Ready to close on 4plex, tenant wont leave.

[Derick Hanna]

Me and my wife are a week out from closing on our first 4 plex.  We are going to be living in one of the units and renting out the other 3.  However, the tenants in the unit we are supposed to move into have not left yet. They were supposed to be out 15 days ago and were granted a 2 week extension by the previous owner.  All the paperwork is done and the only thing holding up the deal (and our planned move into our new place) is these tenants.  The eviction process is going to take at least a month...is there anything that we can do?  A few of our friends have suggested that we offer them cash to just leave, or pay for a week in a hotel.  What is the best way to approach this?  

[Christian Ehlers]

I would try to gather more information on WHY they aren't leaving, if you haven't already. Do they not have another rental or home lined up that they can move into and are about to be living in a car? Are they paying far below market rent right now and not wanting to move to a more expensive rental? Have they been living there 10+ years and feel it is truly their "home"?

Depending on what the motivation is for not wanting to leave this would change my approach to the situation. Typically Cash for Keys as your friends have described has been very helpful to make them move out as quickly and smoothly as possible. Make sure the tenant also understands if they don't leave they will be evicted and how much this will harm them from being able to rent another place for years to come. 

If you get some more info feel free to post here if you need more guidance!