Indiana has seen over 72,000 eviction filings in the last year.
No landlord wants to be a part of this staggering statistic. Unfortunately, poor tenants leave you with little choice when they fail to pay rent or disregard your lease agreement. The best thing you can do is understand the process and get it over with as quickly as possible.
That's what we're here to discuss today. In this post, we're providing a guide to evictions for Noblesville landlords. Keep reading and you'll know how to start and follow through with your eviction so you can find a better tenant next time.
Indiana's Eviction Laws
If you're thinking about evicting a tenant, you need to familiarize yourself with the state's eviction laws before initiating the process. There's a specific way that you must work through an eviction, which is different in each state.
Failing to follow the law can elongate the process or cause your eviction to fail altogether. Under no circumstances should you attempt to evict a tenant by yourself, also known as a "self-help" eviction.
So, the first thing to understand is why you can evict a tenant. Indiana allows you to file eviction because of nonpayment of rent, lease violations, and/or illegal activity. You start by serving a notice to the tenant, then filing the eviction in court if the tenant fails to heed the eviction notice.
Sending Your Notice
It's always good practice to try and reason with your tenant before sending an official notice. Whatever the problem is, try to understand why it's happening and whether your tenant can change their ways. Showing leniency will reflect well on you during the eviction hearing.
If your efforts at peace go ignored, send your official notice, which will be specific to the infraction. For nonpayment of rent, you will be served a 10-day notice to pay, while illegal activity is served with a 45-day notice to vacate. For lease violations, you decide how long the tenant has to fix the issue or leave.
When the tenant fails to abide by the notice, you can officially file the eviction with your local court. Both parties are then given a date to show up for the eviction hearing where the outcome will be decided.
Preparing for Eviction Court
To prepare for eviction court, you should gather as much evidence of the tenant's wrongdoing as possible. If it's nonpayment of rent, bring bank statements and proof of correspondence between you and the tenant. For property damage, bring pictures and receipts for repairs.
When your eviction case is successful, the tenant will be given a date that they must vacate the property. If they fail to leave by this date, they can be forcibly removed by the local authorities.
How Property Management Can Help With Evictions
Even when you do everything the right way, evictions are stressful. If you want to avoid the stress and anxiety associated with evicting a bad tenant, property management services can help.
PMI Indianapolis is a full-service property management company that helps Noblesville landlords with everything from tenant screening to eviction protection. Contact us today to find out how we can help you evict a tenant and run your property successfully.
