Should I Buy Multifamily Despite NY Laws That Protect Bad Tenant

[Edwin De leon]

Not sure if I should still invest in a multifamily  by Troy Upstate Ny, because it is not a Landlord Friendly State and protects bad tenants  from being evicted right away in 2-3 months like you can in PA or CT..

My Fears & Concerns Are:

I get bad tenant who knows how to play the system to delay the eviction process, may even purposely breaks things in apartment and state not paying rent till all things are repaired and then does not open door when someone comes to repair the problem all a scheme to to delay the eviction process up to 2 years in some cases as I have heard of horror stories.

Question:

1) Should I buy multifamily  elsewhere like PA or CT which have laws in place to evict BAD tenants fast within 3 months

2) Should I still consider investing in upstate NY if I find a good deal despite the laws that protect bad tenants, if so WHY ?

3) What do I need to do or put in place to make sure a bad tenant who knows how to play the system to their favor does not take advantage of me and stays up to 2 years rent free playing the housing court system ...............

4) Does a good experienced attorney help to evict bad tenants quickly, what makes them good with evictions and can you recommend to me a good attorney that knows also how to play the system to evict tenants quickly

5) What is the shortest time and longest time it took you to evict bad tenant from your multifamily 

[Nate Monson]

Hi @Edwin De leon New York is certainly a state that seems to favor tenants. That being said the main city that has been truly a problem for landlords is Albany. No eviction should be labeled easy, but outside of Albany evictions aren't as troublesome. 

1) All things being equal, yes buying in states with less restrictive laws is better. But this there are obviously more dynamics at play here.

2) I'm obviously biased being in NY, but there are plenty of ways to safely invest here. It depends on your goals. The WHY is that most markets here are stable cash flowing markets. 

3) The simple answer here is good systems and processes to avoid having a terrible tenant in the first place, including making sure management is aligned with your way of thinking. There's no magic wand to wave to fully prevent a bad tenant even in good land-lording markets. 

4) Short answer here is: YES. Absolutely can make a difference. 

5) There are some horror stories of course. Shortest I've been is 3-4 weeks before COVID. Now a days in Albany it can be a 2 month process on average. 

If you'd like to talk about the market up here please don't hesitate to reach out!