Tenants refuse to leave when the lease is up

[Craig Robinson]

Hello, I have a question that pertains to a rental property that my parents own. They rent section 8 to a family who refused to leave when the lease was up last summer. The tenants do not pay their (small) portion of the rent or any utilities. They would like them out at the end of the lease this summer but expect to be met with a fefusal again this year. The state is Maine and I am not sure the best way to proceed. Most information I have seen is about a mid lease eviction. Based on the Managing Rental Properties book from bigger pockets I have seen  the cash for keys strategy but am looking for other alternatives as well.

Thank you,

Craig Robinson

[Phillip Dwyer]

I'm not sure about your local laws there.  However, there is likely some form of notice you would send to the tenants that they will need to be out at the end of the lease.  In Nevada, we do this at least 30 days prior to the end of the lease term.  At that point, in NV we would move to a summary eviction.  

You also mentioned that the tenants are not paying the full rent each month.  Your local laws probably have something that will allow you to evict for non-payment of rent, but likely you would not be able to collect partial payment to enforce this.  

Either way, I'd recommend contacting an attorney that specializes in evictions in your area.  It's worth spending the money.