First Time Landlord Q: Inherited tenant with Mental Issues
If anyone has ever had this situation before and could shed some light on how it handled I would be forever grateful.
I just closed on a househack this weekend - a 3 bed 2 bath home with a 1 bed 1 bath carriage house in the back above the garage. My plan is to rent out the 3 bed 2 bath and live in the carriage house, effectively living for free and saving up for my next rental. However, currently there is an inherited tenant in the carriage house. The tenant has been there for the past 6 years and the seller did not have any info whatsoever except their name and phone number. A lease was not signed, and the tenant is month to month. I called the tenant and let them know that I will be living in that unit and if they could please vacate by June 1st, the tenant was very surprised and upset... I will also be giving them a letter of 30 day to vacate non-renewal letter this Friday.
The tenant has visited me once at the larger home that I currently reside in and has told me that they have mental issues, health problems and are not able to get unemployment but they are getting their stimulus check on the 15th and can pay rent by then. They also are not able to go back to work given the current COVID19 environment and their health conditions. I don't want to me inhumane but I really don't think that letting the tenant stay would be a good idea as I dont have much info on them through the seller and the rent is below market at $475. However, I do feel like I should do something to assist them in leaving... What would be the best way to do that? They did say they have a social worker - if that helps. The tenant obviously had mental issues and 56 years of age so its very stressful on them understandably. This is my first experience as a landlord and I want to do the right thing by the tenant yet still go through with my plans for the unit.
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@Account Closed - First off, thank you for having compassion for your older tenant with mental health problems. If I were in your shoes, I would at the very least advise the tenant (via phone or letter) to reach out to his/her social worker ASAP for help on finding new housing. I would also suggest the tenant contact family for immediate support or look into section 8/ other subsidized housing for the future (these often entail long wait lists).
Lastly, I would try to provide the tenant some additional time to find new housing but be firm about the timeline. The current climate with COVID-19 further complicates things. As far as I know, evictions are still on pause. Hope this helps and good luck.