Oklahoma City had a mindblowing 48,000 eviction filings in 2023.
If you're a landlord, having to evict a tenant is a nightmare. Not only does it create an uncomfortable situation, but evictions also take a long time and can be very costly for your rental. At the same time, you need to make sure you take lease enforcement seriously.
Today, we'll give you a few effective lease enforcement strategies to help you avoid the need for eviction. Enforcing lease agreements makes it easier to get on the same page with your tenants. Read on and take these enforcement and tenant compliance tips seriously to make managing your property simpler.
Understand the Law
To have good relationships with tenants and avoid doing anything that violates their rights, learn more about landlord-tenant law in Oklahoma. Writing your lease with tenant rights in mind can save you the stress of getting angry at them for no good reason.
There are laws restricting your ability to evict tenants, enter the property, and ask too much for a security deposit. The legal system can be very instructive when writing leases.
Find Good Tenants
You can avoid a lot of landlord stress by implementing a strong tenant screening process. Looking deep into a tenant's financial and criminal background, as well as contacting character references, can help you select the perfect tenant.
When you have good tenants, being a landlord is much easier. Not only will lease enforcement become a non-issue, but you'll be able to retain great tenants and keep money flowing into your property.
Write a Thorough Lease Agreement
The most important aspect of lease enforcement is your lease agreement. If you don't write a clear lease that outlines exactly what you want from your tenant, there'll always be wiggle room for poor behavior.
When you attempt to enforce a lease that has ambiguities, you won't have a leg to stand on. Whether you're trying to get a tenant to perform maintenance on the home or trying to evict them for poor behavior, a badly written lease will make it much harder.
Be Consistent With Tenants
Your ability to be consistent with your tenants will say a lot about you as a landlord. For example, you shouldn't allow one tenant to bring a pet into your rental while restricting another. This will only frustrate tenants and cause them to move out, creating costly vacancies.
It's important to be communicative and transparent with tenants. If they know why you're making certain decisions, it's easier to stay on the same page and develop strong relationships.
Lease Enforcement and Property Management
Lease enforcement can be tricky and uncomfortable, but these property management tips should help. If you're really worried about your ability to protect your rental investment, it might be time to hire a property manager.
Property management services, like those at PMI OKCity Local, can help you find tenants, write your lease, and enforce it. We also offer eviction protection so you don't have to carry out an eviction yourself or lose money doing so. Contact us today to learn more about our helpful landlord services.
