A.D. Cantelmo Property Management
Our Business is Property Management in Orange County California
Dealing with Tenants when selling a home
When selling a rental property, the most difficult thing is
dealing with the Tenants. I think it is better, if you allow the Tenants to
find a new place to live before you put the home on the market. I know that for
some Landlords, having an empty rental unit for the duration of the sale is not
always an option, but trying to sell a home with a Tenant in the home can be
problematic.
First let’s look at it from the Tenants point of view. I
always feel for the Tenant, especially if they really don’t want to move. Many
times they are very happy where they are living and moving can create problems
for them. They need to find a new place to live and also they will have the expense
of moving. I know this can be a real burden on the Tenant, but trying to sell
the property with the Tenant in the home is also a burden on the Tenant and it
make the sale more difficult.
Once the lease is up, it is much better to give the Tenant
as much time as possible to find a new place to live, rather than trying to
leave them in the home and have them deal with the sale. We all know how difficult it is to have
someone going through your home and looking through your things. Thinking that
a Tenant is going to cooperate with great enthusiasm to help with the sale is
expecting too much and I think while finding a new home is no fun for the
Tenant, staying in the home while the home is being sold is more of a problem. In the end, the
Tenant is going to have to move out whether it is before the sale or after,
unless the new buyer is purchasing the property as an investment.
And that
brings up another issue.
In my
business of Property Management in Orange County Ca. I understand this issue
and giving Tenants the bad news is not fun, but I also know that if the purpose
is the sale of the home, trying to sell a home with Tenants still in the Home
is much more difficult. Realtors want to show properties at their convenience
and trying to arrange a showing at the Tenants convenience will end up with
much less showings and a longer sale process. There is no easy answer to this
situation, but I think that if you are able to wait until the Lease is up and
you give the Tenant as much time as you can, then having them find a new
property is the best way to go.
The other
question is, how much time should you give the Tenant. First of all you need to
follow the Law. If a Tenant has been there over a year you need to give a 60
day notice. If a Tenant has been there less than a year, then you only have to
give a 30 day notice, but how I like to handle it and I think the fairest way
is even if the Tenant has been there less than a year, I like to give as close
to 60 days as possible. What I like to do is give the notice after the rent is
paid 2 months prior to the lease ending. So depending on when the Tenant pays
the rent, they may get a little less than 60 days but as close to 60 as
possible. Again, this is for people who have been in the property less than 1
year, if they are there a year or more then you need to give a 60 day notice.
In my
business of property Management in Anaheim Ca. I have a couple of properties coming
up for sale and in one of them the notice is going to be given next month to
the Tenants. I know this will be a sad day for them, but I will do what I can
to help them if they want me to. This is one of the most difficult parts of my
job, but once a property owner decides to sell then this step must be made.
A.D. Cantelmo Property Management Specializes in Property
Management in Orange County Ca.