”Who’s costly bad experience would you rather learn from, mine or yours?” John Nuzzolese

California law requires a 24 hour notice to enter a rented unit by a landlord, with the possible exception of a rented room in a single family home. There are however, situations which require the landlord to enter the unit without notice.

 

WHAT KIND OF EMERGENCIES REQUIRE IMMEDIATE ENTRY? Situations can vary from obvious things like the unit being on fire or an apparent flood, where you are seeing water gushing out the front door. Keep in mind that courts are sensitive to the type of emergency that would warrant such unscheduled entrances. If a plumber or other repair person is coming to repair a unit, a landlord can usually enter during normal business hours. The best idea is to call the tenant and have yourself or a representative from your management company there to avoid any potential claims of damage or theft from the tenant.

 

OTHER EXCEPTIONS. A yearly or bi-annual inspection (which has been pre planned and proper notice given) would probably exceed the 24 hour requirement. but is always a good deal to double check, as the tenant may have forgotten. Another thing that comes up often is showing a rental property to prospective tenants. Most tenants understand that you need to keep your unit rented after they move out, so most will typically work with you. Otherwise, you may need to give the tenant a 24 hour notice and only show the unit at a specific time.

 

ABANDONMENT. If you believe the tenant has abandoned the property, you may be able to enter without notice if you see:

1) utilities have been shut off

2) neighbors say the tenant has said he was moving out or they report that they have seen the tenant moving out

3) The tenant has been served a notice to quit and is not responding.

 

BEST PRACTICE. In most cases, you can contact the tenant by phone to arrange entrance. If you give your tenant a 24 hour notice, you have done just about all you can do. If a tenant continues to refuse entry, you can involve the courts, but that can be quite time consuming and expensive. If you maintain communication with your tenant, you will usually be ok. If there is any question about entry, it is always best to check with your real estate attorney or your Apartment Owners Association to make sure you are within the rules, as laws are changing rapidly these days.

 

“If you are afraid of confrontation, you are not going to do very well. ” Bill Parcells

What we at PRS PROPERTIES CAN DO. We can give you a good idea of the current value of your building. We can suggest changes you might want to make before sale to give you an idea what type of building you would be able to exchange into. You may decide to stay in the rental business. We are always available to chat. We can give you referrals for professionals, such as lenders, contractors, and engineers, so that you can decide who you feel best with. We can supply you with rent and sale comparable in the area of your properties, so that you know what rental values are in your area. It is important that you know the true value of your rental units, so that you can get them rented right away at market value, or at least as much as possible with rent control restrictions. We can look at potential purchases that you may be interested in to make the property more desirable, and maybe look at potential issues that an insurer might require you to repair.

If you should decide to sell your building, we can help you exchange into a larger or smaller properties. We can even help you move into something with less management responsibilities. We can also help with getting the paperwork together for a refinance if that is your desire. We can also recommend experienced licensed contractors who can perform any repairs or installations you may need prior to selling. We can also look at your building for other easy and inexpensive changes that might allow you to get a higher value. We can help you to get the maximum value for your property, should you decide to sell, or the maximum return if you are planning to keep your building.

We are currently looking for “as-is” properties and are willing to purchase with low rents, deferred maintenance or even with a problem tenant in place. We can offer a 7 day escrow and all cash at closing. Give us a call. We have also put together numerous transactions over the years which involve properties that are not listed for sale. Many investors are currently in 1031 exchanges and need to identify a replacement property before their 45 day identification period runs out.

Should you decide to put your property on the market, we will put together an aggressive, targeted and professional campaign to get your property sold fast. We have been doing this for over 40 years, and we will use all the tools available to bring you the most dollars at closing. If you are thinking of selling or are just curious about the value of your property, don’t hesitate to give us a call.