5 Common Reasons Renters Move Out and How to Stop Them

By Brittany Loeffler on October 15, 2020

As a landlord, you know the struggle of finding new tenants when renters move out. You have to create an advertisement for your property, post it to multiple sites, and then screen potential tenants while making appointments to show them the property. It’s a handful, difficult to keep track of everyone, and hard to fit showings into your already busy schedule.

While there are some reasons why renters move out that cannot be fixed, you can prevent some of the reasons. It’s much more cost-efficient to retain the good renters you find than to find brand new ones if they leave.

These are the most common reasons why renters move out and some tips on how to get them to stay and renew their lease.

renters

via Pixabay

Poor Relationship with the Landlord

You’re probably aware of some landlords and renters not getting along. Whether it’s a personality issue, lack of communication, or complete disregard for each other, it can damage your business of renting out your properties. When tenants have issues with their landlords, they are more likely to move out and find a better fit.

What You Can Do

Always communicate with your tenants and fix anything they need in a timely manner. Treat them as you would like to be treated if you were renting your home. Offer courtesy, respect, and fairness.

Grow Out of the Apartment

While your renter may have loved the apartment when they first moved in, over time they may realize that it’s just a little too small for their needs. Whether they accumulated more belongings, enjoy having guests over, or have added a pet to their life, it’s common for renters to move out and search for a larger space.

What You Can Do

If you own any other properties in the area that are available and larger then the one your tenant is renting, offer to show it to them. It doesn’t hurt to slash the price a bit, especially if they are an ideal tenant.

Can’t Afford Rent

Income status can change in an instant. When your renter first signed the lease, they may have had a great paying job and could easily afford the rent. Then halfway through, they were laid off or had an income decrease and could no longer afford to renew the lease. Or maybe you decided to raise the rent for next year to keep up with the market and property value in the neighborhood.

What You Can Do

While making more money is a goal for most people, sometimes retaining a good tenant is worth losing a few extra bucks or making the same amount for another year. Offer your tenant a discount if they renew their lease or offer them another property for a cheaper price.

Outdated Features

Living with outdated features and amenities such as kitchens, bathrooms, and AC units can help keep rent affordable, you can only live like this for so long. Many renters will rent outdated units as first or second apartments while they boost their income and then move to more updated or luxurious properties after a year or two.

What You Can Do

If you really want your tenant to stay, offer to make some upgrades to the apartment. Offer to renovate the bathroom or upgrade the kitchen appliances. Even just a few small changes can make a huge difference to your renters.

Issues with the Neighbors

Love thy neighbor is not always possible. There have been many wars between neighbors throughout the years. If you own multiple properties or units in a building, there is always a chance that your renters may clash with each other. These issues could be due to personality differences, noise complaints, and more. This could be a reason one of your renters moves out.

What You Can Do

While you are not required to mediate these types of situations, you can always prevent them. Before you lease your property to a new tenant, always screen your renters. Interview them and conduct background checks. Not only will this make you feel more confident about who you rent to, but you’ll decrease the chance of neighbor issues between your renters.

Retain Your Renters

There are many reasons why renters move out of their apartments. The most common include relationship issues with their landlords, needing a larger space, not being able to afford rent, tired of outdated features, and issues with the neighbors. These are all preventable, though. You know the struggle of finding good, respectable renters who pay their rent on time. Once you’ve found them, don’t lose them because of issues that can be remedied! Offer solutions to get them to renew their lease with you – even if it means sacrificing a new extra dollars over the years.

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