Hi, there! Joe White here from Grow Property Management, your trusted property management company in Philadelphia.
John recently left a comment on one of my podcast episodes asking, essentially, how he can reduce evictions. From what he shared, he’s been dealing with nonstop turnover and multiple evictions, and while I don’t know the specifics of his property or his neighborhood, his situation touches on something I’ve become increasingly clear about the longer I run my property management company: the condition of the property directly impacts the quality of the tenant it attracts. This isn’t just a loose correlation, after years of doing this, it’s practically a law of nature in our business.
More and more, when we onboard new property owners, we lean on them to get their properties up to a certain standard before we’ll agree to manage them. It’s simple: poor-quality units attract poor-quality tenants, and poor-quality tenants are highly likely to end up in eviction. When we deal with an eviction, not only is the eviction itself devastating and expensive for the property owner, but the tenants who end up needing eviction are very often the same tenants who don’t take care of the unit. The problems always come as a pair: nonpayment or constant issues that lead toward eviction, and simultaneously, a disregard for cleanliness and care that leaves the home in rough shape.
A typical pattern we see looks like this: an owner places a tenant improperly, doesn’t screen well, or tries to fill a unit that isn’t really tenant-ready. Problems begin, the tenant falls behind, behavior becomes chaotic, and eventually the owner calls us in. When we finally get the tenant out and enter the property, it’s common for us to find it decimated, trashed walls, broken fixtures, piles of garbage, or general neglect that requires extensive renovation. And often, when we look back at the property’s condition before the tenant ever moved in, we can see that the place was already distressed. It’s very hard to get a responsible, stable tenant into a home that isn’t clean, functional, or well-maintained.
When we tell owners that certain things need to be repaired for the property to be rentable, we sometimes get pushback. Some insist they don’t want to invest more money into the home; they want to rent it “as is.” But at this point in my company’s growth, I’m comfortable telling owners no. If a property isn’t safe, clean, and functional, we won’t manage it. Tenant-ready means the lights work, the walls aren’t damaged, the place is clean, and there are no glaring defects. We give the tenant a home in good condition, and we expect them to return it in comparable condition when they move out. And overwhelmingly, that’s exactly what happens.
The owners who get stuck in cycles of eviction often hold onto the belief that a decent tenant will accept a subpar property. But it doesn’t work that way. You can have a clean, safe, respectable rental unit in any neighborhood in Philadelphia, condition has nothing to do with zip code. It’s about basic dignity and upkeep.
A recent example comes to mind: we were onboarding a first-floor unit where someone had punched a fist-sized hole straight through the half-bathroom door. We told the owner, “We can’t rent this. It’s not tenant-ready.” That owner quickly agreed to replace it. But sometimes owners push back, insisting that the tenant should just accept the damage. And honestly, I don’t even need to explain why that’s a problem. What kind of high-quality tenant wants to rent a home with a gaping hole in a door right in the middle of the living space? And even if you do find a tenant willing to overlook damage like that, what does that tell them? It tells them you don’t care about the property, so why should they? And sure enough, tenants who accept substandard conditions are far more likely to mistreat the property and far more likely to end up in eviction.
So while I don’t know John’s specific circumstances, I do know this: after years of managing rentals, the strongest predictor of eviction risk is the condition of the property at move-in. The better the property, the better the tenant. That’s why we’ve never had to evict a tenant that we personally screened and placed. We make sure our rentals are tenant-ready, and we thoroughly screen applicants. That combination makes a huge difference.
If John is dealing with nonstop evictions, my advice is simple: focus on making the property more presentable, more functional, and more respectful of the tenants you want to attract. That’s the single best step he can take toward breaking the eviction cycle.
I’m just a humble Philadelphia property manager trying to offer honest advice based on experience, and as always, I wish everyone out there happy and successful rental property investing.
