Short answer: yes, you can sell a rental with tenants still in it — and you don't need to evict anyone first. A fixed-term lease transfers to the new owner, and we're happy to buy the property with the tenants in place.
Key points
Pull the lease and check which kind of tenancy you have — it shapes nearly everything that follows.
Fixed-term lease
Covers a set period, usually 6–12 months. It stays valid after the sale, and the new owner must honor it until the end date. You can't cancel it early just because you want to sell.
Month-to-month tenancy
More flexible. Either you or the tenant can end it with 30 days written notice. This makes the property easier to sell either occupied or vacant.
1. Sell with the tenant in place
Fastest and least stressful. Sell to a buyer who keeps the existing tenant and lease. No eviction, no vacancy, no lost rent. Rental income continues right up to closing.
2. Wait for the lease to expire
If a buyer wants it vacant, let the term run out, then sell. Costs you time but avoids conflict.
3. Cash for keys
Pay the tenant an agreed amount to move out early. Put everything in writing. Usually cheaper and faster than court.
4. Eviction (last resort)
You can't evict just to sell. Eviction requires lawful grounds like non-payment and runs through District Court. Slow, costly, uncertain.
A tenant-occupied home is one of the hardest properties to sell the traditional way. Retail buyers want to see a clean, empty house. Showings depend on a cooperative tenant. Repairs are expected, commissions come out of your proceeds, and every showing risks friction with the person living there. A cash sale removes all of that — no showings, the tenant can stay, the home is bought as-is, and you close in as little as 10–14 days.
We buy rental properties across Rhode Island and Eastern Connecticut — with the tenant and lease in place, in any condition. We handle the security deposit transfer, the lease assignment, and the tenant transition at closing. No commissions, no repairs, no showings. The rent keeps flowing until the day you sign. For a landlord who just wants out, that trade is hard to beat.
Sell the rental — tenants and all. No evictions, no repairs, no showings.