What to Do If You Fear That Your Tenant Has Abandoned the Property

Today is the 20th of July and you haven’t received your monthly house rent. You have also called your tenant a thousand times in the last 20 days but NO RESPONSE. Now what? You visited the home to meet the tenants in person but you found the house locked. That’s the moment when your mental strain reaches the heights of fear. Fear of losing money, or a fear of property being abandoned without prior notice or dues clearance. You may call the tenant immediately to make sure if his phone is not switched off. Well, this can happen when your tenant is out of town for any personal or professional reason.

Not always, but there are signs of abandoned rental property. However, there are some simple ways shared by professional property managers to figure out the tenant reason if the property is abandoned before the lease was up.

After reading this article, you will be vigilant of knowing the tenants who have given you the slip and disappeared in the mid of their tenancy. Now, you must be thinking, it is my property and I can break the lock and enter inside the home. That’s against the ethical rules and regulations that were agreed and signed while renting the property. So be patient and follow these methods to get your answer.

Identification of Tenant Abandonment 

If tenants’ rent was due from last 2 to 3 months, and they are not even at home from last 20 days, there is a strong chance that tenants may have abandoned your condo without notice. You can confirm this by

• Calling your tenants from time to time
• Asking the neighbors if they know where the tenants have gone?
• Contact the second emergency number who can be asked about them if the tenant does not respond to your call
• Visit the rental units in early mornings and midnights.
• Check for the tenants’ belongings and other household items if still present in multi-units.
• Visit the rental homes at random times

And in most severe cases, you should take the Cape Cod property management service from the proficient real estate property management associates.

Keep Visiting The Rental Units On Random Times

We understand that being a property owner, it’s a tough job for you to look after slipped tenants. Therefore, we recommend you to get the property management services from the real estate property agents near you. They will look after everything to determine if your wariness regarding abandoned rental property is true or not. They will do regular visits at your tenants living place.

However, if a tenant owes you rent, it can be possible that they are avoiding the confrontation by staying outside during the day. Hence, night visits will be more helpful in this regard. Don’t go too near or too far from the rental unit, just observe if anyone enters that unit or not. If lights are switched on during your secret observation, then the tenant is right there in but pretending to be not at home during the sunshine.

Don’t Stop Calling The Tenants From Time To Time

It is the best approach to call your tenant at random hours if you fear that they have abandoned your property to make yourself free from random visits. In short, random hours callings are far better than random visits. These random hours calls can make the tenant alert if he is trying to hide his monthly rental payment and a furious landlord.

No matter what situation he is facing, you will be able to recognize whether you really have an abandoned rental property on your hands now. These are just suspicions, it might be possible that they are sick, hospitalized and out of town for a long time where the network is really too poor.

Don’t Miss Out on Talking To The Neighbours 

Most wise step of all is to ask the neighbors if they have been informed by the tenant before leaving or if they have seen them leaving any time. They will surely be able to help you out in case of abandoned rental property. You can ask them if they have seen their neighbors moving their belongings out of the rental property.

Nevertheless, keep in mind, only responsible tenants will inform their neighbors for an upcoming prolonged absence or trip. An unfortunate case with you, if they had been really responsible they wouldn’t have gone anywhere without informing. Inquire from the neighbors if they know where the tenants have gone.

Don’t Overlook The Utility Meters

Usually, when people go out of station for a long tour or summer vacations, they turn off the electricity cutouts, water valves, and gas meters. Same can be the case with your rental property if abandoned. They might have switched off the meters to make them free from paying hefty bills of electricity, gas or water. But that’s the rare case for the abandoned rental property… Maybe they will return after some time back to the house. So chances are 50/ 50. Take a few days, even a month and if the situation remains the same, it’s an obvious indication of tenant abandonment.

Don’t Forget To Call on the Emergency Contact Numbers

If your tenant is unreachable, their emergency phone number is your next point of contact. While waiting for the tenants to come one day, you can also give a call at the emergency number that was provided to you while signing the lease agreement form. Well, there is also no guarantee if the tenant has shared the right number to contact in case of emergency if he has really abandoned the rental property.

Don’t Miss The Tenant’s Belongings Inspection 

Finally yet importantly, which tenants would mind doing with their belongings. You can check whether they have their belongings with them or anything remaining in the rental unit. After entering into the property, you would be able to check for any property damage, tenants personal belongings or any suspicious activity evidence. Now the point is to look for a key. If the key is inside the rental unit, then your tenant has abandoned your rental property permanently.

You can follow any of the above ways to determine your abandoned rental property. If it’s true, then lock your rental property after seeking legal help. Remember that not all tenants disappear and abandoned property as there are strict rules and regulations in every state. Therefore, think before you leap to not to lose the tenants who wanted to stay longer but could not afford rental payment for that duration.