First home under contract - but tenant isn't responding

[Michael Lerch]

So here's my first wholesale deal, but there's been a tenant living there rent free and won't return any calls. The owner (who lives in Phoenix) is not even sure if he's still living there so I pretty much have to go kick the door down (not literally... I have a key) and see if anyone's there, but it's not the best neighborhood down town if you know what I mean. It's a solid rental. Anyway, do I need to hire bouncers / tony soprano to come with me, or do you think the police assist with this sort of thing? I'm not sure if I'll need to evict him if he starts paying rent (up to end buyer) but I need access to do inspections and appraisal.

Any suggestions or experiences with this sort of thing?

[Nathan Emmert]

Why would the police assist, he's not doing anything illegal. No eviction has been filed, no court judgement has been levied against him (at least it wasn't mentioned in your post). Living "rent free" is grounds for eviction, but there's a process the landlord (owner) needs to go through. All you have is a contract, I don't believe that gives you the right to evict.

As for seeing the apartment, what does his lease say? Does the owner have the right to show the place? Is there an amount of notice required?

I would discourage kicking the door down, entering without notice, and bringing bouncers... all three of those situations could end very badly for you physically and legally.