The subject of discussion today is what happens to your property when a renter vacates. Although it may sound a little grim, you must be ready since it does happen.
Have you as a landlord considered what would happen if a renter or a member of the tenant’s family passed away in one of your properties? Before it occurs, it is essential to pause and consider what steps should be taken because once it does, it will be too late to begin determining what you need to do and what to do next.
To make sure you are ready when someone walks by one of your homes, several things need to be looked at with the help of houston property management. This regrettably happens in a variety of ways, including health issues, accidents, aging, and yes, the unimaginable.
It’s crucial to understand that a tenant’s lease does not automatically terminate upon death.
When a joint tenancy, such as one between a couple renting an apartment, ends in death, the remaining tenant inherits the lease under the legal doctrine of “right of survivorship.”
The sort of tenancy that was in existence will determine what occurs if there is just one “single tenant.”
So what do you need to do to get ready? So let’s start by touching on a few points:
1) Recent Emergency Contact information can be found on your lease. This is the individual who is fully authorized to enter the premises and take possession of the property’s contents. They will also be in charge of coordinating correspondence with the necessary family members. Never exclude this clause from lease agreements or rental application forms.
2) Members of the family and their contact details. Someone from their family should be informed about what has happened so that they may be kept informed. You’ll need information if the emergency contact isn’t aware of the family’s identity.
3) The Coroners office’s contact details. They will be the ones to visit the scene and look into the circumstances to determine what caused the death. In case you ever need to, you know who to call, and they will also remove the corpse from the property.
4) If the person passes away secretly, you’ll need to get in touch with someone to manage the biohazard cleaning. Make sure you’ve gotten in touch with a biohazard cleaning and removal specialist and negotiated a fee. This is crucial since the cleanup procedure is quite expensive, and you will be startled to learn that it will cost you between $10,000 and $15,000 if you don’t already have a reliable and affordable contractor.
5) Get ready as normal for the arrival of the individuals.
6) Once the house has been cleared out and is ready to rent, you must make sure you know how to manage the tenant’s security deposit. The lease does not necessarily end when a tenant passes away, and neither does the security deposit go to the landlord or the owners immediately. Please make sure you are aware of the legal restrictions on how deposits will be handled in this instance.
In your policies and procedures manuals, be sure to keep all of this information accessible in case you ever experience this. Be prepared! It’s not usually during work hours that something like this occurs, and if you’re not ready, it may be a very stressful scenario. If there is anything you can do in advance for property management or landlord, DO IT!
