A landlord may bring an action to recover possession of a rental unit for cause for one or more of the following reasons:
1. The tenant has failed to pay the rent to which the landlord is entitled.
2. The tenant has violated a provision of the rental agreement, other than the obligation to surrender possession upon proper notice, and has failed to cure such violation after having received written notice to do so from the landlord.
3. The tenant is committing or permitting to exist a nuisance in or is causing damage to the rental unit or to some component of it, to the common areas of the complex containing the rental unit; or he or she is creating an unreasonable interference with the comfort, safety or enjoyment of any of the other residents of the same or nearby buildings.
4. The tenant is using or permitting a rental unit to be used for an illegal purpose.
5. The tenant, who had a written lease or rental agreement, that has expired, has refused after a written request or demand by the landlord to sign a written extension or renewal of the lease or rental agreement.
6. The tenant has refused the landlord reasonable access to the unit for the purpose of making repairs or improvements, for the purpose of inspection as permitted or required by the lease or by law, or for the purpose of showing the rental unit to a prospective purchaser or mortgagee.
7. The person in possession of the rental unit at the end of a lease term is a subtenant who was not approved by the landlord.
8. The landlord wants to recover possession of the rental unit for the use and occupancy by the landlord, or the landlord’s spouse, children, parents, or for a resident manager.
9. The landlord wants to recover possession in order to demolish, or perform other work on the building or buildings housing the rental unit or units that would make the unit uninhabitable.
10. The landlord wants to remove the rental unit from rental housing use.
Bad tenants don’t just get to hang on until they can snooker some other landlord into letting them live for free. The above 10 reasons provide plenty of ammunition for getting rid of an undesirable tenant.
But here is number 11, and the easiest of all.
The first 10 reasons are necessary only if you have a lease or are otherwise prohibited from simply terminating a tenancy. Almost every state provides a no-cause termination. Notice times range from seven days to 60 days, depending on state law. That means all you have to do is give the tenant notice to move out after the prescribed notice period, and you don’t have to give any reason at all.
Keeping a bad tenant does neither you, your investment nor your good tenants any benefit. We are all well served to clean out any bad tenants who infect our properties.
