5 Steps To Evict Troubled Tenants In St. Louis

If you’re a property owner in St. Louis and you need to evict a tenant, you may be dreading the process. But it’s not that complex! In this article, we’ll discuss 5 steps on how to evict troubled tenants (St. Louis). Follow our guide, and you’ll know just what to do if a tenant fails to pay rent, or violates your lease terms. 5 Steps To Evict Troubled Tenants In St. Louis.

1. Determine Grounds For Eviction

 First things first, you need to establish a reason to evict your tenant. In Missouri, there are two basic types of evictions. One is for nonpayment of rent, and the other is for “unlawful detainer”.

If your resident fails to pay rent on time, you can send a demand that rent be paid. We recommend 3-7 days, though Missouri law has no specific requirements.

Unlawful detainer encompasses all other reasons for eviction, such as illegal activities or gambling being held at the property, violating pet agreements, too many residents living in one rental unit, or a resident not leaving once their lease expires.

2. Send Notice To Tenant(s)

 For rent nonpayment, you must send a notice requirement outlining the amount of rent due, when it is due, the date, and your signature.

For issues like lease violations and holdovers, you must serve a 30-day eviction notice, instructing tenants to either halt lease violations and begin complying or be evicted.

Both of these notices must be hand-delivered. They must either be served directly to the tenant, or left with a person of at least 15 years of age who lives on the property. If neither is possible, you may post the demand on the door, and fill out a sworn affidavit of service.

Note that if unlawful drug activity, assault on another tenant or a landlord, or other violent criminal activity takes place, this notice is not required. You can file with the court to immediately begin eviction proceedings.

3.  File An Affidavit For Rent Payment Or An Unlawful Detainer

 In cases of rent non-payments after a written demand has been made, you must submit an affidavit that sets forth the terms by which the property was leased, its description and location, the amount owed, and proof that a demand was made, and that the tenant did not comply.

 Then, the clerk will issue a summons with a court date. The tenant may stop eviction proceedings if they pay the entire amount due, along with court costs, before the court date.

For other lease violations, you must file an “Unlawful Detainer Action.” You will have to send a sworn Landlord’s Complaint, outlining the description of the property, nature of the illegal activity or lease non-compliance, and the name of the tenant who is in breach. The clerk will then issue a summons.

 4. Get A Summons And Go To Court

 The county Sheriff is responsible for serving your summons to the tenant, and a court date will be scheduled for no more than 21 days after the summons is issued – unless you specifically request a later date.

Then, you and the tenant will appear before a judge. If the tenant does not come to court, the court will automatically rule in your favor. Bring all documentation required for the proof of your cases, such as past due rent notices, communications with the tenant, and/or evidence of illicit activity or lease violations.

If you win, you will be given possession of the property. In some cases of unlawful detainer, the tenant may also be responsible for paying double rent for the time that they remained at the property unlawfully.

 5. Accept Judgment, Issue A Writ Of Execution If Needed

Your tenant has 10 days to file an appeal if they lose the case. Then, after 10 days, you can request a writ of execution from the court. This will be given to the Sheriff’s office, and the Sheriff will schedule an eviction date.

 Note that self-eviction is absolutely not allowed in St. Louis. You have no right to change locks, turn off utilities, or take any other eviction actions on your own. You must let the government take care of eviction. If you don’t, you could end up liable for damages, and your tenant could counter-sue you.

Selling Your Home For Cash – An Alternative To Eviction

If you have a property with troubled tenants, but do not want to go through the eviction process, you can just sell your property! As long as your lease allows the tenant to stay even after a property is sold, you have the right to sell your property to another party.

You can sell your home, condo, or apartment to a cash buyer in St. Louis. Cash buyers offer quick cash for your home, and are willing to deal with troubled tenants. This allows you to totally avoid the eviction process.

You can also sell your property to a cash buyer post-eviction if you don’t want to manage that property anymore. Either way, this option increases your flexibility and options when it comes to evicting troubled tenants in St. Louis.

Follow This Guide, And Deal With Troubled Tenants Accordingly

Evictions can take a long time, and the process is fairly complex. But with this guide to evicting troubled tenants in St. Louis, you have all the tools you need to understand it, and get started.

And if you don’t feel like going through with the eviction process, you can always simply sell your property for cash, as long as this is allowed as part of the lease terms your tenant signed.

Whether you plan to sell, or evict a tenant personally, we hope our tips have been helpful.

Max Cash Home Offers offers instant cash offers on houses nationwide. We do not provide legal or financial advice. For information on foreclosure, eviction or any other legal situation make sure you contact a local attorney.