Eviction or put up with it?
July 1, 2007
Q: I have a rental property in California and a tenant who continues to not pay the rent on time and avoids all my calls to discuss the issue. She does not pay the late fees and has pets. The rental contract states no pets, but there is dog feces in piles close to the pool area. I had an air conditioner technician in the home and he told me the house inside is very dirty and there was also dog feces inside the home. This is only her fifth month in the home. My question is if I am not happy with a tenant can I evict? And how long does it take for this process? My husband is the pool cleaner so he goes into the property only for this reason. Can I ask to have a walk thru the home with a one week notice? The rental contract states I have access to this when the tenant is notified.
A: You need to terminate the tenancy. You can do that with a no-cause, 30-day notice in most parts of California, unless the tenant is on a lease. In that case you have to terminate for cause.
Yes, you can inspect the property with proper notice as you rental agreement states. If she refuses you access, you can terminate for that, as well.
About the Author: Bob Cain
Some 30 years ago Bob Cain went to a no-money-down seminar and got the notion that owning rental property would be just the best idea there is for making money. He bought some. Trouble was, what he learned at the seminar didn’t tell him how to make money on his rental property. He went looking for help in the form of a magazine or newsletter about the business. He couldn't find any.
Always ready to jump at a great idea, he decided he could put his speaking and writing skills to work and perform a valuable service for other investors who needed more information about property management. So Bob ferreted out the secrets, tricks and techniques of property management wherever he found them; then he passed them along to other landlords.
For over 25 years now, Bob has been publishing information, giving speeches, putting on seminars and workshops, and consulting for landlords on how to buy, rent and manage property more effectively.
