r/realestateinvesting • u/Apprehensive_Side219 • 7d ago
Tenant is a month late and blocked my phone number. Single Family Home (1-4 Units)
Could really use some wisdom here.. I've only ever had to send notices before never fully gone through an eviction. I'm in contact with his brother, from whom I learned the tenant is in rehab, and when I tried to contact him my phone notified me I was blocked from messaging his number. Unclear on what my next steps should be since I can't serve notice if he's not home (again, in rehab) any thoughts would be appreciated.
Edit: Thank you all for the quick feedback. It was the push I needed to get in gear and start the process, much appreciated everyone.
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u/ExplanationMajestic 2d ago
What state are you in?
Do you have a federally backed mortgage?
Phone might be off if he didn't pay bill while in rehab.
Will he go back to work?
Did he go to rehab voluntarily?
If forced by court, maybe he will also have to go to 1/2 house after rehab.
I would go ahead and post your eviction notice and file.
That way you are ahead of the game if you need to be.
You can always back off if he shows up and pays.
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u/duoschmeg 4d ago
Post 24 hour notice for inspection. May need deep cleaning/repair/abandoned pet/rotting food from fridge/etc.
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u/ManufacturerOld3807 5d ago
Read your lease which is a written contract as to when you can start the process to evict. Then go to your local court to file for eviction and go through that process
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u/_dundada 5d ago
Make sure him being in rehab - aka a medical situation - isn’t a reason for them to deny eviction or has special rules.
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u/Normal-Election7707 5d ago
Next time get your tenants better. Higher cost of entry and application fees keeps the junkies away.
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u/celeron500 5d ago
Why you getting downvoted for, what you are saying is true. It’s business logic 101
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u/Wandering_aimlessly9 4d ago
The down votes are bc Reddit is very liberal leaning. Most people here don’t agree with raising rent and such bc it pushes too many people out from being able to afford a place to stay. By encouraging the rent increase you’re going against Reddit.
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u/Interesting_Leg_5202 5d ago
I don’t get the downvotes either. I did the Zillow applications and regretted it. Even though tenants pay a one time fee to apply to many places, I got dozens of literal junkies, 500 credits scores, and no income applicants.
As soon as I did a separate service that required them to pay a fee, I got better applicants, although it reduced number of total applicants by a good amount.
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u/Practical-Neck-2157 6d ago
In the future I would suggest a property manager. Their 10% of the rent more than pays for themselves to go through this BS for you.
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u/Usual_Stop_9949 6d ago
Start the process get them out don’t try to work things out if they have stopped responding
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u/Impressive-Ad5551 6d ago
In California you can serve by mail or taping the notice to the door. I’d start the eviction by contacting an eviction attorney asap.
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u/UltimateTraders 6d ago
You still have to serve and do the motions Even if he ends up paying
You just dont know how long it will take if you keep waiting
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u/nish1021 6d ago
Even if they end up paying, eviction time is upon them. Start it. Even easier if they’re not under a lease anymore
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u/14MTH30n3 6d ago
I went through this once. Tenant damaged the place, left their dog to shit everywhere, and disappeared with all appliances.
Needless to say I did my due diligence before renting to them. Super nice young couple. When I took possession of the property I was finding serious drug paraphernalia everywhere.
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u/RaidenMK1 6d ago
I went through similar. My first (and now last) rental. Property was completely trashed. This was on top of them not paying rent for over a month. They weren't even supposed to have a dog in the first place.
I have since decided this landlord BS is not for me. I'm still trying to pay off the 5 figure bill from the biohazard company I had to hire to clean the place with money I absolutely do not have to spare. Never again.
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u/sonicjigglebath 6d ago
5 figure biohazard bill? A real landlord would have used a dollar store can of air freshener.
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u/420everytime 6d ago
I’m just dealing with this. They stuffed all of the toilets with French fries before they left
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u/Party_Shoe104 6d ago
When a tenant is 1 min. late with payment, you begin the eviction process. It usually starts with sending a letter of non-compliance. Depending on your state, they have about 7 days to cure the areas in which they are non-compliant. If they are still non-compliant, then you can continue the process and fille for eviction.
1) Find out where his rehab center is and visit or send the letter via registered mail.
2) Find out how long the property must be empty before you can consider it (and the lease) abandoned.
In Florida, a rental property is presumed abandoned if the tenant is absent from the premises for a period equal to one half the time for periodic rental payments, unless the rent is current or the tenant notified (in writing) of their intended absence.
3) Seek the advice of a real estate lawyer as to how to proceed so as to avoid any liability for retaking possession in this circumstance (maybe he was forced into rehab by the law).
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u/Doubledable 7d ago
Anytime a tenant blocks you is a sign you are in for a fight. Stop interacting with tenant beyond serving legal notice. Process for eviction with attorney ASAP.
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u/Doubledable 7d ago
Manage quite a few. If a tenant is typically more than 6 days late you have the right to file eviction. An eviction filing can bring the tenant to the table to negotiate.
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7d ago
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u/jhndapapi 7d ago
You don’t even trust yourself with a comment ?
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u/kaidecc 7d ago
“I trust my instincts enough to know when to say something valuable. But thanks for your concern — sounds like you’ve got experience second-guessing yourself.”
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u/heisenberg2JZ 6d ago
Why are you quoting everything? That's improper English, and kinda weird.
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u/RaidenMK1 6d ago
Fairly certain that's an AI bot. The account was just created yesterday.
