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Thursday, November 5, 2009

A landlords Guide To Eviction Proceedings

By Layla Vanderbilt

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.

Evictions for Non-Payment of Rent An eviction for non-payment involves serving a formal notice to the tenant informing them that their rent is overdue, and that he or she faces possible eviction if payment is not made on time. Pre-printed forms which fulfill all legal requirements for a notice are available for those landlords that aren't familiar with the appropriate terms. If the rent in arrears is not paid after the legally defined period (usually a week), a landlord can then begin eviction proceedings. It's important to remember that if a landlord accepts a partial payment during the eviction process, this can result in the dismissal of the eviction proceedings for non-payment of rent in most jurisdictions.

Violation of Lease Terms If a tenant hasn't complied with the terms of the lease they have signed, a landlord is required to provide a written warning detailing the lease clause being violated. The landlord must then allow the tenant time to remedy the problem so that the tenant cannot later claim either ignorance of the lease violation, or that they received no notice of the violation. A judge will generally rule in favor of the landlord if he or she is able to establish that the tenant ignored a prior notice.

Some tenants pose a health and safety issue to other tenants, or even to the property itself. In many jurisdictions, a tenant who endangers the health or safety of either the other tenants or the property can be evicted. To commence such an action, the landlord must first serve the tenant with notice setting forth a fixed period of time to remedy the situation or move out. If the tenant takes no action, the landlord may commence eviction proceedings. Even if the tenant does remedy the situation, the landlord may still serve him with a notice of eviction and termination of the tenancy on health or safety grounds.

Bankruptcy If a tenant files for bankruptcy, an automatic stay stops eviction proceedings until the bankruptcy is resolved or the bankruptcy court lifts the stay and allows the eviction to proceed. Lifting a stay in any circumstance may require a motion to be brought before the bankruptcy court.

Sometimes when a landlord commences an eviction action, the tenant may have counterclaims. For instance, the tenant may claim inadequate maintenance of the leasehold or some other violation of the lease agreement. IN said case, the tenant might ask the court to halt the eviction proceedings, or for a substantial decrease in the monthly rent. That?s why it?s always a good idea to keep any records of tenants? complaints, and of steps taken by the landlord to remedy them. Take note that if the landlord has in fact kept such records including those of actions taken to remedy the tenant?s complaints, he can thus negate a tenant?s claim that despite repeated attempts to complain about the problem, the landlord took no action.

Trials Prior to going to court, a landlord must collect all the documentation relating to the case and ensure nothing is missing. Unless the landlord is very familiar with their local rental laws and has experience in eviction cases, it's a good idea to hire a lawyer knowledgeable about the state's eviction laws. - 23196

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