As a landlord, it would be nice to have tenants who always pay on time, take care of your property, and provide ample notice before moving out. However, the reality is often very different. Even if you have taken care to choose tenants you think are reliable and professional, things can go wrong. It’s common for tenants to damage your property, move out without notice, and pay their rent late – or not pay it at all.
When the situation becomes untenable, there’s sometimes no choice but to go through an eviction process. Some landlords go through their whole lives without having to evict. Others are not so lucky. Eviction is never pleasant. If done poorly, evicting a tenant can be costly, drawn out, and incredibly stressful. It’s easy to make a simple mistake and find yourself stuck with bad tenants for a long time.
Many landlords are sidestepping the messy problems eviction creates by using a professional eviction service. Why are so many landlords choosing this path? What are the benefits of a professional eviction service?
1. They know the laws.
Different states have different laws on eviction. If you fail to follow the letter of the law, your eviction case could be thrown out – meaning you have likely spent a lot of money and deteriorated your already shaky relationship with your tenant for no reason. To evict a tenant, you must first give him or her notice, allowing him or her enough time to fix whatever part of the agreement was broken, pay you, and get back to following the lease. If the tenant fails to do so, you then must file an eviction notice with the court and ask for a hearing.
It’s easy to mix up all the legal details involved with evicting a tenant. If you get even one detail incorrect, a judge could easily rule in favor of your tenant. When you use a professional eviction service, an experienced team well versed in the legalities of eviction can examine your case and tell you exactly the process you must go through to take care of this messy problem. An eviction service can align every step to give you a much better chance of a positive outcome. You can get back to your regular life and business more quickly and easily.
2. Peace of mind.
Evicting a tenant is stressful, and attempting to work through the legalities is bad enough. Some tenants react very negatively to being served with an eviction notice. This can pile on social stress to an already unpleasant situation, meaning sleepless nights and worries throughout the day.
When you use an eviction service, you can be sure every step is being taken care of without you having to keep track of every minute detail. Don’t be kept up at night wondering if you filled out paperwork correctly, or if you missed a step in the process. Eviction services deal with evictions every day – there’s nothing they haven’t seen before. A service will help you take care of all the steps correctly, in the right order, and in a timely manner.
3. Safety.
Sometimes, the reason a tenant breaks the agreement with you is because he or she is going through hard times. This is a sad situation, but you still need to look out for yourself and make sure your own livelihood is supported. Serving a tenant with an eviction notice can sometimes create a volatile situation.
As a landlord, it is safer for you to put your eviction process into the hands of an experienced professional. This ensures a tenant can’t intimidate or threaten you into backing down – something you may be more likely to do if you’re already confused and stressed out by the eviction process. When you consult a professional eviction service, you protect your property, your livelihood, and your safety.
4. Experience.
Many tenants don’t intend to put you out financially or behave in an unreasonable way. However, if you approach them with hostility and legal jargon (not unreasonable when you’re worried about your own property and finances), they can respond negatively. It’s easily to accidentally escalate an eviction situation, as the stakes are high for both parties. This escalation, however, serves neither party – it only creates a tangled, messy situation which can be difficult to emerge from positively.
A good professional eviction service has dealt with hundreds of eviction cases. A professional can hear the facts of your situation and judge how best to proceed to avoid unnecessary escalation. With professional advice, you can approach your problem from an educated perspective. With the experience that professional eviction companies bring, you are much more likely to get a positive outcome in your eviction case with minimum trouble.
5. Ease.
Most landlords manage multiple properties. If you must evict one of your tenants, this doesn’t mean your other work disappears. Being a landlord is nothing if not a full time job. Attempting to process an eviction by yourself piles on a significant amount of extra work, and can mean your other properties fall by the wayside. This can even create a negative relationship with tenants in other properties. If you don’t have time to respond to their concerns, it’s not your fault – but it’s easy for them to read it as a lack of professionalism and caring on your part.
If you’re attempting to manage more than one property while simultaneously processing an eviction on your own, something has to be sacrificed. Whether it’s sleep, time with your family, or your other landlord duties, this is not an ideal situation. You could be overworked for a long time if your eviction case is complicated or unusual, and the legalities become messy.
A professional eviction service allows you to go through these difficult times as easily as possible. If you don’t have time to deal with the complexities of an eviction case, you’re far from alone – most landlords find it simply too much to do properly without help. Avoid losing time, money, and sleep by using a professional eviction service.
Don’t let an eviction case run your life. Consult a professional eviction service to process your eviction quickly, properly, and safely. The experienced Houston property management professionals at Green Residential can help. Contact us today to learn more.
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