By the time you have made the decision to evict your tenant, many things have probably occurred. Not only are you frustrated, you are probably very angry that you have been forced to go through the eviction process. You have probably tried to work with the person or family several times before you came to the conclusion that it was time for the landlord/tenant relationship to come to an end. Lets face it - after you have received the rent and security deposit, and turned over the keys to the apartment, how often do you want to have to interact with your tenant? Only once a month, I bet, to collect the rent. Believe me, I bet thats the only time your tenant wants to see you too, to give you the rent. Most tenants want to be left alone to their apartment; most landlords want to be left alone except when rent time comes around. So, an eviction is a traumatic experience for both parties. Tempers will flare; stress will exist for the entire period of the lawsuit. Both landlord and tenant will go through a myriad of personality changes as the case progresses. Keeping your cool as the homeowner during the eviction process is very important. A cool head and a calm attitude could help prevent you from saying or doing things that could come back and bite you in court. Look at an impending eviction as a rite of passage that every landlord will experience at least once in a lifetime of owning property. It should be done with objectivity and not emotion. You should not want to evict a tenant because you are tired of looking at him, or because every time the two of you talk, he or she grates on your nerves. Just because the two of you are in business together, it doesnt mean you have to like one another. The tenant, regardless of all the other things about him or her, is helping to pay your mortgage and bills. An eviction is too expensive to use as a way to get rid of someone who is aggravating to you. Your tenant is supposed to pay the rent, follow the lease, leave other people alone, obey the law, and keep up the apartment and the common areas. Your responsibility as a homeowner is to collect the rent and use it to cut the grass, pay the property expenses, maintain the property, and make sure everyone follows the lease. This really is the extent of your relationship with each other. The first thing a homeowner should remember is not to expect your tenant to like you. Owning housing is not a popularity contest. You are the person with whom they have to interact at least once a month to conduct business. Unlike paying the car note or a credit card, they may have to see you to pay their rent, in most cases. Second, never lose your temper with a tenant. There will be times when a tenant will make a request or series of requests that will drive you crazy. A tenant may ask you, for example, to replace a $3.00 kitchen sink stopper. If you are having a bad day, you may say or do something you will later regret. The tenant, to your detriment in court, could repeat that nasty comment said in the heat of anger. Depending on the reason, an eviction could take weeks, if not months until it is completed. You will still have to interact with your tenant throughout the case. It doesnt make sense to be rude or offensive during that time period. If you spend all of your eviction time angry, it will be a long case. Keep your perspective; its not personal, just business. The third thing to remember is to separate your personal life from that of the tenant. This means that you should keep to your business, which is the management of your property, out of the tenants personal business. This could be difficult if you have rented your apartment to a personal friend or relative. If you have, understand that you will have established two distinct relationships, one personal, and one business, all rolled up into this one tenancy. For example, your tenant is late every month paying the rent. One month, you notice that the tenant has bought a brand new car, latest edition, with a sunroof. You become angry that the tenant cant seem to pay the rent on time each month, but apparently he or she has the money to purchase a brand new car. You get even angrier at the thought that this tenant will probably pay their car note on time, but will still pay your rent late. Its none of your business how many cars your tenant buys. It is your business to collect the rent on time each month. If you had been sending an eviction notice each time that the tenant was late paying the rent, perhaps he or she would have made a different decision about prioritizing their bills. Perhaps if you had made rent collection your priority, you wouldnt be angry about the situation. Keep to your business as a homeowner every month, and what the tenant does personally wont matter much to you in the long run. In summary, the eviction process is part of the business of owning real estate. It is not a popularity contest, but a series of fact-findings, written and/or video documentation, and the implementation of state laws, all of which have to be presented before a judge. Keep your emotions out of it, and your eviction case will have a good chance of being won. |
