2023 saw over 77,000 eviction filings in Los Angeles.
If you're a Coachella Valley landlord, you never want to have to evict a tenant. Unfortunately, when your property is put at risk, you're left with no other choice than to get rid of this bad actor. As long as you know what you're doing, you can take care of evictions quickly and put a new tenant in your unit.
Today, we'll help you understand how evictions work in California. The eviction process is nothing to scoff at, so keep reading and you'll know what you need to do to take back your property.
Eviction Laws in California
Every state has specific laws around tenant evictions and California has taken more measures to protect tenants than most other states. You must have just cause to send an eviction notice. The most common cause for eviction is nonpayment of rent, but lease violations can lead to eviction as well.
Landlords must follow due process when initiating an eviction. They must always start with a notice to terminate, which indicates your intention to get rid of the tenant. If they're unwilling to vacate the property at this point, you can follow it up with an official eviction notice.
Sending an Eviction Notice
Eviction notices give a tenant a set amount of time to leave a property before the landlord files an eviction in court to have them legally removed. In California, an eviction for nonpayment of rent is served with a 3-day "pay or quit" notice that gives them 3 days to pay their rent.
For lease violations that can be fixed, the landlord serves the tenant with a 3-day "cure or quit lease". Violations with no easy resolution are served with a 3-day quit notice.
If the eviction notice goes ignored, you're free to head to the local court to file your official eviction. Both parties are given a date to attend the eviction hearing, where a final decision will be made.
Preparing for Court
Preparing for eviction court mostly involves gathering evidence of your tenant's wrongdoing. Evidence can include pictures of property damage, proof of correspondence with the tenant, or bank statements indicating nonpayment of rent.
The more evidence you bring to the table, the more smoothly the eviction process will be. When you're successful, the tenant will be given a final date to vacate your property. Failure to do so at this point will result in forcible removal by the police.
Once you take back possession of your property, make sure to perform thorough tenant screening to ensure you don't end up with another delinquent tenant.
How Property Management Can Help with Evictions
Even when you follow due process, evictions are a major source of stress for landlords all over the Coachella Valley. If you want to avoid this troubling and awkward situation, hiring property management is the right move.
A great property manager, like PMI Coachella Valley, can handle evictions on your behalf, even recovering any funds you lost during the process. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you navigate this tricky situation.
