Here Is What You Should Do If Your Absent Tenant Stopped Paying Rent

Nothing is worse than an absent tenant who fails to pay rent. Sometimes, the tenant does it on purpose. Other times, late rent payments are due to circumstances that are beyond the tenant’s control. Regardless, if an absent tenant has stopped paying rent, then you need to do something about it.

What to Do

The first step is to contact the individual and to ask about the issue. Remind him or her to fulfill the contractual obligations. Make sure to exhaust all forms of communication. If you have no way of contacting an absent tenant, then there is a problem.

Your actions will depend on the individual situation. Depending on how much the rent payment should be and how long the tenant is absent, you might need to go into the property, remove belongings, and rent it out to other people. If the individual failed to make one month’s payment, wait until the end of the second month before taking this option. Of course, before you do this, you will need to file all of the proper documents and to notify the tenant.

How to Legally Evict an Absent Tenant Who Has Not Paid Rent

Before you evict the individual, you need to look up the local laws, as you need to take the right steps before eviction. First, you need to establish abandonment to rent out the property to other individuals. Determining this will depend on many factors. The absent tenant might have left a note. The neighbors might have even seen the person moving out in the middle of the night. In most instances, if the property has no furniture or if utilities are cut off, you can assume that the apartment is abandoned.

Serving Notice

Even if you think that the property is abandoned, you still need to go through the correct channels. To evict an individual, the landlord must prove that the absent tenant fell behind on rent. Typically, the landlord can also serve a Pay Rent or Quit Notice, which gives the individual five days to make payment. If the individual does not do anything, you can then file an eviction. If the tenant has left items in the house, then you need to consult the state laws concerning the disposal of those items.

Always remember to complete your due diligence before making a rash decision. A poor choice can cost you dearly. Thus, it is a good idea to work with an attorney who frequently deals with these kinds of situations.