Selling Rental Properties if the Tenants Won’t Pay Rent

Learn How Seller’s Advantage Can Help Landlords with Non-Paying Tenants Sell The Properties for Cash

The COVID-19 restrictions that allowed your Los Angeles and Southern California tenants to skip paying rent have expired, but many tenants still don’t pay rent. Roughly 90,000 residents were in arrears on their rent during Covid, and 60% were unable to bring their payments current as of February 2024.

Can I Sell a Los Angeles Rental Property if the Tenants Won’t Pay Rent?

If you’re a landlord with non-paying tenants, you don’t have to evict them—you can sell the house, even with renters. According to the city, over 77,000 eviction notices were filed in the city in 2023. Ninety-six percent were for non-payment of rent.

California is extremely tenant-oriented, with precise laws designed to protect the tenant’s rights. If you follow the rules for selling an occupied property, it’s a perfectly legal process. However, it is extremely time consuming; time you don’t have if the mortgage is threatened.

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Understanding the Problem

Most tenants enter into a property lease intending to pay the rent. But when their financial lives go sideways, and they can’t pay the rent, that causes financial problems for landlords. As a landlord, you have the right to sell the property, but as a human, you certainly have sympathy for people who have fallen on hard times. And you probably have your own mortgage debt on the investment that’s due every month, which also strains your finances.

The eviction process begins when you formally notify the tenant of your intent. The tenant must be given a reasonable time to respond by paying the back rent due or moving out. You also file the notice in court, and the tenant has the right to respond.

Tenants often get upset when landlords file eviction notices. They quit essential maintenance on the house, resulting in you incurring more expenses to maintain the lawn and the house in good working order.

Is there a way out of this nightmare?

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Why Selling for Cash is a Viable Solution

Instead of going through the hassle of filing an eviction notice in LA, sell the house. Many landlords don’t know that’s an option, regardless of the tenant’s rent status. Selling the property is a quick way out of a bad situation, and when you work with Seller’s Advantage, you’ll get cash payment in two or three weeks. 

We buy houses as is and don’t worry about repairs or the current state of the investment property. We pay you cash at settlement, so there aren’t any outside factors to slow the process.

For landlords with deadbeat tenants, it’s a win-win. There is no costly or lengthy listing period with no guarantee of a sale, no cash out-of-pocket for repairs, and no agent commissions.

How Seller’s Advantage Works

Seller’s Advantage has developed a transparent and effective system for buying investment property. We schedule an initial consultation when you contact us about selling the house.

During the consultation, we will explain how our system works to your advantage. Once we agree to work together, we’ll assess the property value—at no cost to you. We don’t use traditional appraisers or tax values to determine the value, but we do make a fair market value offer—what the house would sell for today.

Within 48 hours of that valuation, you’ll get our cash offer. That’s it — no hassle, no negotiating, no drama. You’re not obligated to accept our offer; you can simply walk away.

As this is a purely business transaction, landlords seldom consider losing equity in the house.Your priority is the return on investment (ROI) and how quickly you can convert the sale proceeds to another investment.

Selling Your Tenanted Los Angeles or Las Vegas Property for Cash

Benefits of Choosing Seller’s Advantage

It’s fairly common for landlords with non-paying tenants to be reluctant to involve a real estate agent. You know they’ll give you a laundry list of essential repairs, and you’ll pay a hefty commission if and when the house sells. Adding to all that, if you list the property with a real estate agent, you must give the tenant 120 days’ notice before the agent can actually show the house.

Selling with us also takes the intangible pressure off. You don’t have to worry that a disgruntled tenant will refuse showings, leave a trashed house if they permit a showing, or refuse to leave.

None of these stresses arise when Seller’s Advantage buys the property. It’s a completely seamless process between Seller’s Advantage and the property owner — no third parties are involved.

Here’s what our clients say

Southern California is our home. We’ve been in business here for over 25 years and know the market well—just ask our happy clients.

I can’t speak highly enough about Seller’s Advantage and my experience selling my home to them. They delivered 100% on every verbal promise they made to me and on every point in our contract. They were just as pleasant and accessible after I signed the contract as before.

Even better, the escrow closed in about three weeks. I HIGHLY Recommend Seller Advantage to anyone who wants to sell their home fast and who work with real professionals like Chas.

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the most common questions we get from landlords wanting to sell.

How is the offer calculated?

We consider the same factors as an appraiser but weigh the results differently. Because the transaction is typically from one landlord to another, we can eliminate all the fluff in an appraisal and give you a realistic number.

These are our primary considerations.

• Current market conditions in the area
• Neighborhood comps — what other similar houses are selling for
• Current condition of the property

What if the house is in poor condition?

We buy any residence—house, condo, apartment house, or duplex—regardless of its condition. We understand that non-paying tenants are not likely to be good stewards of the property, and we also factor that into the offer.

How quickly can the sale be completed?

Seller’s Advantage can complete the sale in two or three weeks—before your next mortgage payment is due. We’ve eliminated time-consuming appraisals, inspections, and negotiating repairs. Nothing holds up settlement except the unavoidable legal work. While you’re waiting on the settlement, consult with an accountant to discuss the tax ramifications of the sale.

We have the resources to make cash offers and to honor them quickly, giving sellers the peace of mind that they will get out of this mess soon. As soon as you receive our offer, tell your lender you will have the mortgage paid off within the month.

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Seller’s Advantage — Let us help today.

Don’t lose any more sleep over tenants who aren’t paying the rent, and quit worrying about how long an eviction takes. Contact Seller’s Advantage today, either through the online form or by calling 800-208-3243 to sell my house fast Los Angeles.