Existing Tenants and Urgent Renovations

[Katie M Reece]

I am working on purchasing three duplexes that have 5 existing tenants. The problem is that the PM company of the sellers has allowed the properties to become almost uninhabitable (from my perspective). Brown water, non functioning appliances, etc. I'm not sure how to go about getting the properties fixed when there are existing leases that need to be honored. Are the conditions of the units a reason to give them notice and have them move? I know that they have been living this way for awhile but I am not willing to inherit bad living conditions and leave it that way. But we are talking about major renovations that people wouldn't want to live through and I certainly can't afford to put them up someplace else. What's the usual protocol for renovating with current tenants (assuming the renovations should not be put off until the end of the lease).