I own a house in Barnstable Co. but had to move for my job and was unable to sell the house. The house has been rented to the same tenant for about four years. The tenant has stopped paying rent and won't return calls, emails, etc. I live out of state but a friend tells me the house is still occupied and looks in good shape. The lease expired about six months back but I continued to get rent through October.
The tenant went from being very communicative and helpful to dropping of the face of the earth. I sent a certified letter to the tenant asking what was up. The USPS now says this letter is being 'forwarded' after being sent out for delivery. This doesn't strike me as a good sign.
It will be hard for me to fly back to MA to deal with this. I have some friends in the area but not folks I'm comfortable asking for help in a legal/eviction situation.
What do I do? Can I hire an attorney to help deal with this? A property management company?
My plan had been to sell the place once the tenants moved out. But this is not how I was hoping it would end.
Advice appreciated.
Managing property from outside Massachusetts
Moving forward, a property management company would make a lot of sense, both to screen new tenants and to manage the property and collect rent. For now, I'd contact an attorney in the area who does landlord tenant work and have her perform the eviction. The attorney may also be able to help you hunt down the tenant and help you collect any judgments you obtain for rent and damage to the unit.
how do i find a lawyer who specializes in landlord tenant work?
Great. Thanks for the reply. So, there are attorneys who specialize in landlord-tenant work? Is there a directory of lawyers by specialty?