If you own a rental property but had a tenant trash it when they leave then make sure you read this article because we’re addressing the all-too-common problem that landlords have when they say, “Help! My last tenant trashed my house in Moore!”
Do you own a rental property? Did you have a tenant leave it in less-than-perfect condition? It happens! In fact, it’s an experience that probably every landlord has faced at least once. If you looked at your empty rental property and said, “Help! My tenant trashed my house in Moore” then here are some things you can do about it…
Is it worth going after the tenant in Cleveland county?
You need to first assess the damage and decide if it’s worth going after the tenant in Cleveland county. Unfortunately, the legal options often aren’t worth the hassle because it may be a time-consuming and expensive venture to get the tenant to pay you back. However, if the damage is significant enough, you may choose to do this. You’ll need to hire a reputable attorney to help with the process. It’s sometimes hard to deal with the anger and disrespect you feel when one of your homes is left in bad shape. The best we can do is learn from our mistakes and screen better the next time around.
Is it worth repairing the damage?
From wiring removed from the walls to cabinets removed and burned in the fireplace – we’ve heard of just about everything you can imagine! Sometimes a bit of drywall and paint will fix the problem, in which case you may want to fix it up and rent it out again, and then just accept the inconvenience as the cost of doing business. However, if the damage is not worth repairing yourself then you might be interested in a couple of other options:
You could rent your house to a handyman
One little-known option that is actually really helpful is to find a handyman who wants to rent the house. In exchange for a discount on rent (or even free rent), they can fix up the house for you to make it a nice rental property again. Make sure you have a timeline all spelled out, though, to avoid them staying too long without a lot of work getting done. This could be risky so make sure everything is agreed to in writing.
You could sell the house
Another option is to sell the house and move on from owning a frustrating rental property. However, be aware that if you try to sell the house on the open market, you may have to fix it up first in order for the agent to list it. Another option is to sell privately to a house-buying team like ours. (We buy houses in as-is condition and we’ll fix them up ourselves). If you are enjoying the monthly cash flow but really do not want to deal with tenants or toilets any longer, try “becoming the bank”. Where you owner finance the home to a buyer or investor. You still collect monthly payments on your Moore house without all the hassles. Call us to discuss this in more detail.