Because of COVID-19, 31% of tenants are unable to pay their rent.
As this is the effect of the pandemic, can landlords legally evict these tenants?
There are many ways a tenant can violate their lease.
When you have a bad tenant, you need to learn how to evict a tenant quickly. Read on to learn more.
Understand Your State’s Laws
Landlord-tenant laws are different in each state.
When you understand your state’s eviction laws, you will know how to legally evict a tenant.
One point to always follow when learning how to evict a tenant quickly is to take legal action.
Most states won’t allow you to change locks, put belongings on the street, or threaten a tenant to leave.
These examples are considered illegal actions. It is also important to note that COVID-19 has impacted some of the federal and state laws regarding tenant eviction.
When you need tips for evicting a tenant, you should work with an attorney in your state.
If you don’t want to hire a lawyer, you can find the right laws on your state’s government website.
The National Housing Law Project has COVID-19 related eviction explanations about what type of housing gets covered by federal law.
Even if you don’t fall within a category, the property may not be exempt from said laws.
Check the Lease Terms
Evicting a bad tenant is easier when they have a month-to-month lease because you can evict them quickly with a 30-day written notice.
Some states require you to note a reason for the eviction while others don’t.
If nonpayment is the reason you want to evict a tenant, you can serve a notice telling them they need to leave within the next few days.
This is a violation of the lease terms which gives you cause to evict.
Other lease violations include illegal activity, disturbing others, subletting when it is not allowed, unapproved pets, and property damage.
However, these violations must be listed in the lease terms.
Give an Eviction Notice
Evicting a tenant requires an eviction notice. This is a written request by the landlord asking the tenant to vacate the premises.
This notice cannot get hung on their door.
Some states require the notice to be served through the mail while others require it to be served by a constable or sheriff.
An eviction notice will give the tenant a certain amount of time to stop their lease violation before facing an eviction lawsuit.
You can file a formal eviction after the eviction notice expires.
Depending on the type of eviction notice and state you are in, this could be anywhere from three to 30 days.
Once the eviction is completed, you will have to get the space ready for the next tenant.
A cleaning service can make that happen, find out more here.
How to Evict a Tenant Quickly Explained
Knowing how to evict a tenant quickly is only half of a landlord’s problem.
The process takes a lot of time, money, and stress.
You also need to worry about protecting yourself from bad tenants in the future.
Take care of your property by using this guide to get rid of any bad tenants the legal way.
Don’t forget to come back to our blog for more great posts.