All Forum Posts by: Jason S.

 You achieve at the end a sound legal eviction versus one that was not done legally. But whether or not to do that is up to the poster. This is a moot dilemma if the lease has language in it that defines tenant abandonment in a way that would qualify in this case. If that's true, the owner can certainly just move on without any legal proceedings.

This may seem apples/oranges, but Self-Storage and renting houses are surprisingly similar. If we have that situation in storage, we go through all the legal processes of treating the tenant as if they were just a non-paying tenant for the sole reason of CYA. It doesn't cost that much to evict; it just freezes your asset while you work it out through the courts, losing revenue. My opinion in your situation is to do the same. Treat them as though they are a non-paying tenant and legally evict them. 

That's not to say that I could possibly maybe have known some people who hypothetically have skipped all that bureaucratic hassle because their gut told them the tenant is way too lazy to ever come back with some sort of wrongful eviction litigation. In that case, they just skipped to the end of the "proper" protocol. You should document all attempts at contacting them no matter what, but if you choose this quicker route, DEFINITELY document all the times you tried to reach them.

Are you sure you don't have an "out" in the lease that you can find that says that if they ___________, then they have legally abandoned the unit to you? For example, if you are unable to contact them for X days, or if the home appears unlived in for X days, then you may consider the lease voided and/or consider the home vacated?

To be fair, my thoughts are anecdotal, not legally sound :) But some things to think about.

@Josh Stack Thank you for your insight.

@Manu Kaina IV I definitely cannot afford anything in Hawaii :)

We have used Bridgman Property Mgmt for the last 2 years for a single family home. It has pretty much run itself without any major issues. There have been 1 or 2 minor things that I had to question them about. Ideally, I wouldn't have to pay any attention to what's going on, but I think with any PM, you need to pay attention. I didn't really shop around as they came via recommendation. I will say they are probably "good," and definitely not "terrible." Happy to answer any questions in DM if needed.

As I have been looking to purchase a SFR out-of-state for the first time, I have found many homes are 3/1 or 3/1.5. Where I'm from that would be a bizarre configuration, but the sheer numbers of these types of properties I've found during my search have me wondering if that's just the usual in other states? My instinct was to exclude those in my search as I think they would be less likely to rent (or to re-sell), but I'm aware it may just be exposing my lack of knowledge of other markets.

Can anyone advise on the viability of these types of properties?

Thank you.