Tenants not giving notice to stay or vacate

[Tim Hulme]

Hi everyone,

I have a rental unit that has a yearly lease coming up for renewal end of July. They were supposed to give 30 days notice they wanted out, otherwise it auto renews.. There were 3 tenants, one of which said they wanted out.  The other two have communicated they want to stay and are looking for a 3rd roomate.  I basically explained to them, that with one of them leaving, the old lease agreement would become null and that we need a new lease made up.  But they seem to be having difficulty finding a roomate and don’t want a new lease made with just the two of them on it.  It seems like they are pushing to go month-to-month even though that option was never given to them. They have always paid the rent but each individual paid 1/3 the total.  Has anyone else had a similar experience? Any advice on what I should do if they don’t move out, pay next month but don’t sign a new lease?

Thanks,

Tim

[Nathan Gesner]

By the way, your roommate situation is a common problem. Three people pool their resources so they can afford a rental. One of the roommates leaves and the remaining two can't afford the rent, so they rush to find a new roommate or they all break the lease and leave you stranded.

I set a policy with higher requirements for three or more unrelated people renting together. When they apply, each individual must show they make a minimum of 2x the monthly rent. If the third Tenant disappears, the remaining two still make a combined income of 4x monthly rent and can afford payments while they search for a roommate. Standards for roommates should be higher because the risk of problems is higher.

Make sure you are screening and approving the new roommate before they move in.