Some situations are easier to deal with than others.
One of the most unexpected situations for a property manager is when a tenant passes away in a rental home.
“We received a phone call from the local police department who informed us that our tenant had passed away in one of our properties,” said Tony Yraguen, owner of Real Property Management Elite in Salt Lake City. Deaths are always unforeseen and tragic but because the tenant was in his 30s and otherwise seemed healthy, it was even more surprising.
What does a property manager do when a tenant dies in a rental home? It depends, but in this situation Tony and his team went to the property immediately after police notified them. They re-keyed the locks and secured the tenant’s possessions from unauthorized people who may have keys (ex-spouse, friends, family, etc.). “It’s our job to protect personal property for an estate executor who in this case, was the man’s mother,” said Tony. “She was very emotional and concerned about her son’s belongings because she lived out of state. We assured her his estate was safe and we would keep a close eye on it.”
“When she arrived, my team met her at the home and consoled her as she entered. As you can imagine it was a very difficult experience. We made the process as easy as possible for her.” Tony said. Afterwards, the team stayed in contact with her to make sure she was ok and that she understood the move out process. In support of the tragedy, Real Property Management Elite put the security deposit in a college fund for the deceased man’s young daughter.
After the process was complete the deceased man’s mother was so grateful for the kindness and professionalism Tony and his team provided. “We wanted to really go the extra mile for this family,” Tony said. “It’s hard to lose a loved one and we felt that we needed to do all we could to ease their burden.”
Even though deaths are very uncommon, know that your Real Property Management team has the expertise, and compassion, to deal with these situations.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
