Got a call today from a gentleman that is wanting to sell home because has bad tenants. They have not paid rent for past 8 months. I want to know, if get purchase price offered accepted (70%-repairs) how difficult will it probably be for tenants occupying home to actually be forced to vacate the property? Has anyone come across a property you purchased with problemed tenants? How did you handle situation when you purchased?
Make the offer contingent upon the property being vacant prior to closing, then tell the current homeowner to get the eviction process going if he already hasn’t.
Thanks for responding AJ290. The seller choses not to deal with them anymore…that’s why wants to sell. The tenants seem to be a HUGE problem for him. I thought I would handle the eviction process myself that is why I was asking for suggestions or examples of how others may have dealt with this situation…if they had of course.
This is a motivated seller. I know I could probably get him to sell at pennies to the dollar. I just want to get an idea what to expect if I have to deal with the tenants.
Landlord tenant laws differ depending the state that you are in. In florida, I had non paying tenants out in 22 days from the time I gave the 3 day notice. Yes, I have bought a house with bad tenants in it and evicted them.
Let the system work for you. The courts and judges don’t take to kindly if people don’t follow their orders; the sherriff will accompany you to the house and put them out after you have followed the eviction procedures for your state. Here in Florida, there’s a book written by a real estate attorney that has all the forms and procedures that you need. Check your bookstore or REIA.
We’ve had times when the constable rolled up, and knocked on the door to let em know its moving day.
In Tx, all ya do is just move their shit out onto the curb, change the locks and lock the place up, all there is to it!
I’ve also heard of paying them to leave.
“Look, here’s a check for 500.00. I’ll give it to you if you’re out of here on Saturday”
Squatters will look at that as an opportunity to go get drunk on saturday night. Real drunk.
Good Luck,
Cilff
Evicting them is best - but paying them sounds better. ;D Just get a document signed and have a witness sign it too - that the tenants are taking this money and cannot make any claims.
The quickest and most legal way of getting tenant out is to go through the eviction process without wavering. If you intend to buy this property with the problem, I recommend that you request a ‘holdback’ in escrow of an amount that will cover the cost of the eviction: filing costs, attorney & sheriff fees, and the physical eviction which, depending on how much stuff they have, could be $1,000 (two guys, a truck, dump fees). Folks often forget about the physical eviction costs. Even if you and a friend do the physical eviction, your time is still an expense, you have to rent a truck if you don’t have one and you’ll still have the dump fees. The eviction process here in Seattle requires that you place their belongings at the curb. Then, after the neighborhood has gone through and taken what they might want, you will be responsible for cleaning up the mess left over.
However, more often than not, even some of the most deadbeat tenants don’t like the physical eviction . . . just too demeaning. But you have to plan for it as the final step in any eviction you are commencing.
Once that eviction is done and the locks are changed, escrow will distribute funds to you for your expenses and the balanace, if any, to the seller.
If the numbers are right on the deal, an eviction is a very small expense to make the profit, even if you don’t have a way to get someone else to pay for. In this case, you have that opportunity. The seller may not want to ‘deal’ with these tenants, but he should pay the costs of the eviction.
Good luck. Let us know how it goes.
Cate