This is a great place to learn and to connect with people so take advantage of all the great resources.

I use Eric Kloth out of Redding and he is stuck with us for this and our future home buying needs. 

Do not communicate with the tenants except as advised by the attorney.

As to the quandary posed by the OP: The root of the issue is that it basically sucks to be an RE investor these days.

Prorate the rent for the first month.   

For now, we recommend using the 3rd parties listed in the below post.The beginning of the year is a perfect opportunity to get even with all those contractors who worked for you during 2023: report them to the almighty IRS and make them pay taxes on the money they received from you.

I used to live in the lower mainland but invested where the numbers work like Vancouver Island or Northern BC.

I sacrifice today in order to reap the rewards in the future. 

Hire an attorney and proceed with the eviction.In the future, I recommend you don't accept "landlord references" from friends or family members.

I'm noticing there are some really nice cash flow markets in texas, some of which are really close to the Mexican border, though.