Tenant won't grant access

It is not uncommon for a tenant to not grant access to a property you are looking to buy. This can be because they have fear of their home being sold, past bad experiences with their landlord, or maybe theyre just dirt bags. Process for this varies heavily by every state and market, so this will be a list of general guidelines and not a specific process.

General Guidelines

1. Check State requirements for gaining access. Make sure you follow them so you dont end up in legal trouble for no reason.
   1. Example, you normally cant just access “because youre the property owner”. In WA state, we need to provide a 48 hours notice of entree at which point the landlord is able to key in to the property. If they are not given permission to enter the police can get involved.
   2. General rule you will need to give some sort of advanced notice, so plan for that accordingly during both the underwriting and disposition phase of the deal.
2. Ideally visit with the landlord in attendance, if landlord not willing to attend then be sure to get tenants contact information yourself and not rely on the landlord saying “yep I told them youll be there”.
3. Take all photos on the first walk through, dont expect future walk throughs to be easy or even possible at all.
4. If the tenant must be gone before closing, offer to have cash for keys conversations for the landlord. Don’t do this until you have a guaranteed exit (you’re for sure closing or have a buyer assigned) in case things go awry. We’ve made hundreds of thousands of dollars having this simple conversation the landlord was afraid to have.
5. Be smart when it comes to personal security when you are entering the environment of someone who has bee uncooperative. Bring a buddy, keep your wits about you, and understand dangerous or deadly situations have occured between tenants and landlords/investors/law enforcement when the tenants feel threatened.
6. Be understanding of the tenants situation. Too often Investors get an “us vs them” mentality when it comes to tenants. They’re human beings with personal security being a primary concern and you’re currently threatening that by buying the house. Treat them with respect, but don’t let their situation influence your offer or analysis of the deal.
7. Be sparing with telling the tenant you are buying the property. Realize most landlords will be hesitant to tell tenants they are selling for fear of having them stop paying rent if you don’t perform or fear of them disclosing information to you that the seller doesn’t want you to know! Its not uncommon to have to pretend to be an appraiser, inspector, or something else to do the walk through.