No amount of whining, crying and blubbering should save these tenants. When the rent is late, tenants might have a reasonable excuse, tug on your heartstrings and persuade you to allow them some extra time. Those are not the tenants I am talking about.
These tenants can make you lose your property. These tenants do not deserve to rent from any landlord. They deserve to be paying no rent at all—in jail. These tenants MUST be evicted.
Oh, they have their own set of stories. “It was my boyfriend.” “It was my grandson.” “My cousin came over while I was gone and did it.” Or, “you can’t evict me, I’m a protected class. I’m in drug treatment.” None are worth the dust left over in a crack pipe. Tenants are responsible for the actions of their invited guests and co-tenants in addition to their own.
You learn of the situation when you read the letter from the police department. It says they have evidence that your rental property is being used for drug dealing. Had you observed and given it some thought, you could have concluded what the police told you months before.
You would have seen comings and goings at all times of the day and night; and strange, disreputable-looking people always at the rental property.
You would have seen people come up to the door, not go in, and leave furtively, looking up and down the street. You would have seen people sit in their car after leaving. They might also park around the corner or a few blocks away and walk to the property. You also would have noticed more activity on paydays or on weekends.
The letter from the police department points out a city ordinance requiring landlords to evict tenants who are dealing drugs in a property. The fact that you received the letter is shield for the landlord against any complaints by the tenant of discrimination or illegal eviction.
If you fail to evict the tenants, your property can be boarded up by the city, or even worse, be forfeited as a drug property. That’s why these tenant deserve no consideration whatsoever, he has endangered your investment and the neighborhood around your rental property. He must be evicted immediately.
Many times drug-dealing tenants know the drill and move out before the sheriff comes to put them out. They have probably victimized other landlords in the past. Other times you will actually have to take them to court to get their sleazy behinds out of your property.
One interesting point is that these tenants almost assuredly always paid the rent on time. They probably also never called. They wanted to be left alone. Those two “qualities” lull many a landlord into thinking all is well and thanking their lucky stars for regular rent payments. While paying the rent on time every month is one sign of a good tenant, it does not absolutely mean that your tenant is a good one. And these tenants certainly in no way qualify as good.
Taking complete charge of your rental property means protecting your investment. Drug-dealing tenants destroy properties and neighborhoods. Don’t let them take advantage of you. They are one class of tenant that MUST be evicted.