Evictions: Help for Tenants

The First Step

If you are more than a few days late, then in addition to a late fee, you may also receive a "3-Day Notice to Pay or Quit." This may be handed to you directly, or posted to your door. A backup may also be sent to your email address.

This Notice is a formal request for immediate rent payment (or departure from the premises). It's nothing personal, it's required by law before an eviction can take place. You should not ignore it.

If rent is still not received by the time the 3 days in the Notice have been legally counted, you may find yourself subject to eviction suit and / or collection proceedings.

What Happens Next?

Once the 3 days have been counted, the eviction papers may be filed with the local county court clerk, and a Sheriff will be sent to serve you a court summons. This paperwork will contain details on what you should do next. You should not ignore it.

If the court believes that you legally owe the rent, then they will finalize the eviction and it will be recorded as such by the county clerk. This is a public record which will follow you for many years and may cause you difficulties when it comes to trying to rent in the future.

Once the court has approved the eviction, the Sheriff will arrive again with a "24-Hour Notice to Vacate". Once this Notice is received, you have 24 hours to move yourself and all of your belongings from the property. If this has not been done when the Sheriff returns, you will be forcefully ejected from the premises and possibly face arrest.

Neither the owner of your property, nor ourselves ever want to see anyone  evicted and we resort this course of action only after we have exhausted all attempts to collect rent, or there is no contact from the tenant.

If you are ever going to be late with rent, always contact our office ahead of time, so that legal proceedings can be avoided.

If you have been served a 3-Day Notice or a summons and you should contact your property manager as soon as possible. If you have legal questions concerning your situation, you should consult a real estate attorney as we are not permitted to give legal advice and this article should not be construed as legal advice.