The Basics Of Evicting Obstreperous Tenants
Every landlord has found themselves at one point or another dealing with a bad tenant. There could be many reasons why this tenant is bad. Some of these reasons are; doesn't pay rent, makes life hard for other tenants, and causes damages to the property. All these things make it hard for the landlord to keep the relationship going. Even though all states have different eviction laws, here are some tips that you will be able to use if you find yourself in that situation. It would be smart to get a hold of a lawyer in order to handle your legal issues and give you advice on your pending eviction. Since its more expensive to hire a lawyer on a case by case basis, you should build a working relationship with one so that you avoid the higher legal fees.
First, you can evict a tenant for non-payment of rent. To do this, you have to go through a process. Start with serving the tenant with a formal notice that the rent is overdue, and that he faces the possibility of eviction if payment is not forthcoming. If you don?t know how to create such a formal notice, there are preprinted forms that comply with all the legal niceties. IF you don?t receive payment within the legally prescribed period, such as within a week, you can begin eviction proceedings based on non-payment of rent. Be forewarned, however, that if you accept even a partial payment of the overdue rent during the eviction process, most jurisdictions will dismiss the action if payment of any amount, even a very small one, is accepted.
If the tenant does not comply with the terms of a signed lease agreement, the landlord must supply a warning to the tenant stating the basis for such a claim ? i.e., the lease provision that has been violated ? and allow him to remedy the violation. That way, the tenant cannot later claim ignorance of the violation, or that he received no notice of the violation. Usually the courts will be favorably disposed toward a landlord who can show that the tenant ignored a prior notice and deadline.
Health and Safety Issues In many jurisdictions, it is permissible for a landlord to evict tenants whose conduct is deemed hazardous to the health of other tenants, or if they pose a safety problem. To begin with, a landlord should serve the tenant with a fixed notice period (typically a week) to remedy the problem or move out. If the tenant takes no corrective action, eviction proceedings can ensue. Even if the tenant resolves the health or safety issue, a landlord can still serve a notice of eviction on health or safety grounds if the landlord deems it necessary.
Bankruptcy If a tenant were to file for bankruptcy, the eviction proceedings will be put on hold. There will be a hold untl the bankruptcy case is resolved, or if the courts allow you to continue with the eviction. This will require the filing of a motion asking the courts to lift the temporary stay.
Tenant Counter-Claims Tenants can bring counter-claims against a landlord after eviction proceedings have begun. The basis of these counter-claims may be inadequate maintenance, or violation of the lease, and the tenant may ask the court to stop eviction proceedings or a substantial decrease in the amount of rent in arrears. As a result, it's a good practice to keep written records of complaints received from tenants about individual units or common areas that also detail steps taken by the landlord to resolve them. A landlord can then address the tenant counter-claim by demonstrating the actions taken to resolve problems reported.
Trials you must make sure you have all your paperwork together before you go to court. You don't want to find out that there is something missing, when its too late. Unless you are very familiar with all the rules and regulation of your states rental laws, hiring a lawyer who is up to date on this, will be a plus. This article should give you a good grasp on what exactly it is that you need to do in order to begin the eviction process on one of your tenants. - 23212
First, you can evict a tenant for non-payment of rent. To do this, you have to go through a process. Start with serving the tenant with a formal notice that the rent is overdue, and that he faces the possibility of eviction if payment is not forthcoming. If you don?t know how to create such a formal notice, there are preprinted forms that comply with all the legal niceties. IF you don?t receive payment within the legally prescribed period, such as within a week, you can begin eviction proceedings based on non-payment of rent. Be forewarned, however, that if you accept even a partial payment of the overdue rent during the eviction process, most jurisdictions will dismiss the action if payment of any amount, even a very small one, is accepted.
If the tenant does not comply with the terms of a signed lease agreement, the landlord must supply a warning to the tenant stating the basis for such a claim ? i.e., the lease provision that has been violated ? and allow him to remedy the violation. That way, the tenant cannot later claim ignorance of the violation, or that he received no notice of the violation. Usually the courts will be favorably disposed toward a landlord who can show that the tenant ignored a prior notice and deadline.
Health and Safety Issues In many jurisdictions, it is permissible for a landlord to evict tenants whose conduct is deemed hazardous to the health of other tenants, or if they pose a safety problem. To begin with, a landlord should serve the tenant with a fixed notice period (typically a week) to remedy the problem or move out. If the tenant takes no corrective action, eviction proceedings can ensue. Even if the tenant resolves the health or safety issue, a landlord can still serve a notice of eviction on health or safety grounds if the landlord deems it necessary.
Bankruptcy If a tenant were to file for bankruptcy, the eviction proceedings will be put on hold. There will be a hold untl the bankruptcy case is resolved, or if the courts allow you to continue with the eviction. This will require the filing of a motion asking the courts to lift the temporary stay.
Tenant Counter-Claims Tenants can bring counter-claims against a landlord after eviction proceedings have begun. The basis of these counter-claims may be inadequate maintenance, or violation of the lease, and the tenant may ask the court to stop eviction proceedings or a substantial decrease in the amount of rent in arrears. As a result, it's a good practice to keep written records of complaints received from tenants about individual units or common areas that also detail steps taken by the landlord to resolve them. A landlord can then address the tenant counter-claim by demonstrating the actions taken to resolve problems reported.
Trials you must make sure you have all your paperwork together before you go to court. You don't want to find out that there is something missing, when its too late. Unless you are very familiar with all the rules and regulation of your states rental laws, hiring a lawyer who is up to date on this, will be a plus. This article should give you a good grasp on what exactly it is that you need to do in order to begin the eviction process on one of your tenants. - 23212
About the Author:
Layla Vanderbilt is the content coordinator for a leading property management solution review website which connects people with the leading property management tools.
posted by X - Men @ 12:52 AM
0 Comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home