While becoming a landlord can seem like a lucrative opportunity, it’s highly recommended that you do background checks to ensure you’re leasing or renting to a trustworthy individual. Sometimes, however, even nuisance tenants can bypass thorough checks and you can end up with bad tenants. And while noisy and nosy tenants can be a headache for your community, hoarders can cause extensive damage to your property if left unchecked.
But evicting tenants isn’t always the legal or ethical solution. So what are your options as a landlord dealing with hoarder tenants in your property in Middlesex, NJ? Here are some potential options to consider.
What’s a Hoarder?
A hoarder is someone who has trouble throwing away objects that other people would consider garbage or something with no value. This is different from collectors, which are people who collect a certain type of object like toys, fine antiques, or items from all over the world. In contrast, hoarders can stockpile things like used napkins, old boxes, and other broken or used items.
In worst case scenarios, hoarders can start to hoard things which are unhygienic or are considered a health hazard that should be disposed of. If kept in your property, it can result in rot, which can spread to your property’s structure, or an odor that can spread to neighboring properties. Hoarders develop unusual attachments to these items, so they have difficulty throwing them out.
Evicting a Hoarder
Hoarding is considered a subset of obsessive-compulsive disorder and is therefore a mental disability. Since hoarding is considered a disability, it’s illegal under the Fair Housing Act to evict them simply because they’re hoarders. However, it’s possible to evict them if their hoarding causes violations to your lease agreement, such as:
- Building codes like blocking a doorway or emergency exit;
- Causing damage to the walls and floors of your property;
- Failing to maintain your property to a certain state;
- Storing any perishable items that can become a hazard to the property;
If you find that they are causing any violation, you can ask them to rectify the solution. If they don’t, you can proceed with the eviction process. Keep in mind, however, that evictions can have an extensive and costly process, so consider other solutions before resorting to eviction.
Working with Your Tenant
Rather than resorting to evictions, you can try to work with your tenant. They may be willing to address their problem if they have someone to help them. One solution is to try to talk to your tenant to help them recognize their problem and clean up their property. If you’re feeling generous, you can opt to share the costs of hiring a professional cleaner to remove all the hoarded items from your property.
However, not all tenants may be willing to seek help or address their issues. If they aren’t willing to cooperate with you in cleaning up the property, they may end up becoming more trouble than what your rental income is worth.
Selling Your Property
In some cases, hoarders and other nuisance tenants can become unbearable for property owners that the income of being a landlord is not longer worth it. But rather than waiting for their contract to end or going through the eviction process, you may consider just selling your property. Some buyers are searching for investment properties to turn into rentals, so you may find people interested. However, if you’re dealing with hoarders, there’s a risk that viewing unkempt property might turn away potential buyers.
In this case, your best solution is to sell directly to a cash home buyer. At Quick N Easy Offers, we buy homes as-is – even with nuisance tenants like hoarders. We can provide you with a fair cash offer and close the deal within a short turnaround time. We’ll manage your tenants and what to do with the property after the sale.
Need to Learn More?
Unless you’ve hired a property manager, being a landlord isn’t a passive income opportunity – especially if you’ve got a hoarder tenant. Before resorting to eviction, consider other options that can minimize your costs and the legwork you have to do to handle them. If being a landlord is more trouble than it’s worth, you can always contact Quick N Easy Offers and sell your Middlesex, NJ home fast for a fair cash offer.
Contact us today to learn more about our quick home selling process.
