Your previously renovated rental is
now stuffed to the ceiling in some places with what appears to be junk. You
walk through aisles of seemingly misplaced “stuff” as you perform regular
maintenance checks on your property. What do you do? If your reaction is to
immediately evict, as some Fort Worth property managers would want to do, you
need to stop yourself now. It may be illegal.
Hoarding is now a protected class
since the American Psychiatric Association officially recognized it as a mental
disorder in 2013. So, proceed carefully, or you will have not only clutter but
a messy legal case on your hands. The better course of action is to document,
plan, and enforce.
Document: Visit the property again or delegate this to your Fort Worth property management company, and take written note of the situation. Are
emergency exits or fire sprinklers blocked? Is the clutter attracting rodents
or causing direct damage to the property? This type of behavior moves into the
breach of contract zone and is what you will want to note.
Plan: Meet with the tenant and preferably a neutral third party to
help keep the peace and to act as a witness. Discuss the situation and present
the documentation of the violations. Plan with the tenant how they will comply
with the contract within the specified period of time. Make sure you both sign
and get a copy of the document.
Enforce: Now you have legal grounds to enforce your contract.
Regularly visit your property to ensure compliance. If the applicant is still
in violation of the contract after the agreed-upon amount of time, you may then
issue a Fort Worth property management eviction notice.
If you discover a hoarder, don’t
evict. Instead, document the situation, plan with the tenant, and then enforce
the plan and your contract. It gives your tenant more of an opportunity to
comply and less of an opportunity to file a complaint against you, so it’s a
win-win for everyone. With thirty years of experience, Specialized RPM has seen
almost every renting situation imaginable. Call them today for expert help if
you have a hoarding situation. You will find resolution without the legal risk.
http://www.specializedrpm.com/
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