Owning a rental property is an excellent way to generate extra income for you and your family. However, if you are faced with bad tenants, your wonderful investment can quickly turn into a nightmare! In our latest post, we will provide you with our favorite tips for how to get rid of a bad tenant!
Do own a rental in Toronto or elsewhere in Ontario? Are you sick and tired of dealing with tenants who aren’t on time with rent or who are destructive to the property? If you have ever experienced a tenant like this, you’ll know it can quickly make you regret owning the rental in the first place! Usually, problems can be remedied on your own, without having to involve outside parties.
How to Get Rid Of A Bad Tenant In The Toronto Area
Try To Be Understanding
While you should treat your investment(s) like a business, there is a time and place to be human. Sometimes good people find themselves in a tough situation. If an otherwise wonderful, long-term tenant is late on rent, you don’t necessarily have to evoke the highest penalty outlined in the lease. If you have an excellent renter with only one minor infraction, it is best to overlook the problem as opposed to potentially losing a great tenant. Just communicate with them and treat them as you would any other wonderful person.
Stick to Your Guns
You can only be understanding to a point. Once it goes beyond that, you might find that you are dealing with a tenant who is looking for ways to skip out on rent or repairs. If you let someone pay rent late once, they are likely to want to do it again, and again, and again… Be firm with your policy regarding rent payment. In Ontario you want to sent the tenants an N4 late rent notice and you want to make sure you fill out this forms properly… so read the instructions carefully and double check everything. While there are situations where you can be flexible, simply not having rent isn’t an excuse. This can be one of the most difficult parts of being a landlord and why many investors hire a property manager to collect rent on their behalf.
Document Everything
Any and all interactions should be recorded and saved. Write down conversation notes with a time and date, save all texts, emails and any written contact. Take pictures as needed. In situations where damage has occurred or repairs are required.
Hire a Property Manager
As mentioned above, hiring a property manager can take the pain out of collecting rent. However, that is not all they do. A property manager will: screen prospective tenants, take care of maintenance, advertise your rentals, handle tenant issues and complaints and even deal with the eviction process on your behalf. If you are managing multiple units, hiring a property manager will save you a ton of time and headaches!
Eviction Process
Hopefully, you won’t ever have to deal with the eviction process as a landlord. It is a long and stressful process that varies province to province. First of all, you need to have a good reason to ask the tenant to move. They need to have broken the lease or be behind on rent. At NO point are you allowed to take matters into your own hands, even if they are causing property damage! You will need an order from the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) to remove the tenant’s belongings or change the locks. You will want the courts to see you have done everything right so that they will have no choice but to be on your side in the matter. You will need to provide a formal notice of eviction that includes the day they need to pay by and the amount owed if they want to stay. Use a courier or mail with tracking so you can prove it has been received. You will have to file with the LTB and go through a hearing if the tenant still refuses to move. It is at this point you will be glad you documented everything!
We’ll buy your house with your bad tenant in it
We’ve done it before and we’ll do it again. Sometimes you can jump through all the hoops trying to get an LTB eviction, but your tenant knows what to do to stick around. Let’s face it, if the tenant pays their rent up to date, then it’s going to be very difficult to evict. There have been situations were the landlord told us the tenant assaulted them verbally and physically, but in court it turns out to be a case of “he said, she said”. The Board will never be too eager to evict someone from their home. If the situation is more than than you can handle, then call us at (647) 848-7790. We can buy the house and take on the responsibility of your bad tenant.
Bad tenants are few and far between. With careful screening and an iron-clad lease, you can ensure a peaceful living environment for all of your tenants!