Bought Flip with Tenants that do not have leases, need advice

[Ryan R.]

The property is located in CA (Riverside, County), Purchased a SFR property with a large lot in poor condition that have several tenants in place, was given a seller credit to be used to help me with eviction or cash for keys. Now here is issue, none of the tenants have a lease or anything in writing.

First set of tenants is a family Mom, Dad and two kids, they negotiated free rent to fix up the house and this was a verbal agreement (it doesn't appear they have done any repairs, at least not properly, for example the shower doesn't have a faucet and they hooked up a garden hose to the bathroom sink and ran it to the shower and put a shower head on the other end of the garden hose). I have been told these guys have a prior eviction on their record.   

Next is about 5 tenants living in different older motor homes parked in the back yard with a gate they access for in and out (kinda like a make shift free mobile home park! LOL), not sure the motor homes are working or able to be driven. None of these guys have a lease and they do not pay rent and they "borrow" electricity from the tenant in the front house, told the tenant in the front house has removed this access. 

We are trying to use Cash for Keys and have started a dialog, however, the tenant upfront is saying they have nothing to do with the ones in the back and they are not going to cooperate. The tenants upfront might take cash for keys but they are being difficult and unreasonable at the moment, so we are anticipating eviction. 

My question is since the tenants in the back yard are very aggressive and uncooperative, is there a faster easier option to eviction for these guys? The story I have and it may not be the truth, is that they are squatters and they did not have permission from anyone to live there, but the previous landlord was elderly and he never pursued getting them out. Can I pursue a trespassing issue with them and get the local sheriff to help remove them before getting a court order to remove them?  

[Colleen F.]

I would talk to a lawyer , you are in California so that could be very different from the rest of the country .   You might also talk to the health department in your area to see who handles these kinds of habitability issues. If the trailers belong to the tenants then you are perhaps in a better situation then if the trailers are yours. No one can require you to fix up someone elses trailer but the violation is yours if it is your trailer.  Electricity isn't the only issue what about water and sewage? 

As far as the front tenants, I would not do cash for keys but if you do make sure they are gone before you give any money. You also have a posse in the back yard and it is better they are gone first least they move into the house.