The Tampa Bay rental market is booming.
With more opportunities in property management comes more investment success. But every so often, things don't go as planned.
You did a complete criminal background check and thoroughly screened your rental candidate. Yet here you are, making the tough decision to evict a tenant.
If you haven't experienced this before, scroll below for a brief overview of the eviction process. Know how to handle the process, and avoid getting too tied up in court.
Evicting Without Cause
A landlord can terminate a tenancy without cause at specific times during or after a lease period.
If a tenant is on a fixed-term lease (e.g. one year), the landlord can send an eviction notice after the term is over. They cannot serve the notice during the lease period.
Some property managers include a clause in the rental agreement which states that the location must be vacated at the end of the term. This can help speed up the eviction process for short-term leases.
Renters can avoid termination without cause by requesting a lease renewal.
For tenants leasing on a monthly basis, landlords can create an eviction notice at any time. Within the notice, they must allow the tenant 15 days to vacate the property.
Since renters are paying month-to-month, it usually makes sense to create the notice halfway through the already paid month.
Three-Day Notice Eviction Process
When a tenant fails to pay rent, an eviction can be applied quickly. In this situation, the notice allows the renter three days to pay their remaining balance.
If the renter chooses not to pay, they must vacate the property within those three days. This period does not include weekends or holidays. So if issued on a Friday, the tenant would have a total of five days to follow through.
If the tenant does neither of these things, then the landlord can file an eviction lawsuit with the court.
Seven-Day Processes
If a landlord discovers a violation of the lease agreement during a routine inspection or at any other time, they can issue a seven-day default notice. In this eviction process, the tenant has seven days to rectify the situation.
If the issue isn't fixed, the process continues, allowing the landlord to file a lawsuit in court.
The tenant is a repeat violator of a lease agreement (e.g. purposefully destroying property or creating disturbance within the community), the property manager can serve a seven-day unconditional quit notice.
This notice is only used when the situation can't be solved through other means, and the tenant refuses to change or resolve the situation. Landlords can issue this notice at any time.
Making a Defense as a Tenant
Although the CDC moratorium on evictions has expired, renters can defend themselves through other means.
Tenants can fight an eviction on grounds of discrimination or if there's an error within the eviction notice. They can also counter landlords who fail to properly maintain the rental property.
Doing this can prolong the eviction process, giving the tenant more time to get the situation in order.
Start Investing Your Property Today
From screening tenants to the eviction process, we are here to help you at every stage in your property management venture.
Our friendly team knows Tampa Bay real estate in and out. We keep ahead of all market trends and will help you get the most return out of your property.
If you are ready to take your future into your own hands, contact our experts today to get started.
