What happens if your current tenants won’t allow you to show the property to prospective new tenants? Today, we’re talking about the topic of landlord rights and what you can do if this happens to you.

Supervised Showings and Your Rental Agreement

The first thing you want to mention to your tenants is that you’ll be showing the property by appointment only. Let them know you’re not going to come over unannounced, and you won’t have an open house while they’re there. Explain you will be with the people the whole time they’re in the house. I’ve also explained that this is spelled out in the lease, which they agreed to when they signed the rental agreement.

Showing the property is something you have to do, because you don’t want a vacancy. If the tenants continue to be stubborn, mention that it’s possible for them to avoid having showings if they want to pay their last month’s rent and then pay an additional month’s rent to cover your vacancy time. No one wants to do that, and no one has ever taken me up on that. It usually ends the conversation.

Landlord Rights and Expectations

I always let the tenants know that I understand they want to maintain their privacy. But, the faster we find a tenant, the faster we’re out of their hair. Ask them to keep the property clean. This can be hard when people are moving, but it needs to be kept up while you’re showing it. Talk about specific times of the day and days of the week that work best for the tenant. Then, they won’t dodge showings. If there’s a dog at the property, make sure the tenants are home with the dog during the showing. Or, they can kennel the dog during that time.

Maximize Your Showings

When you’re there with the prospective tenants, you could point out the positives of the property. It also allows you to ask them questions about their motives; why they want to move. Get to know their story. Encourage them to apply, because outside of the qualifying questions you ask, you don’t know much about them until you do a background check. I have been surprised at times while checking credit and criminal backgrounds, so I always encourage prospective tenants to apply.

Florida Landlord Tenant Law

For stubborn current tenants who still want to argue about this, go ahead and forward them Florida Statute 83.53. It states you can enter the home with 12 hours of notice, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. This is spelled out in the law, and they cannot dispute it.

As long as you play by the rules and they do too, you’ll have a minimal vacancy. You’re only making money when rent is coming in.

If you have any questions about how to handle this, or you need help with Orlando property management, please contact us at JML Realty Investments, LLC.