We’ve never met a landlord who enjoys evicting a tenant. It’s an unpleasant process for everyone, but it’s also unavoidable on occasion. If you have a resident who isn’t paying rent, you need to be prepared to evict. Today, we’re explaining the process.
First Step: Contact Your Resident about the Late Rent
When rent is late, start by contacting your resident to find out if something has happened and to remind them that rent is due. Perhaps it was a simple oversight and by reaching out, you’ll get the rent paid quickly. We like to talk through any issues our residents are having and find out if we can expect the rent sometime soon. When we’re able to work something out with the resident, we don’t have to worry about taking any additional steps. Document the conversation and the promise to pay, and make sure rent is paid when your resident promises it will be paid.
However, if you are unable to get in touch with your resident, or your resident avoids your attempts at contact, you’ll have to move on.
Second Step: Make Sure the Residents Haven’t Moved Out
Keep trying to reach your residents. This will let them know that you’re not going to let the matter go. It also gives you the opportunity to ensure they are still living in the property. We always recommend you work with a professional Santa Cruz property manager, and this is one example of why it’s so beneficial. Your manager can take care of these things for you.
Third Step: Three Day Notice to Pay or Quit
If you’re still not getting anywhere, you’ll need to serve a Three Day Notice to Pay or Quit. This formally begins the eviction process and lets your residents know they have three days to either catch up with the overdue rent or move out of the property.
Once the notice is served, we let our qualified eviction attorneys take over. They understand the legal process and can take the case to court.
Fourth Step: Removing the Residents
Your attorney will likely receive a judgment in court for an Unlawful Detainer, or an eviction. Your residents will be ordered by the judge to vacate the home. If they don’t do this, you’ll need to show up with the sheriff to have them physically removed. Make sure you’re prepared to change the locks. If the residents leave property inside, you will need to coordinate with them to move it out. If they don’t move it out, you will need to store it for a period of time, and then you can throw out anything that isn’t valuable.
Try to meet with the residents to allow them to get any possessions out of the home or out of wherever you store them.
Eviction is never fun, but sometimes residents who don’t pay leave you no choice but to take this final action. Remember that a good resident screening process can reduce the risk that you’ll have to evict.
If you have any further questions about the eviction process in California, please contact us at PURE Property Management.
