Question service of notice on non-English speaking

Question service of notice on non-English speaking by Kim (GA) on July 27, 2012 @14:53

Hi,

We are in the position of serving a lease violation letter to our tenants. The parents do not speak English. They brought an adult translator to assist them when making the initial lease, but now two years later, we find ourselves having to communicate through their 15 year old son. :-(

These are the tenants that brought in a 100 pound vicious Chow without our knowledge. Requests to insure the pet or get rid of it have been ignored, and now we are ready to send a certified letter demanding they get rid of the dog.

Our lease states that any notice required under the lease can be properly sent by first class mail. How is this going to work in the real world though?

As a practical matter, the English speaking son will probably receive our certified letter and promptly throw it out since he has a bad attitude, is hostile to his parents, and ignores us. His parents' near total abdication of landlord/tenant relations to their son has left me feeling like he's the tenant instead of them.

They pay on time every month, so I'm reluctant to rock the boat much, but the vicious dog has to go.

Does anyone have any advice about dealing with non-English speaking tenants? If I address the letter specifically to the parents and send it certified, can the postman give it to the son anyway, or must the parents go sign for it?

It's not a simple matter to get translations. They speak Korean, and Korean translators are rare in our part of the country. I'm not willing to spend hundreds of $$ just to communicate with these people. Google Translate is useless for Korean.

Thanks,

Kim

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Re: Question service of notice on non-English speaking by Anonymous on July 27, 2012 @15:02	[ Reply ]

I believe that anyone in the home can sign for a certified letter. However, they have to be of legal age, over 18. You may wish to inquire at the post office about "restricted delivery." That service can be added on to certified mail and it specified who is allowed to sign and receive the letter. It's an additional cost but it seems to answer your needs in this situation.

Re: Question service of notice on non-English speaking by Eloise on July 27, 2012 @15:08	[ Reply ]

Just send them the certified letter with signature confirmation to the TENANT, whoever that is, don't send it to the son, not your problem they can not understand it! Wait the proper amount of time for a "cure or quit" in your state {I think it might be 14 days} and then start the eviction process. Things that might ease your mind: 1. You are not required to speak or understand their language. The lease is in English, right? Same thing with all communication with them, it's not like the judge will get a translator to figure out what happened during this tenancy if it's all in Korean. 2. If they toss the letter, it is not your fault or responsibility, you worry about mailing it, the rest, is not your problem. If I were you, I'd find a good Landlord, Tenant lawyer in your area {check the local listings or a legal aid hotline} and let them handle the eviction. It will save you time and money at the end.

Re: Question service of notice on non-English speaking

Re: Question service of notice on non-English speaking by anonymous (GA) on July 27, 2012 @16:38	[ Reply ]

I would not rely on a minor to be your accountable tenants' translator. I would find a Korean church, I see them all over Cobb, Gwinnett and DeKalb Counties, and inquire on where someone needing translation services might find it. You could possibly get the notice translated and send it both in English and Korean. Larger colleges have Korean language classes and might be a source to consider. I would not expect to pay more than $30 for a notice to be translated. If you live anywhere near Buford highway you can find a Korean business there for certain.

Re: Question service of notice on non-English speaking

Re: Question service of notice on non-English speaking by Nicole (PA) on July 28, 2012 @13:34	[ Reply ]

I don't have one of those green cards here to look at it but I believe there is a box to check marked "restricted". the person the letter is addressed to must show id to sign for it. Also, you are WAY too nice. You posted about this dog a while ago - why weren't they given perhaps 7 days to remove the dog? What has taken so long? I'm from a family of immigrants so I understand the kids handling adult business and I've got a family of tenants who do the same thing. BUT, since you don't want to deal with the kid, don't. Have everything done via writing. I'd also evict these people because of the continuing issues you have with them. I also would NEVER consider paying to translate anything for anyone - if they can't find an adult to communicate with you, evict.