How to Evict a Tenant
Posted on July 13, 2010
Filed Under Tenant Evictions | Leave a Comment
Most investors spend a lot of time looking at properties. They do their research on neighborhoods, rents, and cash flow analysis. Unfortunately, they are often ill-prepared when a tenant needs to be evicted. Most often a landlord will evict a tenant for non-payment of rent, but it may be for lease violations. Here are some tips on how to evict a tenant:
- Go down to your local county or district court and pick up any required forms for filing the eviction. Use that time to speak to the workers at the counter to have them explain the eviction process to you. I have found that most county workers are helpful if you take the time to be courteous and ask polite questions. Gather as much information about the logistics as possible.
- If your court house has a legal department available to assist you for a fee or donation, make use of the service, if possible.
- Fill out the forms at the court house and bring them to the counter. Have everything you need with you including your lease, the tenants contact information, and any other important forms. Let the workers confirm you have filled it out correctly. If it is confusing and you made mistakes, have them give you a copy of the corrected form for your files.
- Check closely the rules of service of your tenants.
- Find out when the next eviction court date is and plan to attend. Sit in the courtroom through several cases to listen to what the judge asks the landlord and tenant. Notice if there are any gotchas that catch the landlords off guard. If so, make sure you are prepared for those questions. This viewing experience will be invaluable as you will be less nervous as you know what will happen and how the process works.
- On your court date, arrive early. Make sure you have all your supporting documentation.
- If possible, after you check in, connect with your tenant and see if you can work out an agreement with them. Often courts will have arbitrators available at no cost to be a mediator between the 2 parties. Use them. Working out an agreement may work in every ones favor.
- If you feel like this is too much work, you may want to consider hiring an eviction attorney to take your case and handle it Although this costs more money, it may give you peace of mind.
Evicting your tenant is not complicated, but if you have not done it before, it can be confusing and intimidating. Doing your homework early will help make it much easier and less stressful.
Please note that this is a guest post written by evictionshop.com, and is not legal advice. Here’s the disclaimer on the website that guest authored this post:
This website is meant for informational purposes, only. The content is based upon my experiences and opinions on doing many Minnesota evictions.
I am not an attorney, CPA, nor expert. Different cities and states will also have different laws, ordinances, and customs regarding the landlord/tenant relationship.
Please consult a competent adviser.
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