Ending a month to month lease with a problem tenant

[Alonzo Moreland]

Hi everyone. I'm looking for advice. I'm renting a 3 bdrm-1 and 1/2 bath rowhome to a tenant family of four adults who are habitually late with their rent payment each month. The tenants are reasonably clean, so no issue with trash or critters.  However, the Most alarming thing is they have allowed the water bill (they pay for all utilities, but the city bills the water to me) to mount over $2k over the last several months. The rental is currently unregistered with the city, so I would like to end their lease, do a little upgrade and get the city's rental license before renting to a new tenant. Any advice on the best way to end their lease?

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Alonzo Moreland:

A high water bill is typically due to a toilet that constantly runs/flushes. I would conduct an inspection, determine the cause, and make the repair.

You shouldn't keep tenants who habitually pay late, but there are various factors to think about and I can't go into all of them. You could give them a final notice, a written warning that you are done accepting late payments. They either pay on time or move out. If they pay late one more time, give them a 30-day Notice of Termination and require them to move out. If they fail to leave, evict based on the habitual lease violations.

If you can't figure out how to do this, or don't feel comfortable doing it, then the other option is to allow them to finish their lease and then require them to move out when it ends. If you go this route, then I recommend you notify them well in advance (90+ days) and offer them the option of moving out early without penalty.