Rental Property in Foreclosure - Now What? |
The Rental Property is in Foreclosure. The Tenants Know. What is a Landlord or Property Manager to Do?By John NuzzoleseIn today's turbulent economy with foreclosures nationwide, more landlords and property managers are sharing a once uncommon experience: Foreclosures. Today, foreclosures are everywhere you look. Many of the properties in trouble happen to be rentals, some under property management contracts. Let's take a look at the situations faced by private landlords and property managers hired as an agent of the owner. Private LandlordsPicture this: The tenant is home thinking about making his next rent payment early. A knock on the door interrupts his thoughts only to be told by a bank representative that "the house in in foreclosure. Your landlord is not making his payments. You'd better start paying us directly or we will EVICT YOU!" Unfortunately many banks say even worse things to the tenants to scare them. This creates havoc for the landlord who is very likely trying desperately to find a way out of foreclosure.
How do you handle the tenant when he finds out the home he is renting is in foreclosure? If possible, nip the problem in the bud, before the tenant decides this is an opportunity to stop paying rent. When you buy bread, do you ask the supermarket if they paid their bread bill? Tell the tenant, "If you are visited by a bank representative, please let me know right away. Don't let them try to scare you with any of their unethical tactics. They should be talking to ME, NOT YOU." The cooperation of your tenant in this situation is extremely important! They figure, "if the landlord's not paying the mortgage, why should I pay the rent?" Property ManagersI've been asked by property managers, what recourse there is against their client in the event an owner of a property falls into foreclosure. There's not a lot you can do besides sue the owner for breach of contract, if in fact they do lose the property, and your contract provides terms prohibiting the owner from losing the property. Most managers know it's probably a dead end and a waste of time to pursue, especially if the owner is also going bankrupt. Also, keep in mind that your management contract may not have been violated until the owner actually loses the property. You still get to collect your management fee as long as your client owns the property. Foreclosures can sometimes take a long time. It's very possible that your management contract could expire before the foreclosure comes to a conclusion."It's Not Over Till It's Over." - Owner's redemption rights Private Landlords and Property ManagersThe tenants are contractually required to honor the lease and pay the rent for every month they are there. Even if the owner defaults on his mortgage with the bank, As the LPA Lease says, WITHHOLDING RENT Under no circumstances may any rent be withheld in full or in part, regardless of any expenses incurred by Tenant, regardless of the financial status of the premises, or the legality of the premises. Rent must be paid to Owner or Owner's agent only. Non-payment or payment to any other party is a violation of this Lease Agreement and cause for immediate eviction. Existing tenants need to be aware of this fact and should not be allowed to see the owner's financial status as an opportunity for Free Rent. It is a good way for them to ruin their credit and be evicted. The banks also can take quite a while to evict an existing tenant after a foreclosure. In many cases they'd prefer the tenants to stay until the home is sold. During all or part of that time, the tenant has the opportunity to benefit from low or no rent, which will make up financially for the inconvenience of the foreclosure.
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