Tip: one of the best business practices we do is to clean house of slow and non-payers before cold weather comes.

That USED TO BE Sept. No more. Too late.

I have changed that to NOW. -Mid August. We just filed on 4.

-we know who's having trouble. Heating bills and holiday expenses only make things worse.

-year end layoffs are coming.

-one local shop announced cutting back hours due to Ocare (many have already done that)

-we can work to settle out of court now, cleaning up the odd leases and messes in Sept, aiming for full occupancy in Oct going into winter.

-some might hang over into Sept, but we still have time.

-our eviction court 30 - 45 days, pushing some evictions into Oct.

-locally our schools started Aug 5, so the back to school home finding rush is over for us. August is our lull, hoping the slinky effect brings new faces in Sept.

PLEASE check YOUR school calendar as many schools are starting earlier, shifting the easy to rent season.

hope this helps!

-Brad

I agree Brad, we ramp up evictions now because once we get to late Oct, we only evict the ones we absolutely have no other choice with. Nov to Feb are the absolute worst months for us because tenants fall behind because of less work or high heating bills and we're forced in most cases to try and work with them. To evict during the winter would just leave an empty apartment that we can't rent until after the weather improves and we're stuck paying the heat to keep the pipes from freezing.

Thank God I'm a southern boy!

It might get unbearably hot during the summer months, but we still wear shorts in the winter.

And our pipes ALMOST never freeze.

Amen Brad. This little tid bit has helped our bottom line. Get 'em out before hibernation.

Do you guys also try to clean house at time of renewing lease? For example do you ask for new pay stubs to make sure they are still employed and didn't get laid off?

They might have only recently been laid off so the bills have not had a chance to really pile up. I ran into this situation with tenant (GF and BF). GF told me she lost her job but that they shouldn't have any problem with the rent (have paid since but late). This was only after I gave them the paper work to renew ...

For newbies: to clarify "year end layoffs" - locally, many factories slow down or even stop at Thanksgiving, some shut down for inventory, repairs, and upgrades, laying off their workers and not bringing them back until January. That means no hours or pay while heat bills rise, Christmas gifts are being bought, and travel expense for family gatherings.

Lee, Yikes! August = November!?!

Good point about scheduling. Our court blocks out gaps for the judge to take vacation, so Thanksgiving and Christmas are out. They will not take evictions after Dec 10 so as not to punish children so those get pushed in to January. Dec 11 = January 11 on the court calendar.

Dan, I had not thought about the util cos! A family CAN live without gas year round. We ARE seeing several already shut off before we begin our eviction process. Perhaps some used what funds they had to catch up their utils rather than pay us. hmmm...

Our gas co now requires a $450 deposit plus $20 re-connect fee to re-instate someone after they have been shut off. They are pulling a credit score for new customers.

David, You make a great point. We ask for fresh applications to capture new cellphones, CHANGED jobs, etc. But had not though to ask for pay stubs. We do not re-screen, but maybe we should. Our overall system is the lease automatically renews so we do not have them re-sign.

"Our overall system is the lease automatically renews "

David,

Think, why would I want them out if there is nothing to evict with? Paying, not breaking any rules...?

If they are paying and caring, I want them IN.

If they stop paying or caring, I simply evict.

Too many LLs are afraid to commit and nervously hover around a MTM lease. If the local court takes 90 days to evict I get it. But most don't.

The goal is to keep peopel IN long term. Turnover costs, even easy ones, will ruin profit.

Work to keep them IN.