No matter what, you, as the property manager, should be calm and polite when making these calls. I am not saying be a pushover, but you do not want to yell and scream either. Angry tenants can do a tremendous amount of damage to a rental. Do no engage in a debate with them either. Listen to their story once and make your decision on whether you will extend the due date on their rent or file eviction immediately. You should stick to that decision, express it to them politely, and get off the phone.
We usually follow up with a letter and wait 3 or 4 days. After the waiting period, you should go over and confirm the people are still living there. It is very frustrating and expensive to file an eviction that might cost $600 when the tenant has already moved out. Some Property Management companies will say that you should file the eviction anyway, but that is insane. It will take at least 30-45 days to complete the eviction and you are losing rent the whole time plus the eviction costs. You want to be darn sure the tenant has decided to remain before filing eviction papers.
You do not have to make 3 calls after the 3 day notice and send a letter. It is just good business to do so because you can often collect the rent. However, you always want to check the tenant is still there before filing the eviction. I skipped checking on the tenant several times and it costs me thousands of dollars. It is well worth the time to jump in your car and drive over to confirm.
The author, David Lowrey, owns and operates a successful property management company in Tampa, FL. He also is a very successful real estate investor purchasing more than 60 rental properties over the last 12 years. In 2004 and 2005, one of David’s companies, Apartment Express Corporate Housing, made Inc Magazine’s Inc 500 List for the 500 fastest growing privately held companies in America.
Please feel free to visit his website and Tampa Property Management or http://www.novacancynow.com
