In any business, disputes are absolutely inevitable. The same holds true for Property Management Santa Monica CA business as well. No matter how hard a property manager tries, some landlord-tenant disputes are imminent. Whenever such a dispute arises, both the landlord and the tenant is bound to have a very hot head and may even be incapable of making rational decisions then. In such a situation, it is the job of a property manager to maintain a cool head and look at the situation objectively. A client hires a property manager to settle landlord and tenant disputes, not t make them worse! Therefore, a property manager cannot adopt a bossy stature then an try to bully the parties into coming to a property decision. It’ll only worsen the matters at hand. Instead, a property manager should try to solve the problems by settling things between the two parties. It is very surprising that how many times a dispute could go away by just negotiating a proper conversation between the landlord and the tenant.
However, a landlord needs to be well prepared for the worst case scenario, when things go as bad as they can get. In such a case, he or she needs to remember that he or she represents the landlord and hence needs to make sure that the losses incurred by the landlord are minimal. Many a times, the tenants are at fault and are absolutely adamant to not budge in their resolve. A Property Management Santa Monica CA firm can easily approach a small claims court for such a situation. A small claims court, also known as magistrate, is basically a court which has a very limited jurisdiction and is mainly meant to try civil cases and litigations. This is the main reason why a small claims court can be very easily used to sort out landlord and tenants and also settle any other money related dispute. Now, like any other court, a small claims court also has certain prerequisites.
A property manager filing a claim in the small claims court must first and foremost carry a copy of the lease agreement. The lease agreement is the proof of the terms and conditions agreed upon by both the parties during beginning of tenancy and would be crucial to make the landlord’s case in front of the court. The lease agreement should be accompanied by any form of written or otherwise documented communication between the two parties. A Property Management Santa Monica CA firm is always advised to make a move in and move out video for each tenant. These videos would help the manager in claiming the damages from the tenants by giving evidence of the condition of the estate before and after the tenant moved in and moved out, respectively.
There is no need for a person to hire a separate attorney for filing a case in the small claims court. This is perhaps one of the biggest advantages of the small claims court. A landlord can simply appeal his case himself and even get an expedited verdict if he has all the necessary documents and evidence at hand! A small claims court is perhaps one of the best ways for landlord to get his dues without incurring huge losses.