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Is it in the red because it is out of your state, and the tenants feel they can play you for a sucker?

That's right, you do not have to rent to section 8 tenants if you don't want to.

You go to court and get a JUDGEMENT against them for the amount. Send that judgement to a collection agency, and let them hound them to death.

If they ever want to purchase a house, they will be forced to clear this debt.

"I'm starting the eviction process on a tenant for non-payment in Tennessee. I was planning to send the initial notice to vacate by certified mail/return receipt requested."

In my state, the initial action taken would be a 3-day pay or quit (the property) notice. If they don't comply THEN you send a notice that eviction is starting...

Our magistrate says certified is fine even if they refuse it.

live in Jersey, invest in Scranton, PA
No problems, except it is a 1.5 hr drive. See other post for more info.
Did you mean a "deal" or involving tenants?

ask them for specific verifiable information, and tell them that you are going to check this information because of the scam problem...

dal1
I once rented a furnished house with a manicured lawn to a doctor and his family for around $2500. When he got ready to load up his few bags of stuff he backed his SUV up to the front door across my beautiful lawn and left tire marks across it. Not to mention there were sprinkler heads in the front that he could have ruined. Tackiness does not have an socioeconomic boundaries.

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Right. So now you get a judgement against the doctor for that DAMAGE, and hand it off to a collection agency. I doubt he will want that on his credit rating, and if he ever wants to buy a house,it will have to be cleared first.

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MGD...
If all that stuff is going on in your house, it is a lease violation. You serve them with notice (immediately), and then pursue it in court. For all damages, you get a judgement, and put it into collections.

Based on what you said, you need to get out of property investment if you intend to have a wimpy lease, and let people roll over you, because they will ruin you financially.

Richard,

I live 1.5 hours from my rental duplex as well, and have managed it for the past 3 years. I have had very few problems with showing the property.

Here's what I do:
Take out a classified ad so it appears in the paper on a Friday. This allows people to find it a circle it. It appears Sat and Sun too. I have a written script that completely describes the property and my most important policies as LL. I have written this out so I don't have to even think when I answer the phone, and try to remember everything.

I print out 2 sheets, one for sat and one for sun that look like this:

Saturday:
10am
10:15am
10:30am
10:45am
11:00am (etc etc)

One sheet is for saturday, and the other for sunday, with appointments available every 15 minutes. I have a block of 3 hours in the morning, and 3 hours later in the day with a nice big break in between when I go have a luxurious lunch, and some shopping. I introduce myself to the prospect, give them a quick tour, and try to learn as much as possible about them as I can. Then I hand them a form to fill out with all the info that is important to me.

After doing this saturday and sunday, my wife and I vote on our candidates. If we feel very strong about one and agree, we may not do any further screening. If we do further screening, then we mail them a key AFTER we get the full $$ squared away (never give possession until the money is completed for any reason). Sunday afternoon, we drive back home.

Basically we compress the whole thing into 2 days. Oh, and we also do a little touch-up and cleaning while we are there, and make a very thorough examination of the place to see what might need replacing in the near future.

Also, I have made it a point to get to know neighbors across the street, and on either side of the house, and I drop by all three and renew the relationship with them. Every once in a while, I will leave them a gift card or something just as a thank you. These neighbors keep an eye out for the property, and they have my # to call if they see anything suspect, and call me.

We make it a point to enjoy ourselves while we are in town too. We go out to eat, and see a movie, or go to a museum, or the lake.

Ohio Realtor
"Just wait untill you start to deal with minor maintanance issues and late rent then see if it's to far."

If there is late rent, I call within 2 days of it being late, and ask if there is a problem. If it goes past 8 days, I send them a "pay or quit" notice to let them know I'm serious. Pay or quit gets results every time. Also tenants have never called on minor maintenance. Only for plumbing or the like, and I call a pro with whom I have established a relationship.

I don't think it will prove too hard if you establish relationships with people there, and open up lines of communication. You should also have an iron clad lease, and update it every time a tenant does something bothersome to help reduce future annoyances. (Example: I had one tenant who called too frequently, and I started restricting calls to between 7-9pm only, and that is in the next lease...)

Good Luck!