Selling A Rental Property Or Tenant-Occupied House In San Antonio
You do not have to evict anyone to sell. In Texas a lease normally survives the sale, which means the tenancy is our problem after closing, not yours.
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What this actually means
A Lease Generally Survives A Sale, And That Is Good News
The most common misconception among landlords selling up is that the property has to be empty first. It does not. In Texas a valid lease generally continues after the property changes hands: the buyer takes the property subject to the tenancy and steps into the landlord’s position for the remainder of the term.
The security deposit follows the same logic. Under Property Code Chapter 92 the obligation to account for a tenant’s deposit transfers with the property, and the new owner becomes responsible for it. Practically that means the deposit is dealt with at closing rather than refunded by you beforehand, so bring the lease and the deposit records.
This is why starting an eviction in order to sell is usually a mistake. Texas eviction runs through the justice court under Property Code Chapter 24, beginning with a written notice to vacate, and it takes time and money. If you are selling to a buyer who will take the tenancy, you have spent both for nothing, and an eviction in progress can complicate the sale rather than simplify it.
Where a tenant is genuinely not paying, that is a separate decision from selling. It is worth being clear which problem you are trying to solve, because the answer differs. Selling solves a landlord who is finished; eviction solves a tenant who must leave a property you are keeping.
Where it gets difficult
What Makes Selling A Rental Awkward
Access, condition, and the fact that someone lives there.
Showings Need Tenant Cooperation
A tenant has no obligation to help you sell and every reason not to. Listing an occupied rental conventionally is genuinely difficult.
Financed Buyers Want Vacant
Owner-occupier buyers, the largest pool, usually need possession, which means the tenancy has to end first.
Accumulated Wear
Long-let houses carry damage and deferred maintenance that a retail buyer prices hard and a lender may object to.
Turn Cost After A Bad Exit
The bill to make a house re-lettable can exceed a large share of the year’s rent, which is often the moment owners decide to sell.
Remote Management
Many of these houses are owned by people who no longer live in Texas and have not seen the property recently.
Options worth knowing about
How Landlords Usually Get Out
Sell With The Tenant In Place
Simplest route. No notice, no eviction, no turn cost, no vacancy. The buyer pool is investors rather than owner-occupiers, which is what a cash buyer is.
Wait For The Lease To End, Then Sell Vacant
Gets you the larger retail buyer pool but means carrying an empty house and usually funding a turn first.
Offer The Tenant An Incentive To Leave Early
Sometimes cheaper and faster than eviction, and more certain. Put any agreement in writing.
Sell The Tenancy Problem To The Tenant
Worth asking whether a long-standing tenant wants to buy. It happens more often than landlords expect and avoids everything else on this list.
Evict, Then Sell
Occasionally necessary, rarely the fastest route to a sale. Get advice before starting. the process is technical and errors restart it.
This Is Not Advice
This is general information, not legal advice. Eviction, notice periods and deposit accounting under Property Code Chapters 24 and 92 are technical, and getting a step wrong can create liability or restart the process. Speak to a Texas landlord-tenant attorney before serving notice or withholding a deposit.
Where we fit
Selling An Occupied Rental To Us
We buy with the tenant in place and the lease intact. You do not serve notice, do not evict, do not fund a turn, and do not carry a vacancy. The deposit obligation transfers to us at closing, handled through the title company with the lease and deposit records.
That also means no showings. The tenant does not need to cooperate, tidy up or admit strangers, which removes the single most unpleasant part of selling an occupied property and avoids souring a tenancy you may still need income from until closing.
And condition is priced, not remedied. Long-let houses accumulate damage that would have to be addressed before a conventional buyer’s lender was satisfied. Here it is simply an input to the number.
When We Are The Wrong Answer
If the house is in good order and the lease ends soon anyway, waiting for vacancy and listing to owner-occupiers will usually net more. The trade only favours us when the tenancy, the condition or the distance is the real problem.
How it works
Selling With Tenants In Place
Send The Lease And The Address
Whatever exists, even informal or expired paperwork. Tell us the rent, the deposit held, and whether payments are current.
We Price It As An Occupied Asset
No vacancy assumption, no turn cost passed to you. Written offer within 24 hours.
Close; The Tenancy Comes With It
Lease and deposit transfer to us at closing. The tenant stays and we take over as landlord.
Questions
Rental Property Or Problem Tenants, Common Questions
Do I need to evict my tenant before selling?
No, and usually you should not. A Texas lease generally survives the sale, so we take the property subject to it. Starting an eviction costs time and money and can complicate the transaction.
My tenant has stopped paying rent. Will you still buy?
Yes. Non-payment affects the number because it affects the asset’s income, but it does not stop the purchase. Tell us the arrears position honestly. Whether to pursue the tenant for the debt is a separate question for an attorney.
What happens to the security deposit?
It transfers with the property, the obligation to account for it passes to the buyer under Chapter 92. It is dealt with at closing, so bring the deposit records rather than refunding anything first.
Do I have to tell my tenant I am selling?
Your notification obligations depend on the lease terms and the circumstances, so check the lease and take advice if unsure. As a practical matter, telling them early usually goes better than them finding out at closing, and because we are not doing showings, there is less disruption to explain.
I own several rentals. Can you buy them together?
Yes. Send the addresses together and we will price them individually and as a package, with a single closing date if that suits you.
Other situations
Related Reasons People Sell
- Selling A House As-Is
- Facing Foreclosure
- Inherited A House
- House Needs Major Repairs
- Probate Property
- Selling Without A Realtor
- Fire-Damaged House
- Vacant Or Abandoned Property
- Relocating Or Job Transfer
- Divorce
- Code Violations
- Water Damage Or Mold
- Downsizing Or Retiring
- Bankruptcy
- Hoarder House Or Full Of Belongings
- Title Problems Or Liens
Get Out Of The Rental Without Evicting Anyone
A written offer within 24 hours. No obligation, no fees, and no pressure either way.