There are a lot of different legal challenges that property owners may have to work through. This is especially true for those who own rental property. Some of the most common challenges that rental property owners or landlords face often involve their tenants.
Struggling with difficult tenants can lead to many other complications. That is why it is imperative to address these matters appropriately and as soon as possible. However, what are some of the most common examples of these problems that landlords might face?
Common problems with difficult tenants
The issues that landlords face with problem tenants often fall into three categories:
- Rent disputes: Many times, landlords might have tenants who refuse to pay rent or are consistently late when paying rent. Landlords must take great care when navigating disputes over rent, especially now that Newsom signed a new law to regulate and cap rent across California.
- Rule violations: There are other ways tenants often violate their rental agreement. One of the most common examples is if they bring a pet into the rental property when the agreement has a specific no-pets policy. In some cases, tenants might also be in charge of maintaining their property and eliminating certain hazards to keep the property safe.
- Bad behavior: Tenants may damage property, be extremely disruptive to other tenants, or refuse to abide by various terms of the lease. In extreme cases, they might even engage in criminal activity on the property.
Some tenants can be very problematic, and landlords may even be forced to evict a tenant – which can open up all sorts of legal complications.
Issues involving tenants can be complex. So, landlords should ensure they understand their own rights, as well as the legal protections that are in place and address any violations (or false claims of wrongdoing) swiftly.