Most new landlords spend a lot of time getting the lease just right, painting the house perfectly, maybe they are worried if the hardwood floors are going to get scratched. Almost no new landlords ever think about what they are going to do when a tenant does not pay their rent on time. A great tool to use when this happens is an eviction letter. In most states, this is not a legal document produced by the court, but more of a warning or official notice from the landlord to the tenant that they need to resolve the situation or be evicted. Here are some tips on putting together a strong and effective eviction letter.
- Tenants will often want to argue about the details of the problem all the while forgetting that they actually do have a problem. In other words, the tenant may want to argue that they called you on Friday to pick up the rent, but because you did not pick it up, they had to spend it on something else and now they don’t have it and it is your fault. Do not get into the argument. In the tenant eviction letter, simply state what the problem is (non-payment of rent) and what needs to happen to resolve the situation (pay the rent).
- Set a deadline by when the resolution must happen. Do not just say it must be done. Give them 7 days or whatever amount your legality requires. Do not give them 30 days to resolve the issue. This is much too long to let an issue like non payment of rent fester and go unresolved.
- In the eviction letter, state what will happen if they do not comply in time. Most likely they will be receiving an eviction notice on their door!
- Write the letter in a professional manner that has a strong, but nonthreatening tone. Simply state the facts and move on.
Writing good eviction letters to the tenants is an important part of being a good landlord.
Tags: eviction, eviction letter, eviction notice, sample eviction letter, tenant eviction letter