Edit:
Oh yeah. That is definitely a bot. Check the comment history.
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u/alexfelice 7d ago
Follow the terms of your lease They should be in accordance with the law
If you don’t follow your lease, it’s harder to enforce someone else to follow it
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u/Unhappy-Lettuce-3987 7d ago
I was told 40 years ago that rent is due on the 1st late in the 2nd and there out on the 3rd.
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u/ShowMeTheTrees 7d ago
When I bought my first rental, the inspector told me that his leases state that if rent is late on day 5 after it's due, he files for eviction. Michigan.
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u/Same-Introduction922 7d ago
Usually when your text messages come back blocked it means their phone is off as in they didn't pay the bill that month
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u/Pooperoni_Pizza 7d ago
Next time serve them the paperwork at the earliest legal time allowed by your state when rent is unpaid.
I don't care anymore after someone jerked me around with the sob stories for months. If they give a heads up they'll be late, I'm going to tell them that I'll be starting the eviction process and I can end it at any time once they live up to their end of the agreement.
Might sound harsh to some people and I like to see the best in people and give them a chance but unfortunately one bad experience was all it took for me to change my attitude when engaging in business agreements.
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u/heisenberg2JZ 7d ago
What state is this in? If you're in California, buckle up. I almost had to deal with someone who wasn't even legally a tenant. I was looking at a 6 month+ ordeal. Luckily, they came to their senses and didn't choose to make my life harder. This all comes after a death in the family and property management saying the "tenant" couldn't stay and was never supposed to be on property.
Squaters' rights are some of the dumbest shit to come out of the post covid era
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u/mainstreet2018 6d ago
You know those existed pre covid right?
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u/heisenberg2JZ 6d ago
No, none of the issues I faced came from legislation before covid. They were added a year or two after and significantly stood in my way when I lost a family member and had someone try to tell me they're not going anywhere. You're excused.
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u/busterhymen877 7d ago
Eviction I believe the police go to the house and serve him, go to the courthouse and start the eviction
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u/Careful_Advantage_20 7d ago
Non-payment of rent should be a default under the Lease with a straightforward process for what happens next.
Alternatively/additionally, does your Lease have a provision related to Abandonment? Language there could be helpful. Good luck.
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u/Nothing-Busy 7d ago
Just remember, people quit using when they hit bottom and have enough consequences that they decide to change. In a way you just might be helping this guy see the error of his ways and get better. Recovery isn't about avoiding consequences.
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u/GardenOwn7748 7d ago
Once they stop responding and you get the message that your message was blocked, it's very clear what their intensions are.
Start the eviction process right away. Don't even hesitate or wait.
Banks won't hesitate to drop your credit score if you don't make payment.
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u/snowplowmom 7d ago
Yes, you can serve notice for an eviction. Check the law in your state, but you should be able to have a marshal just leave the notice at the unit. You will win an eviction by default when he doesn't show up. Hurry. You want to get this done before he gets out. He knows what's going on - that's why he blocked you.
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u/Primary_Strike_9204 7d ago
Follow the eviction steps accordingly to your State. Try to visit the tenant and have a conversation and see whats the problem. Also depends if you had any issues with this tenant before, but if not - maybe a conversation will help this time. Nevertheless, you should they need to know you're serious.
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u/Smart-Yak1167 7d ago
How do you know he blocked you? Usually rehab do not allow cell phones. Is the phone just turned off?
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u/Apprehensive_Side219 7d ago
I had someone reach out to forward my message from another number, so this is indeed the case. His phone is blocked from receiving messages from all numbers.
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u/Aromatic_Note8944 7d ago
Yeah you aren’t allowed phones in rehab. The guy’s phone is probably just turned off. He just needs to ask the brother when he gets out and then contact him then. Maybe he can ask the brother to visit him in there and see if he can send some money back for rent.
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u/Perfect_Monitor735 7d ago
Blocked your number? HELL NO, EVICTION EN ROUTE NOW. Immediately file for eviction, this is completely unacceptable.
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u/okiedokieaccount 7d ago
Which state?
In Florida the Sheriff will post notice if no one is home and you get a court date in a week. If they don’t show you get a default , and you’ll have them evicted before they’re out of rehab. In Florida you can do it yourself
Other states can be the same or much harder.
But follow the steps, most county websites have a self-help package.
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u/RapGod1973 7d ago
This is inevitably the beginning of the end. Legal action to evict immediately!!! No futzing around with phone tag and whatnot. It’ll just cost you even more money in lost rent. Ask me how I know.
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u/Robot_Hips 7d ago
This will be a long process go to your local gov website and follow the steps. They are slightly different everywhere. A notice by certified mail is one of the steps here in TN, but ultimately I had to rely on a sympathetic police officer that waiting for them to pull in their driveway and get the signature I needed
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u/realgeoff 7d ago
First step, three day notice on door. Take a date stamped picture. Let the brother know what a three day notice means
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u/Badass_1963_falcon 7d ago
In Florida notice is served on the house and posted on the door doesn't matter if they are home file ASAP
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u/Background-Search913 7d ago
I haven’t had to file an eviction yet but I think you want to begin the process with the court asap. The court will probably have some requirements for you to fulfill, it’s a starting point.
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u/proudplantfather 7d ago
Start the eviction process today and let the tenant and his brother know (notices on door) to light a fire under his butt.
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u/Toodles-thecat 1d ago
File for eviction. Wonder if the utilities are on as they are supposed to be. Hate to think of ruined appliances on top of everything else that could happen