Top 5 Problems Involving Vacating Tenants

07 Aug 2017 buy sell rent tips

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  1. Abrupt decamping without prior notice
    This is the most common problem faced by landlords, which involves tenants suddenly moving without prior notice despite rental contracts stipulating a longer rental term. Some tenants will even forgo deposit payments in their haste to leave. This problem leads to loss of opportunities for landlords, as finding new tenants can take time.

    One solution to this problem is for landlords to create close relationships with their tenants. This involves regular contact and paying close attention to tenants’ needs to ensure that they do not feel neglected. This way, even if tenants decide to leave, they are more likely to give advanced notice.

    A case study related to this problem involves a tenant sub-leasing their units before the end of their contract period. The tenant needed to move for personal reasons after seven months into a one-year contract, and decided to sub-lease the unit to another person for the remaining contract period without notifying the landlord. This is illegal. As a landlord, it may be necessary to seek cooperation from the juristic person in looking out for strangers coming and going or tenants removing their belongings from the premises without notice.

  2. Units not cleaned before vacating
    The cleaning habits of tenants will vary, depending on how they are screened before the contract signing or whether a related clause is included in the contract. Some tenants may be fastidious cleaners, while others may count on hired services. It is wise to set aside a budget to deal with situations where tenants leave a mess behind. Alternatively, landlords can deduct a cleaning fee from tenants’ deposits before they leave.

  3. Tenants forget to pay bills and return keys
    This problem can be particularly difficult to resolve in the case of foreign tenants who return to their home country and cannot be contacted. Items that should be returned upon vacating a unit include mailbox keys, room keys, and keycards that provide access to common areas of the property. In the case that these items cannot be retrieved, a deduction can be made from the tenant’s deposit to produce new keycards or cover related expenses. In some cases, ex-tenants will intentionally keep keys/keycards or secretly make copies that they can later use to access central facilities after moving out. It is therefore essential that landlords change passcodes and locks, and advise the juristic office to change keycard access to prevent possible security breaches.

    In the case of outstanding bills for water, electricity, internet, or other installations, tenants must be reminded to take care of their payments and to change their forwarding address. Landlords may inquire directly with service providers to prevent problems that may arise when new tenants attempt to install internet or telephone services while previous occupants are still listed at the address.

  4. Units are damaged or left in poor condition
    Poor condition of units can be due to new paint, wallpaper, electrical problems, sub-par water pipe installation, damaged furniture or cracked floors. Fortunately, these problems are likely to be covered in the rental contract and are deductible from the tenant’s deposit. A good tenant would ensure that their unit was returned to its original condition before turning it over to the landlord.

    However, unanticipated events can occur that may not be covered in the rental contract. For instance, before vacating their unit, one tenant innocently removed the refrigerator plug from the wall. This led to the ice in the freezer melting, which then leaked out of the fridge and resulted in damage to the laminated floor beneath. In this case, the tenant was liable, and the cost of the damage was deducted from their deposit. This demonstrates how important it can be for landlords to carefully consider potential scenarios when drafting contracts. It also highlights why it is necessary to thoroughly check the condition of units before returning tenants’ deposits.

  5. The landlord’s furniture and appliances are also carted away
    This situation may arise after an extended residency, with tenants forgetting which items and furniture originally came with the unit. As a precaution, landlords should produce a checklist of all items within their unit as an attachment to the rental contract. When tenants move out, they can simply refer to the item checklist. It is a good idea for landlords to be present and personally check belongings when tenants move out to protect their own interests. If items are missing from the checklist, a deduction can be made from the tenant’s deposit.

Lastly, many problems can arise when contracts are not clear or properly thought out, and landlords and tenants do not always reach a mutual understanding during negotiations. Hence, to help avoid possible misunderstandings, a thorough well-written contract is essential and must be understood by both parties before setting pen to paper.

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