1. ‘For Rent’ Signs

The most common method of advertising is the putting up of a ‘For Rent’ sign, either in front of the building, or in one of the windows. A relatively cost-free method, it works best if a lot of foot and motor traffic goes past the building. It also helps if the building is as attractive as the rental unit.

2. Advertising in the Newspapers

As much of a tradition as ‘For Rent’ signs, newspaper ads are also available online, if the paper has an online version. Many potential tenants begin their search for a place to rent by scanning the classified ads in newspapers, while, out-of-towners can log on online to the local paper from wherever they are. Ads should always be placed in papers having many residential listings, as it has been found they work best.

And, they should be targeted to produce the right kind of prospective tenants i.e. if a landlord primarily rents out to college students, the best bet is to advertise in the campus newspaper or put up a ‘For Rent’ sign in the housing office. To play it safe, it is also a good idea to list the rental in a general newspaper, as well.

3. Neighborhood Flyers

As well, a landlord can post ads on neighbor hood public bulletin boards to be found at grocery stores, Laundromats or coffeehouses, complete with tear-off strips listing their phone number. However, if the property is upscale, this is not the best way to advertise for it, though there might be takers at the high-end gym down the street.

4. Listing Online

Online rental services have mushroomed like crazy in recent years, from national in scope, to regional. After finding a residential rental listing for your area, you can add your property to it.

5. Home Or Apartment Finding Services

Home or apartment-finding services are very popular in some areas, with landlords paying to list their properties, though sometimes it is the tenants themselves, who pay the fee when the unit is rented.

6. Spreading the Word

Small-time landlords instead of advertising widely and screening potential tenants, find it easier to market their rentals through word-of-mouth i.e. telling friends, colleagues, neighbours, and current tenants. After all, people already living on your property will invite decent neighbours. So, when a property becomes vacant, simply send a note around to every one, asking them to tell friends or relatives about the available apartment

7. Real Estate Offices

Many real estate offices handle rentals, but of course, there is a fee involved.

8. Property Management Firms

Going through a property management firm is the easiest way to do it. They handle advertising, showing tenants around, as well as, selecting tenants, collecting rents, and interacting with residents during tenancies (handling repairs, etc. etc.). A paid service, it is for landlords with large rental properties and no time to spare.

Next Steps

Once, the advertising has been done, the next step is to create a rental application and select a tenant. When advertising vacancies and selecting and rejecting applicants, read up on the Fair Housing Act, so as to avoid any inadvertent lawsuits. Evaluate prospective tenants by thoroughly checking out their rental applications, legal residency forms, and tenant consent forms for contacting references, performing credit checks and criminal and background checks.

The only way to avoid unnecessary litigation is by screening prospective tenants and conducting background checks. Simply visit www.e-renter.com for tenant screening and background check services.

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As the owner of a significant number of residential units, it will be to your benefit to engage a lawyer to advice you on eviction issues, as well as, for handling legal actions. An established relationship with a lawyer is useful as he will carry out various legal tasks charging a flat fee only, whereas, hiring a lawyer on a case to case basis can result in much higher legal fees.

Evicting a Tenant for Non-payment of Rent

The eviction process involves serving a formal notice, informing the tenant the rent is overdue, and he / she faces possible eviction, if they do not pay on time. If a landlord is not knowledgeable about the legal terms of a notice, there are pre-printed forms which fulfil all legal requirements for a proper notice. In case, the rent arrearage has not been paid after the legally defined period i.e. usually, about a week, a landlord can begin eviction proceedings on the basis of non-payment of rent.

Bear in mind, if the tenant makes a partial payment during the eviction process, in most jurisdictions the acceptance of any payment of rent, even a small amount, can result in dismissal of the eviction lawsuit for non-payment.

Lease Violation

When a tenant does not comply with the terms of the lease he / she signed, a landlord must provide a written warning, referring to the lease clause being violated, and allow him / her time to remedy the problem. This is so the tenant cannot later claim ignorance that he / she did not know, they were in violation of the lease, or they received no notice of the violation. The judge will be in favour of the landlord if it is established the tenant ignored a prior notice and the deadline.

Health and Safety Issues

Certain tenants may pose a health or safety problem for other tenants or for the property, in general. In many jurisdictions, it is permissible for the landlord to evict tenants whose conduct is hazardous to the health of other tenants or can damage the property. First of all, a landlord should serve the tenant with a fixed period of time notice (a week) to remedy or repair the problem, or else move out. If no corrective action is taken, a landlord can proceed with the eviction proceedings.

Even if a tenant resolves the issue, but you still want him / her out, serve them a notice on eviction on health or safety grounds, as well as, a notice stating their tenancy is being terminated.

Bankruptcy

In the event a tenant files for bankruptcy, an automatic stay prevents a landlord from continuing with the eviction proceedings until the bankruptcy is resolved, or the bankruptcy court permits eviction proceedings to continue by lifting the stay. This may require a motion to be brought before the bankruptcy court, asking for the stay to be lifted.

Tenant Counter-Claims

When a landlord begins eviction proceedings, some tenant may bring counter-claims against the landlord, such as, inadequate maintenance of property or violation of the lease, and may ask the court to stop eviction proceedings or else for a substantial rent decrease in arrearage owed.

This is why it is good practice to keep written records of any complaints received from tenants about the rental unit or common areas, and steps taken by the landlord to resolve them, as also with warnings of tenant misconduct. Remember a landlord’s can preclude a tenant’s claim that despite repeatedly complaining about a problem with their unit, the landlord failed to respond with positive action, as long as the landlord has kept records of all interaction with the tenant and of action taken.

Trials

Before going to court, a landlord must ensure all his documentation in relation to the case is in order and there is nothing missing. Unless a landlord is conversant with the rental laws of his state and has had enough experience in eviction cases, it is also advisable to engage a lawyer, well versed in property law of the state a landlord’s rental property resides in.

The above should provide you with enough knowledge of what is required for a successful eviction.

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