Evicting a tenant can be a very traumatic experience for many landlords. In addition to the stress and anxiety, there are also a number of laws and regulations to follow. Eviction laws are different in each state so before you remove a tenant from your property, make sure you know how to do it legally.

Communication is essential, during and before an eviction. It doesn’t have to be a shouting match. At Hillcrest Property Management, we always conduct an orientation with our tenants before they move in. At that point, we discuss our eviction process in detail. We let the tenants know this isn’t a personal decision and eviction doesn’t mean we’re mad at them; there is simply no excuse for not paying rent.

In Kentucky, rent is late if it is not paid by the 6th. On the 7th of the month, we send the tenants a Pay or Vacate letter letting them know that if they don’t pay by the 15th we will be forced to file for an eviction at the courthouse.  It’s usually possible to get a court date set within 10 days of that filing. If the tenant tries to pay at that point, we require them to pay the current month’s rent as well as any late fees and the following month’s rent. We ask for that rent in advance, otherwise we will refuse to accept any rent payment and move forward with the eviction. It’s always surprising how many tenants can come up with the past due amount as well as the next month’s rent in order to avoid eviction.

You never want to accept partial rent payments before the court date. The judge will throw your case out, even if you have only taken $5.00 from the tenant. Be sure to collect all the rent and the late fees, otherwise you’re training your tenants to pay late on a regular basis.

We recommend that Florence landlords accept many different payment methods to allow tenants every opportunity to pay rent on time. Accepting credit cards is a great idea because it can help tenants catch up on late rent immediately when they can pay with their credit or debit card.

It’s rare that we have to put a tenant’s things on the street, and we don’t like to evict. However, it’s important to let them know that you are serious about rent payment and that you’re willing to go to court if necessary.

If you have any questions about eviction, please contact us at Hillcrest Property Management, and we’d be happy to help you.