Advice for dealing with Tenant issues

[Casey Roloff]

Hi!

I'm in need of some advice for dealing with two problem tenants.  I recently purchased a 4-plex in Arizona and inherited 3 of the 4 tenants (2 out of 3 on Section 8).  At closing, I immediately accepted a 4th tenant who is with a subsidized rehabilitation housing program called Achieve.  Each tenant signed a one year lease in February, 2017.

Within the last two months I've screened multiple phone calls from the tenants in Units 4 & 2 complaining about the tenant in Unit 3 (The tenant that I accepted).  Complaints ranging from loud music, door slamming at all hours of the day and night, calling the other tenants horrible names, etc...

Today I received a phone call from the tenant in Unit 4 saying that he believes the tenant in Unit 3 is "cooking dope" because they've been smelling something horrible in the middle of the night.  The tenant states that he is concerned for the safety of his two little ones.

I've notified each complaining tenant that they need to call the police if they suspect illegal activity and have talked to the accused tenant several times about correcting the issues until now with the drug related accusations.

My wife recommended that we start a formal complaint process via mail which will eliminate the phone calls (and drama) and assist with documenting the complaints. 

My questions are ... What advice do you have for dealing with future tenant complaints?  What do I do about the drug related accusations? 

Thank you in advance!

Casey Roloff

[Victor Trujillo]

Hey there Casey! Although I have no experience with this, perhaps in order to prevent similar situations in the future, your lease should contain statements such as:

-zero tolerance for any illegal activity

-rights to enter the rental/property, for which reasons (i.e. repairs, inspections, etc.), how many days prior you must notify them, and how the notification will be issued. 

*For your situation, maybe bring a legit inspector with you who can more easily identify suspicious activity. Also, after issuing the notification, perhaps monitor their specific section of the property, and gather intel on their doings (people coming and going, boxes/packages/backpacks/duffelbags coming and going). At least, this is what I'd do. You can always setup security cameras (all around the property, not clearly in that section alone so as to alert them that they're under surveillance).

-the consequences of continued noise complaints from neighbors/3 warning maximum for example. Then after repeated violations of the clear statement in the lease, begin filing for eviction.

OR as Brandon Turner suggests, pay the tenant two months rent to leave by a certain date. Although, not all of us can afford to do that.

From what I understand, from all of the studying I've been doing, the lease is your main source of power as a landlord/property manager. What I plan to do myself, is initiate new tenants onto my property with monthly leases/rental agreements for a month or 3 so as to get a feel for them, and if they seem fit, then offer them a yearly lease upon renewal. I feel that quality people would understand this process, should they look at things from your point of view.

I hope this helps, godspeed.