Do you have to go to court for eviction?

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asked Jun 7, 2019 in Real Estate - Renting by rlgustafson (320 points)
Do you have to go to court for eviction?

1 Answer

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answered Jun 7, 2019 by Minty (132,850 points)
If your landlord files for an eviction and you're served with a summons to appear in court then you really should show up in court for the eviction process as if you do not then in some places you might have a warrant out for your arrest for failure to appear in court.

However some courts will just rule in the landlords favor automatically if you fail to show up at court for the eviction.

Then when the landlord wins the judgement against you a sheriff will show up at your rental house or apartment and force you out.

If you don't leave peacefully then you can be arrested and they will remove you by force.

Then the landlord can legally change locks and lock you out.

However if you know you can't pay the rent anymore and you're gonna get evicted anyway it's best to just start packing your stuff and move out within the time frame that the landlord asks you to move.

It saves a lot of time and prevents a court process for eviction showing up on your record which can make it harder for you to rent another apartment or home later on.

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