How do I get my tenant to remove belongings?

[Lauren Slattery]

My renter was given a 30 day notice per our rental agreement. The 30 days should of been July 16th. She claims she cannot move her things out because she has a high risk child who should not be out because of covid. I only learned about his condition when covid happened. She has found a new place to rent but will still not remove the rest of her belongings. She has not stayed or slept at rental for two weeks now.  She has also not paid rent for the month of July. Are my hands tied? I have prospective renters wanting to rent by September and need to do repairs to property since she has not been clean and disrespected property. What can I do in this situation? 

[Jon K.]

What I'm suggesting is that instead of attempting to have her move her belongings, you offer to do it yourself even if it's at your expense in order to be able to turn over your unit. Yes, it would be better if she would clean the place out and do a walk through inspection with you like she's supposed to (hopefully per your lease) but it doesn't sound like she's going to go along with the program.

If she is willing to acknowledge that her tenancy is over, preferably in writing, and all you have to do is move her belongings for her that gets you to your goal of re-renting faster. It's not a good situation but given the moratoriums on evictions and the backlogs that courts are facing these days the power is largely in the hands of the tenant that chooses to take advantage of that right now. Sure you could potentially be made whole for lost rent and damages eventually, and I generally encourage investors to pursue that when it makes sense from a dollar amount, but that's long term. Communication and empathy can go a long way towards resolving things in a timely fashion.