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This page has been updated because of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019.


Evictions

Find information about evictions for owners, landlords and tenants.

Evicting a Tenant
When you come to Court you may settle the case, the tenant may not show up (default), or you may go to trial. You will be able to evict a tenant after any of these if you have a judgment. The judgment tells the tenant how much money he or she must pay or when he or she must move out. The judgment has a date when you can get a warrant of eviction. If you don’t get a judgment, you can’t evict the tenant.

Being Evicted
In an eviction, a law enforcement officer, like a Marshal, or a Sheriff, comes to your home, changes the locks, or removes your things, and makes you and your family leave. It is illegal for a landlord or owner to change your locks and evict you if you have lived in the home for more than 30 days. Only a Marshal, or Sheriff can evict you and only after the landlord has taken you to court and won a judgment against you. If the landlord changes your locks without a court order it is a crime, call the police, 911.

Post Eviction Relief
If a tenant believes that they were wrongly evicted by a marshal or needs to remove personal possessions after an eviction, they have a right to ask the judge for permission to get back into the apartment. In either case, the tenant should come to court as soon as possible.

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