Can smart tech help you evict tenants?

Technology improves every single day, and the ways that we are incorporating it into our lives can change the way we live, too. Businesses around the world are constantly adapting to those changes to make; is your business adapting as well?

The rental business, in some ways, is still stuck in the past. While we have things like high-quality online tenant screening and property management software now thanks to the internet, paperwork and eviction proceedings must still be largely handled through snail mail and in-person filing at the local courthouse.

Many landlords are looking for ways to make the eviction process easier, and the answer to their wishes might be found in technology. Today, we’re introducing three different ideas that we have about how you might be able to use smart tech to help you evict tenants. Take a closer look to determine if these methods can help you smooth our your eviction process.

Table Of Contents For Using Smart Tech To Evict Tenants

Pay For Digital Standardization

digital standardizationWhile most documents still need to be delivered to tenants via certified mail and to courthouses in the same way, there are some ways that you can make your eviction process more effective, transparent, and efficient.

By paying for digital eviction software or hiring a programmer to create a program for your company, you can enter all of the eviction information necessary into the program. The program can then help you to:

  • Send out initial notices according to state and local law
  • Remind you when to follow up
  • Provide space to track certified mail and other important documentation
  • Keep evidence and other information grouped together
  • Keep a transparent record of the eviction process

Clear files and record-keeping can make a world of difference when you are dealing with semi-regular evictions. Landlords that manage a lot of properties, in particular, will find that investing in smart technology like this can make evictions more successful in terms of time and money investment.

Many eviction cases fail because things were not properly documented, sent out in the right notice periods, or the case is simply too disorganized. Technology that helps you to collect and file all appropriate information makes the entire process more seamless than ever before.

Try Using An Online Mediator

Try Using An Online Mediator

With today’s widespread use of technology, it is possible to do so much online that wasn’t possible even 10 years ago. You can see a therapist, talk to your doctor, consult with a lawyer, and more. Meetings held online hold just as much power as in-person meetings for many situations, and that can completely change business.

While you may want to push for eviction, there are some cases where things can be resolved with some added benefits for you. Avoiding eviction means you can avoid some negative side effects that often accompany it:

  • Bad reviews from ex-tenants and their friends
  • No rent collected due to court proceedings
  • Stress of preparing for court
  • High costs of keeping an attorney for court proceedings

Eviction ultimately returns control of your property to you, and sometimes it is the only option. At other times, however, it could be beneficial to try to work with a mediator to settle the issues between you and your tenant out of the courtroom.

Many small claims cases such as eviction are settled out of court. Many landlords falsely believe that a judge has to make the final decision, but other resolutions can happen as long as both you and your tenant agree on the terms.
That is where an online mediator might be able to help!

Working with a professional who can help you and the tenant understand each others’ stress points, problems, and needs can ensure a smoother, quicker resolution. Not every eviction case is going to be a good fit for an out-of-court mediation meeting, but it’s a tech-backed option that you can take part in from the comfort of your home or office!

Help Them Find Somewhere New With Apps

If you are trying to negotiate with a tenant to get them to leave without going through the entire eviction process, you are likely going to need to offer them some bonuses for leaving the rental before their lease is over. Even if you would ultimately win an eviction case, directly dealing with the tenant can be faster.

One tech-friendly way that you can encourage a tenant to move on from your rental is to help them set up various rental search apps. You can even pay for their membership on sites that require payment to unlock the full capabilities.

Many tenants won’t invest in this type of technology for themselves, but investing in it on their behalf can be a way to make their move easier. If they can find somewhere else to live with relative ease, they are more likely to move out of your property.

And One Tool To Avoid: Facial Recognition

There has been some talk, especially among tech companies in NYC, to enable the use of facial recognition doorbells to evict tenants that are breaking the rules. Essentially, some companies believe that camera-enabled doorbells can and should be used to monitor everyone that comes in and out of an apartment to ensure no illegal subletting is happening.

While we are in full agreement that you should move to evict tenants that illegally sublet a room or break the lease with extra roommates, there is a lot of grey area when it comes to using video technology to monitor your tenants.

In fact, many landlords that are already installing smart locks and monitoring tenants are being challenged in court.

Until the laws in your area clearly define privacy rights in regards to this type of technology, we recommend sticking to using smart tech to make eviction go smoother rather than focusing on using it to catch tenants breaking your rules.

Evictions: Nowhere Else To Turn

Most landlords consider evictions to be something that they only turn to when there is no other choice, but we think that eviction practices are becoming more nuanced every year. Courts are gradually updating their systems to incorporate new technology. However, there are ways that you can put technology to good use right now to improve your eviction process.

These three ideas aren’t the only ways that you can incorporate technology into your business’s eviction process. Get creative and think about what takes the most time and energy out of you when trying to regain control of a property. That is where you want to try to bring in technology to lend a helping hand!