it’s unavoidable.
At some point, you’ll need to evict a tenant, and when you do, you’ll have to deal with a potentially chaotic process.
No matter how clearly your tenant has violated the lease, you still need to prove it in court.
If you’ve never been involved in an eviction lawsuit, you can expect a lot of time, money, and stress, even when you win.
The easiest way to avoid dealing with evictions is to hire a property management company.
Having a team of expert property managers handling tenant issues, especially evictions, is worth every penny.
For example, companies like Green Residential offer a full suite of services that make being a property investor truly hands-off. You never have to be “the bad guy” when you have a property manager.
However, if you don’t have anyone working for you, and you alone are responsible for your tenants, you should never wait to start the eviction process.
Article Contents
1. Starting The Eviction Early Avoids Consequences
With all the hassle required to pursue an eviction, it makes sense that you might want to avoid it altogether. However, if you wait too long to evict a tenant, you can end up with a worse situation.
For example, they might continue to violate the lease in a way that damages your property or disturbs the peace.
The best way to go is to evict early and fast. At the first major lease violation, give your tenant notice to correct the situation or vacate.
Most of the time, a tenant will make the required correction to avoid being evicted.
However, if they refuse to rectify the violation, your notice (served properly) will be the foundation of your eviction lawsuit.
If a tenant violates a minor lease clause, like putting a plant on their balcony or leaving a bottle in the window, it’s better for your relationship to talk to them first.
These aren’t the violations that typically lead to major problems, and most reasonable people will realize they’ve just made an honest mistake.
However, if they refuse to fix the issue, that’s when you should serve them the first notice.
2. Some Tenants Don’t Have Any Intention Of Changing
You’ll find that some tenants are more than willing to correct lease violations, but others won’t be so agreeable.
When a tenant refuses to fix an issue, it’s usually a sign that they want to control the situation, and that’s bad news.
A tenant might resist fixing even the smallest issue, like keeping up with the yard work to manage the weeds.
Generally, the smaller the issue, the bigger problem they might become because a reasonable person should have no problem making good on an agreement they signed.
When someone fights you on a small issue, it usually means they have no intention of changing their ways and it’s only a matter of time before you encounter a major issue.
By serving an eviction notice right away, you’re cutting the problem off before it has a chance to grow into something uncontrollable. If you serve a tenant and they make the required correction, all is well.
However, if you wait to see if things change before serving them notice, you postpone your ability to file an eviction lawsuit because you need to have given your tenant notice first.
3. It’s Not Your Problem
It sounds harsh, but if a tenant needs to be evicted, it’s not your problem. You are under no obligation to give your tenants a break, let them take advantage of you, or otherwise walk all over you.
It’s normal to feel compassion for a tenant who might be in a tough situation, but remember that they signed the lease and agreed to all terms.
If they’re violating the lease in a way that deserves eviction, don’t hesitate to start the process.
4. Destructive Tenants Are A Major Source Of Stress
The last thing you want to deal with is wondering when your tenant will cause another problem or damage your property.
If the reason you’re considering eviction is related to property damage, you can almost guarantee there will be even more damage done until they move. In this case, your only recourse is using their security deposit for repairs.
Evictions Aren’t Fun, But They’re Necessary
Protect your investment and your peace of mind. Don’t wait to file an eviction. The sooner you start the eviction process, the faster you can get a bad tenant out of your unit.
