What To Do When Your Tenant Bails In Park City Property Management
If you haven't experience a tenant bailing on a lease then consider yourself lucky and realize that if you stay in Park City property management long enough it will happen to you. It seems that recently there has been a rash of people requesting to move out before the end of their lease for various reasons. Some have completely understandable problems such as job loss or job transfers or the deteriorating health of a parent as reasons for why they needing to move before the end of the lease. And some don't even give a reason beyond "I want to move." There are several ways to handle these situations and some of it depends on the choices the tenant makes. So take a deep breath and we will get through this together.
The Easy Way
Well let's be honest, a tenant leaving before the lease expires is never an "easy" thing in Park City property management. It requires extra work on the part of you the landlord to find a replacement tenant, get the property into rentable condition, and all the necessities of determining if a tenant is qualified to rent your property. But there are decisions that the tenant makes that can lessen the blow. Ideally the tenant approaches you a month or more ahead of time to let you know they will need to move. The first thing you and the tenant should understand is that the tenant is still responsible for rent up until a new tenant moves in. This can include any time that is required to return the property into rentable condition. You should let the tenant know that if the property is clean and ready for move in when they leave this will lessen the amount of rent the may have to pay. One thing I like to do is ask for a full month of rent even if the current tenant is moving out in the middle of the month. This way you have got the month already covered and you can always reimburse the tenant for a portion of the rent if a new tenant moves in in the same month. If the tenant is a responsible person they will do their best to ease the transition and understand that they signed a legally-binding document and are responsible for fulfilling their end of the agreement.
The Hard Way
Unfortunately some tenants are not responsible people who work to fulfill their part of an agreement. They may bail without any notice or rent payment. At this point the property is subject to laws regarding abandoned premises. I have previously written about this situation in my blog post "Abandoned Premises - Tips And Info For Park City Property Management." Some tenants may leave a note saying they have moved out, some do not. As a landlord you will want to make sure you are aware of what Utah law says regarding this situation and proceed quickly but with caution. Until you can reasonable determine if the tenant has abandoned the property then they are still technically in possession. Perhaps they have gone out of town on an extended trip or some other situation. Make every effort to contact the tenant before you attempt to retake possession. Remember that rent must be 15 days late before abandonment can be considered.
If you would like more information or tips on handling early tenant move outs, or further information about Park City property management in general click the link below for a free consultation. You will receive valuable information specific to your property that will help you make an informed decision. You will also receive a free, no-obligation quote on our property management services. At CC Realty we specialize in making investment property ownership a trouble free experience. Please contact us today for your free consultation.
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