my first eviction

[Stacy E.]

Hi,

I've been doing this for a few years, first just renting out the second bedroom in my condo and now since I moved out of that condo I rent out the whole thing and also bought a house where I'm living and renting out my basement.  I didn't choose this profession per se; I'm actually disabled and needing to do this to supplement my income (although I have felt immense appreciation for the good tenants and proud of the way I continue to learn).

Now I am in the process of my first eviction with regards to my current basement tenant (they're just not paying me rent, everything else is fine with this person but their financial excuses have been hard to keep track of since the beginning).  My question isn't technical but more of a general soft skills thing.  

How do I keep my sanity?  I've filed the eviction, they've been served with the paperwork, and now all that's left is for me to wait for the next steps and hope I filled everything out right (Denver county's process is making my head spin, and I'm having to do this without a lawyer because of cost) while in the meantime my tenant is otherwise just ignoring all my texts and notices and also (it feels like) acting like nothing has changed, still having people over for dinner, still walking in and out of my front door like no problem...leading up to this point I've had multiple informal conversations with this person about the toll their unpredictable behavior around payments has had on me.  The personal check they wrote me upon move-in bounced (my mistake for not insisting on a cashier's check) and then they sent me a sneaky Venmo payment to cover it right before it was about to bounce with no explanation for the Venmo payment until I reached out to them.  Since then there's been partial payments spread out over multiple days almost monthly (up until this month the payments have always been a little early so that the full amount arrives by the first--again, probably my mistake for agreeing to such).  So given that this month there were zero payments of any kind, I started the eviction process as soon as I legally could...

This is taking a major toll on my already-tenuous health.  Lots of meditation?  Little treats for myself?  Recommend ACH payments for a very small-time landlord?  No partial payments from any tenant again ever, even if they're early, yes?  This tenant's current lease is up in a few months anyway, but how now do I believe in the day where I am no longer involved with this person whom I very much do not want to be renting to anymore (let alone sharing my own home with)?

Thanks for reading.

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Stacy E.:

You are making a very common mistake. You think you can save 10% by not hiring a property manager, then you lose far more because you don't know how to handle bad renters. You repeat this mistake by not hiring an attorney. You may think you are saving money, but your attempt to evict could be thwarted by one simple mistake in the process, the tenant could get the right to stay longer, and you'll have to start the process all over again.

The tenant acts like nothing is happening because nothing is happening. You made the mistake of accepting their excuses over and over again. They know you can't kick them out tomorrow, so they will continue stealing from you until things get serious. They are probably smart enough to wait until the court date, then they'll scurry off 1-2 days prior and move to the next victim.

I manage 400 rentals and this doesn't happen to me because I don't listen to excuses or play games. Rent is unpaid? Charge the late fee. Every time. Still don't pay? Start the eviction. Every time.

I am writing a book that speaks to this very issue. Landlords try to save money by doing everything themselves and it costs them far more. If you want your rental to be successful, you must continually educate yourself, have strong policies and procedures, and be prepared to take action against bad behavior.

The best thing you can do right now is start looking for a professional property manager. They may be able/willing to get you out of this situation and get the train back on the tracks. If not, hire an attorney to clean up the current mess, then pass it on to a PM.