Landlords across the US file over 3 million evictions every year.
If you've never carried out an eviction before, then you may not realize how time-consuming and draining it can be. Even if you've got an open-and-shut eviction case on your hands, the process could last months of your life.
The key is doing everything the right way and doing what you can to avoid mistakes. In this post, we're going to give you some eviction advice, not by telling you what to do, but by telling you what mistakes landlords tend to make.
When you make these mistakes, they cost you time and money, so keep reading and keep your wits when going through an eviction.
Not Respecting the Process
Getting to the point of evicting a tenant probably means that they've crossed a few boundaries a few too many times. No matter how frustrated you are with a tenant, you have to follow due process if you're going to carry your eviction out.
One of the biggest mistakes that you could ever make is trying what is called a "self-help eviction". This is when you bypass the legal side of things to try and force a tenant out through threatening behavior, harassment, or emotional pressure.
Doing any of these things is actually going to have an adverse effect, strengthening the tenant's case in court. Understand the process, long as it may be, and go through it methodically if you want the eviction to succeed.
Not Having Causes to Evict
The first part of the process is having a reason to evict the tenant. It can't be that you simply don't like them. You need hard evidence of missed or repeated late rent payments, damage to your property, or explicit violations of the lease agreement.
It also helps if you've proven that you've given the tenant multiple chances to rectify the situation before moving to evict them. Putting grace periods into the rental agreement and reaching out to them informally about missed rent or other concerns show that you've tried to reason with them.
Not Giving Proper Notice
The other big thing that derails things for landlords is not giving the proper notice to evict. You can't file an eviction in court without first giving a final notice to the tenant, which is called a "pay or quit" notice.
In Miami, this is a 3-day notice. Once the notice is posted, the tenant will have 3 days to either pay rent or vacate the premises. After the 3 days, if nothing has changed, you can then file your eviction in Florida court and start the actual process.
Hire a Property Manager to Handle Your Evictions
Evictions can be complicated legal matters that require knowledge of state landlord-tenant laws. It helps to have legal expertise on your side to expedite the process, but the best thing to do is to hire a knowledgeable property manager.
When you have an experienced property manager on your side, like Home River Group, not only are evictions taken care of but so is thorough tenant screening. The best way to avoid having to evict tenants is by only getting the best tenants in your rentals.
To learn more about our tenant screening, eviction, and other property management services, contact us at Home River Group today.
