Evicting a tenant in Palm Desert is more difficult than ever, thanks to strict tenant protection laws that are only getting stricter.
We don’t like evictions anyway. They’re time consuming, they’re expensive, and they put your investment property at risk for damage. Our goal, as Palm Desert property management experts, is to keep your rental occupied with tenants who are paying rent on time and following the terms of the lease agreement.
But this isn’t a perfect world. Sometimes otherwise responsible tenants fall behind in rent. The goal in such a situation should still be to prevent an eviction. There are other strategies you could follow, some of which require a bit of flexibility.
Let’s talk about effective eviction prevention and how to keep your tenants in place.
Open the Lines of Communication
When rent is late, your first move should always be to reach out. A friendly, non-confrontational message asking about the missed payment can be a good start in letting tenants know you’ve noticed that they haven’t paid, but you’re not mad about it.
This works because sometimes late payments are caused by temporary hardships. A tenant could be recovering from a job loss, medical issues, or simple forgetfulness. A phone call or email gives tenants a chance to explain and gives you the opportunity to find a solution together.
We always approach the conversation with empathy and curiosity, not accusation. The goal is to understand, not escalate. Remember: we want to keep your property occupied and earn rent.
Offer a Payment Plan
If a tenant is genuinely struggling, offering a temporary payment plan might be all that’s needed to keep things on track. You could accept a partial payment now and outline a schedule throughout the month that gets them caught up. Breaking down an overdue payment is a good way to support your tenants while still ensuring that rent is eventually all paid up. You still recover the rent. You avoid the vacancy and turnover costs of eviction. And, you build goodwill and trust with your tenant.
Make sure you have the payment plan in writing, with a specific schedule of when payments will be made. Have your tenant sign it, and be prepared to enforce the lease if a payment is missed or if the arrangement is ignored. You can still file for an eviction while working things out with your resident.
Encourage Automatic Payments
Offering or even requiring tenants to set up automatic payments through an online portal can drastically reduce late payments. This makes the rental payment property seamless. Your tenants won’t have to remember their due dates, you’ll have consistent cash flow, and you can even choose a payment platform that sends reminders before the rental amount is debited, giving tenants a heads-up.
If they don’t have the money, they don’t have the money. But, with an automatic payment structure, you’ll be able to claim the rent before a tenant decides to spend that money on something else.
Build Solid Relationships Before There’s a Problem
Being approachable and responsive throughout a lease makes it easier to work through tough situations later. When tenants feel like they’re treated fairly and respectfully, they’re more likely to communicate openly if a problem arises. If a resident is going to have trouble paying the rent, you want to know about it before that rent is due. This saves you time and a lot of anxiety.
Check in occasionally, not just when rent is due or there’s an issue. A well-timed "just checking in—how’s everything going with the unit?" can build rapport and respect, and reinforce that you’re approachable and a problem solver.
Offer Incentives for On-Time Payments
Sometimes a little motivation goes a long way. Consider offering small rewards for consecutive on-time payments—a discount, a gift card, or even just recognition. Positive reinforcement builds better habits and strengthens tenant relationships.
Consider Cash-for-Keys as a Last Resort
Eviction should always be a last resort. But sometimes those preventative strategies fall flat.
If all else fails and the situation is untenable, cash-for-keys can be a faster, less expensive alternative to formal eviction. You offer the tenant a financial incentive to voluntarily vacate the property by a specific date. This allows you to regain control of the unit quickly and avoid court proceedings, damage, and delays.
Palm Desert Tenant Screening: An Important Anti-Eviction Tool
Let’s get as preventative as possible. The best way to avoid eviction is to be intentional with your tenant screening. We work hard to place tenants who are well-qualified and unlikely to be evicted.
We are pretty thorough when it comes to screening prospective tenants. That’s because we want to avoid evictions, property damage, lease violations, lease breaks, and unpleasant conflicts and disputes with the residents in our professionally managed properties.
It starts with clear rental criteria. This includes:
- Income requirements
- Credit score minimums
- Acceptable rental histories
We communicate these criteria to prospective tenants upfront, so there are no surprises.
If someone decides to apply, we provide a comprehensive rental application, which is key to collecting all necessary information about a prospective tenant. And then, we set about screening. We evaluate every application against our criteria and with the idea that we never want to be in danger of having to evict this tenant. We:
- Verify income and employment history. This can be done by requesting recent pay stubs, tax returns, or bank statements as proof of income. We need to be sure tenants can afford to pay the rent.
- We conduct a credit check, which provides valuable insight into a potential tenant's financial responsibility. We look for red flags such as late payments, high debt-to-income ratios, and money owed to former landlords.
- Not every credit report will show past evictions, so we always check the national eviction database. It’s important to us that we don’t place tenants with a history of evictions.
- Rental histories are confirmed. Reaching out to previous landlords can offer insight into our prospective tenant's rental behavior. We ask about their payment history, whether they took care of the property, and if there were any disputes or issues during their tenancy.
Tenant screening is your first step in preventing evictions in Palm Desert.
Need help avoiding and preventing evictions? Contact us at Xepco Properties. We’re leasing, managing, and maintaining rental homes in Palm Desert and the surrounding area.
