How to Deal with Tenants that Cause Property Damage
Although tenants pay money to have the right to live in a property, the landlords still own the property. There are cases where tenants may decide to damage the property whether intentionally or unintentionally, thinking that they have nothing to lose. They may tear carpets, break windows, damage appliances, and more. Fortunately, landlords can take control of this unpleasant situation. This article will provide you with instructions on how to do this.
Determine the Cause of Property Damage
Identifying the reasons involved in the occurrence of property damage is essential to moving forward. Generally, damages are either caused accidentally or intentionally. Let’s briefly differentiate these two instances below.
Accidental Damage
Experiencing damages to your property doesn’t necessarily mean that you have bad tenants. Sometimes, unexpected things happen. That’s why, it is best to communicate with your tenants first regarding the damage, before jumping to conclusions about how or why it happened. After doing this, you can rest assured that they will have to abide by the rental lease agreement and inform you whenever any problem occurs. This is important because even accidental damages lead to more problems if left unattended.
Intentional Damage
If the above is not true, it is safe to say that you are dealing with difficult tenants. These individuals don’t follow the steps required to maintain the property. In some cases, these tenants may even cause property damage on purpose. Luckily, you have some options to protect yourself and your property against this type of behavior.
How to Deal with Tenants That Cause Property Damage
The outcome of this type of situation strongly depends on the rental lease agreement between the two parties. This agreement will be the basis for deciding on who will cover the property damages. Most of the time, the tenants are the ones to cover the costs of the damage. For tenants that are hesitant to do so, you can initially use funds from the security deposit to repair the property. You can then show the receipts to them to testify how much was spent.
If your tenants refuse to take responsibility although they are at fault, you may need to take serious actions. As a landlord, you can have them evicted or sued for property damage. Yes, these measures may be extreme, but landlords must know their rights to be able to protect their properties.
Preventing Property Damages
You can make things much easier if you take some actions to prevent damages before they even happen. Here are some ways to prevent property damages.
As a landlord, you can perform quick background checks on your potential tenants. This allows you to know more about them and avoid having difficult tenants living in your property. Some of the things you can check are their previous bank statements and contact information of previous landlords for reference.
We Can Assist You Regarding this Issue
Some landlords experience the unpleasant event of having their properties damaged by tenants. Fortunately, there are actions you can take to protect your property. Inspecting the cause of the damage, communicating with your tenants, and coming to an agreement are all vital steps in solving this issue.
For individuals located around Orange County, California that are finding it difficult to handle things on their own, we at JAM Properties, LLC would be glad to help you out. As a real estate solutions company, we will go over all of your options so you can make an informed decision.
Feel free to contact us at 949-438-4343 or info@jampropertiesca.com
No obligations and no strings attached.