Evictions are something that every property manager and landlord dreads, but they are part of life. When one of your tenants is no longer abiding by the rules, not paying, or otherwise becoming a hassle, you have the right to evict them. Familiarizing yourself with the evictions process, and following it through proper legal and moral channels allows you to ensure that your eviction doesn’t become a problem for you, but there are also a few ways that you can learn to benefit from evicting a tenant. Unfortunately, tenant evictions are at their highest since the bubble in 2008, mainly because tenants can’t afford to pay.
Familiarize Yourself With Washington Eviction Law
If you’re ready to begin the eviction process it is essential that you either have a local real estate attorney, a local Kirkland property manager, or a very strong knowledge of city and state landlord tenant law. This knowledge ensures that you are in the right when pursuing the eviction, that you follow all legal requirements, and that you know what to do in case the tenant attempts to open a case against you.
Security Deposit
Most of the time, if you’re evicting a tenant, they may not qualify to get their security deposit back. If property has been damaged, you can also open a court case against them if the security deposit does not pay for the repairs. Just make sure that you handle the proceedings within 14 days of the tenant moving out.
Reconsider Your Rental Rates
Rent rates are constantly rising, and if you’ve had a tenant for a while, then chances are, you might be able to charge more for your rent than you are currently. This will balance out if you have to do renovations or serious repairs before moving a new tenant in, but it is an option for boosting your monthly revenue. Compare what you are charging with rates listed by nearby rentals of similar size to your own. The demand for rentals has soared in the area in the past two years, and rates have gone up a great deal. If you’ve had your tenants for more than a year, you could be looking at a much larger than 4% increase in the rent.
Make Other Tenants Happier
If you’ve had a number of complaints, noise or otherwise, against the tenant, then posting a notice about their eviction could be a good move. If they haven’t done anything wrong, haven’t received any complaints, or are evicting them due to a failure to pay, you might want to skip posting about an eviction, and instead post that the apartment is becoming available for rent.
Offer Solutions
If your tenants can’t afford to pay their rent, you may be able to help them out, while benefiting from the deal. For example, you can suggest that they apply to Section 8 housing assistance before evicting them.
Evicting tenants is one of the most stressful and emotionally taxing things you can do as a landowner, but you don’t have to do it alone. A Kirkland property management company can give you the support you need by handling everything, including the legal process and court documents, to ensure that everything is handled as smoothly as possible.