Evictions are a landlord’s nightmare, but you’ll probably have to deal with one at some point. Since March 2020 alone, there have been over 1.1 million evictions in the United States.
Evicting a tenant should be your last resort. It’s what you have to do when you’ve exhausted all your other options. While evictions are unpleasant, there is also a lot of misinformation about evictions.
The article below contains a list of the top myths about tenant evictions that are prevalent in the real estate world today.
Once you understand that these myths are, in fact, myths, you’ll be able to navigate the world of evictions with more confidence. Continue reading to learn the truth about tenant evictions.
It’s a Myth That Landlords Can Simply Lock Out Tenants
If you’re an inexperienced landlord, you may try to evict a tenant by changing the locks on the property while the tenant is away. This can get you in a lot of trouble.
No matter how poorly the tenant has treated your property, or how much back rent they owe you, you cannot simply change the locks to force the tenant to leave.
Instead, you must serve the tenant a written notice that they are being evicted. You will also have to get the courts and legal system involved. Before you rent out your property to a tenant, be sure to get familiar with the laws regarding tenant evictions.
It’s a Myth Your Lease Is as Good as the Law
In most situations, you can evict a tenant for breaking a rule in your lease. However, you can only do this if you have a lease that is well-written and adheres to local laws.
For example, you cannot evict a tenant if they fail to make repairs even if you created a lease that says tenants must pay for repairs. In most cases, the landlord is responsible for providing adequate living space.
If the air conditioning goes out and you don’t fix it, you cannot evict the tenant because they didn’t fix the air conditioning. You could get in trouble if the temperature in the rental unit gets too high.
It’s a Myth That You Have to Wait Three Months to Evict
If you’re ever in the unfortunate situation of having to evict a tenant, you’ll likely get some pushback from the tenant. The tenant may try to tell you that they have a right to stay on the property for three months after you serve them the eviction notice.
This is not true. Once you file an eviction notice in the court system, you can evict the tenant as soon as the notice is approved.
Reviewing the Top Myths About Tenant Evictions
Now that you know the truth about tenant evictions, you can act swiftly when you find out that a tenant needs to be evicted.
Knowing that some of these myths are false will also help you avoid getting in legal trouble when you are evicting tenants. If you need help managing tenants during your time as a landlord, you can reach out to the team at Home River Group.
