I want to sell a 4 plex with 3 tenants that are hostile 2 don't want a sale because they are sure the new owner will increase their rent and one is just a guy that may be off his meds....he has turned somewhat irrational and a bit scary. Can't evict here part because of COVID and part because he has sabotaged things in his unit and claims not to pay rent because of these problems.he won't let our handymen in and I can't go in or find any one that will at this time.Eviction Lawyer working on it but claims that tenant can draw it out for many months ,..

Try cash for keys. I know ii hurts but look at what you want to achieve. Explain to the tenants you will be selling at a discount and the discount can go to the new owner or you. Be sure no cash until fully out. Use a lawyer. Tell the tenants the new owner will get you out.

There is always fear of the unknown!

If tenants are on a lease, assure them that the buyer must honor the lease and can't raise the rent. If they are month to month, you go ahead and raise the rent right now, and then they won't have to worry about the new owner raising the rent; it has already been done.

Once upon a time, I bought a package of houses from a burned-out landlord. One property was a garage apartment, which was tenanted by a guy who had only graduated high school a year or two ago. He had some minor drug charges in another county, and his grandma paid all his bills. He was their special pet project, and were very anxious that I let him stay at least six months.

The other houses in the package needed a ton of work, so I was happy to keep him there, even though I wouldn't have picked him under normal circumstances. I made it clear that he could stay, at the same rate he'd been paying previously, and his dog could stay, and I wouldn't charge him the normal monthly pet rent, and his unauthorized roommate could stay, but I'd be charging an extra $25/month for his unauthorized roommate's unauthorized dog. Grandma made it clear she wasn't paying an extra $25/month for the friend's dog, and the friend was so indignant, he left. Then the original tenant left as well--- because, gosh, we had a lease agreement on paper! That you had to sign! And he was totally convinced we were going to turn his world upside down, even though we'd promised him we wouldn't. So he wanted to get out on his terms, before we had the chance to really move his cheese.

The point being--- you can reassure people all day long that nothing will change, that the new owner will have to respect the preexisting lease conditions for as long as the term is, and so on, but people living in a certain socioeconomic strata have a good chance of being skeptical of such claims.

In my case, they were anxious to leave under their own terms. In your case--- they're hostile.

If you sell it with the headaches in place, you mentally subtract $x because that's the cost of letting someone else solve your problem for you.

If $x is more important to you, then you have to figure out how to solve the problem yourself.

Why sell now?

Can it wait for another 6 months? If not selling will be difficult now and might cost you more than if you just bought them out using an economic incentive to move.

I real landlord wouldn't mind buying a building with troubled tenants, I've purchased many disasters myself.

After the sale I have the old owner introduce me to the tenants. I hand them a "Hello" letter, giving them my contact information.

The tenant in apartment 101 owed back rent since the 1st of the month. I said to these tenants, I'm not going to hassle you about the previous owed rent, but starting today, you need to pay me the Balance of Rents due for this month. I asking you nicely and expect payment within a couple of days.

Then I go back to those tenants as ask for the rent check. Unless they hand me the rental payment, I give them a 3 day notice to pay or quit. Then 5 days later I pay them one last visit and ask for payment. I then explain I'm going to start an eviction. Since they hadn't paid me rent, they will be out on the street within a month or two. Pay me now because tomorrow I'm going to see my attorney and and pay his fee's. Now is your last chance. Then I'll evict them.