During a normal year, there are around 3.5 million evictions in the US.
When you become a landlord, your goal is never to evict one of your tenants. If you have a strong tenant screening process, you shouldn't have to, but that's not always how it shakes out. No matter how thorough you are in selecting a tenant, you never know what they'll be like until they're in the property.
In today's post, we're going to give you some helpful landlord advice and go over the process for evicting a tenant. It starts with an attempt at better tenant relations, but if that doesn't work, you need to take action. Keep reading and you'll have a guide for navigating the eviction process.
Try Bettering Tenant Relations
Before you take the step to file an eviction, the first thing to do is try and get to the bottom of why your tenant is causing problems. Whether it has to do with their finances and late rental payments or particular activities that are harming your property and other tenants, it's important to try and come to an understanding.
Giving your tenant the chance to rectify the issue means you'll have left no stone unturned before taking legal action. If they change their ways, you can proceed with cautious optimism. If they keep making the same mistakes, you know that at least you tried.
Understanding Indiana Eviction Laws
Starting the eviction means gaining an understanding of Indiana's eviction laws. You can't just kick a tenant out of your unit. There's a strict legal process you need to abide by, and if you don't, it could derail the entire process.
Here, there are different notices you can issue for different causes. For instance, you can give a 10-day pay or quit notice for repeated late or missed rent payments. For violations of your lease agreement, you can give a notice to cure or quit for a reasonable amount of time.
Issuing and Official Notice
If the tenant fails to comply with your notice, you can go and file the eviction papers with the court. The tenant will then have to make a decision whether they want to fight the eviction or simply vacate the property and avoid the legal process.
In court, you'll present any evidence you have to support your claims - lease agreement, correspondence with the tenant, a notice of eviction, etc. The tenant will have a chance to state their case, then the judge will make their decision.
When you win your court case, the tenant will get an eviction order to vacate your property by a certain date. If they fail to do this, they can be forcibly removed by the authorities.
Property Management and Evictions
Evictions can be incredibly stressful for everyone involved. If you want to avoid dealing with these types of tenant affairs yourself, it might be time to hire a property manager. Not only will a property management company have thorough tenant screening processes in place to ensure you have good tenants, but they'll also give you eviction protection.
For landlords in Indianapolis, PMI Meridian Management is here to help. Contact us today to learn more about our property management services and how they can help you avoid common landlord issues.
