They're drawing on my Cabinets!!!

[John Matthew Johnston]

My first rental is a B class SFR, Rent 1500/month. I put all new finishes and it LOOKED really nice. I went to do my first rental inspection after 5-6 months( while doing a walk through with an appraisal company to BRRR it) and the place is disgusting. They kids have drawn on the new white soft close cabinets with green marker and I counted at lease 8 other places they have been drawling on the walls. the floors have food and crumbs all over the place. empty mountain dew bottles and wrappers are all over the house. Dont get me started on the new stainless steel appliances that are covered in a layer of gooo!! The front porch is just covered in all kinds of **** like cloths and garbage. How do I document a written warning. An official letter of some sort. I want to warn them and give them a chance to rectify but im not sure they can make the change.

[Scott Trench]

I disagree with some of the other stuff on this thread. 

If your tenants are reasonable, aren't creating a disturbance, and are paying on time, then treat them like you would any other situation. Let them pay rent and live in peace.

I had a tenant that moved in with two cats. The couple split and a new roommate joined, bringing in two more cats. FOUR cats in a 750 sqft apartment. Obviously, when they move, I'll have to replace the carpet. Guess what? That place has been continuously rented! The years roll by, and they stay, cats and all, and I don't have to do any replacement.

If you treat them reasonably, this family will likely make a mess, like the cats did and do for me, yes. And you will cringe over your cabinets. And over the goo and mess. 

But, they might just end up staying for a bunch of years. If they stay for 10 years and raise their family happily in your property, then the CapEx risk that you are all upset about will be completed diluted because they stayed so long! They might even replace the cabinets, or repaint/restain them for you if you politely let them know that this will be an area of concern at move-out.

Inspect for the smoke alarm and any maintenance/capex issues, and then be patient. If you are a jerk, beat them up for the mess they are making, and force them out, or make it so unpleasant for them that they leave, or simply don't renew, I bet that all you do is accelerate the cost of your next major rehab - and maybe by several years, costing yourself real money and a lot of anger. 

This is a business, and in a class B rental at that price range, I don't think that pride for your hard work, being a stickler for clean and tidy tenants, and trying to maintain a beautiful unit over messy tenants is a quality that will give you the result you are looking for long-term! And, in the end, all that green market, goo, mountain dew bottles, and other crap might just come out the other side with a perfectly ready to re-rent unit.