How to charge a tenant who does not pay?
How to charge a tenant who does not pay?
When you make the decision to rent a property, beyond what you see and to charge a deposit in advance, you do not know what the real behavior of the tenant will be. Many times the relationship between landlord and tenant begins very well, but as time goes by there are those who for one reason or another stop paying rent on time.
At this point, you are already in the presence of a problem, which, could be easily solved with agreements or have to take it to higher instances. If you are interested in learning more about this topic, read the following article.
How to proceed with a tenant who does not pay?
When the tenant starts to stop canceling your rent on a regular basis and is late in paying or does not give you any explanation, the first thing you should do is talk to him in a friendly way. Being attentive to listen to what they have to say about it is important because that way they could reach payment agreements.
In the event that they reach agreements and these are not respected, you must make a more formal reminder. That is, in writing, since this way could result in the tenant canceling you. Now, if he still doesn’t make your payment, you’ve already exhausted the best ways to deal with the problem.
Another way to try to resolve the cancellation by the tenant is hire a lawyer that acts as an intermediary. The professional will send notarized documents where he details what he owes you and the time he has to pay.
If, even with a lawyer, the tenant does not pay you, then you must seek a solution in another way: take the case to court. A lawsuit is filed for an eviction process, which consists of the judge’s ruling on the tenant terminating the lease and the eviction request.
However, there is something very important that you should take into consideration, and it is the bills:
- Fees that you must pay to the lawyer and the attorney
- Payment of a Power of Attorney to represent you in court
- Other expenses that could arise
said process it cánido take up to six months and it will also depend on the actions taken by the tenant. If the eviction date arrives and you do not, then court staff will carry out the eviction.
What to do if a tenant does not pay the bills?
When you make the contract with a tenant, you cánido do it in two ways:
- Assuming the payment of bills for services such as electricity and water on his behalf, but they are in your name
- Placing the services at once in the name of the lessee
In the event that the services are in your name and the tenant does not pay for them, you should talk to him cordially to reach an agreement so that the bills are changed to his name and that he catches up with the payments.
Important: since the services are in your name, make the claim you will be solely responsible for canceling them.
How to evict a non-paying tenant?
If you have already spoken to the tenant on several occasions and have sent written documents or hired a lawyer, and still he does not cancel, there would only be something left to do. Grant forgiveness for the debt that he has with you with the commitment of immediate eviction.
With this last step you will have exhausted the options by fuera de la justicia means. And in the event that he does not accept that alternative either, the only thing that left to do is take the case to trial so that the judge puts a payment sentence for everything he owes you and gives him an eviction order.
Things you shouldn’t do when a tenant doesn’t pay
One of the most important things to keep in mind, especially when dealing with tenants, is patience. Such is the case of the tenant who does not pay you the monthly rent or services.
Next, we will tell you what things you should not do even if the tenant has not paid you:
- Cut off water and electricity services.
- Change the locks in the house.
- Entering the house without the permission of the tenant.
If you carry out any of the aforementioned actions you will be committing a crime, for which the tenant cánido sue you. So, the process for him to evict himself is going to be more difficult and complex. You must be patient and not let things get out of control.
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