HOW TO PREVENT 3 COMMON LANDLORD/ TENANT ISSUES THAT OFTEN END UP IN COURT You’ve taken all the right steps to find and vet your new tenant by running a thorough background screening report. You even asked for pay stubs and income tax returns. Everything checked out and you are looking forward to a pleasant, long-term landlord-tenant relationship. But even the most cautious landlord can end up in a dispute with a tenant only to find themselves in court with a time-consuming and costly lawsuit. We’ve rounded up 3 of the most common issues that can disrupt an idealistic relationship along with suggestions on how to avoid them. The most important thing to remember is the power of communication between you and your tenants. Most potential disagreements can be avoided with an honest exchange between the landlord and an unhappy renter.
1. LATE OR NONPAYMENT OF RENT It’s not surprising that monthly rent is the most common subject of all landlord-tenant disputes. This conflict begins when the tenant starts to make late and/or partial payments or not pay any rent at all. Or they might write checks that “bounce” or blame a “lost” payment on the USPS. Another ruse is to say that a credit card payment has not been processed properly. To avoid this
excuse, many landlords now require their tenants to pay rent via a money transfer to a bank account set up for that purpose. Sometimes, the tenant will begin to make partial rent payments or stop paying their rent completely in protest should their landlord fail to make repairs or perform regular maintenance.
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