WHO PAYS FOR AN EVICTION?

One of the biggest questions landlords ask: Who pays for an eviction?

And that’s a fair question. Unfortunately, most times the landlord/owner will end up paying for the eviction proceedings. 

Evictions are a messy, costly process. Plus they’re generally an unpleasant experience and require a lot of legal hoops to jump through. 

In the state of Florida, the average cost of an uncontested eviction runs between $500-800 and takes about 30-45 days to complete. 

So why begin the eviction process?

There are many reasons to begin the eviction process. One of the most common reasons is lack of payment. 

Why? 

Most leases are written to grant a 4-day grace period with rent due on the first of the month. Then, there’s the 3-day notice you must provide which states your intent to initiate eviction proceedings should the balance go unpaid. This brings you to about mid-month before you can start evicting--and in the interim, you’re still losing time and money! But eviction means taking the tenant to court. 

The eviction process and court

As previously mentioned, eviction is an expensive process to undergo. However, if you have an experienced property manager like Navy to Navy, you may have opted into eviction protection. 

An easy way to think of eviction protection is to compare it to insurance. For a small monthly fee, the property management company covers the fees and the headache of the actual eviction process.

Instead, you as the landlord can say to your property management company, “Get that unpaying tenant out of my property, please,” and the property manager can and will work to remove that tenant for you.

That said, it doesn’t mean that going to court is easy. There are more expensive fees. But the alternative to not getting rid of a bad tenant can cost you thousands in lost rent, repair costs, and lots more stress and sleepless nights.

TIP: Ensure your lease states that the prevailing party must pay any and all expenses incurred. It’s a good idea--a “just in case” the case drags on, and the hourly lawyer fees begins to stack up.

And you do have options

If you’re using a reputable property management company like Navy to Navy, confirm what their tenant screening criteria is, how effective at communicating they are, and how engaged they are during routine inspections. While you can’t plan for every possibility, you can get ahead of potential evictions by having a thorough screening process. 

But what if you’re a DIY landlord and you’ve found yourself in over your head with a troublesome tenant that just won’t leave? Don’t worry! Not all hope is lost. 

Even if you have never worked with a property manager before and everything’s a mess, Navy to Navy knows how to step in and handle the situation. We call this helping hand our Landlord Rescue service. We have experience dealing with non paying tenants, uncommunicative tenants, and flat-out bad tenants—and we know the ropes when it comes to pursuing legal action if necessary. Not only that, if a bad tenant damaged your property or your property’s reputation, Navy to Navy knows how to restore your home and bring it back to ready-to-rent, top condition. 

If you need a rescue or you simply want to learn more, fill out our easy-to-complete Landlord Rescue form and let’s talk soon!

Navy to Navy Homes

4540 Southside Blvd, Suite 702

Jacksonville, FL 32216

904-900-4766