As of last year, Florida ranked 2nd in the country for relocations due to eviction and foreclosure.
This speaks to a larger issue with affordability, but if you're a Daytona Beach landlord, you can't let a poor tenant stand in the way of your property investment's profitability. Evictions are an unfortunate but necessary part of your landlord responsibilities, but they don't have to be as difficult as they seem.
Today, we'll explain the eviction process in Daytona Beach and tell you how to tackle this difficult task with relative ease. Keep reading and you'll be able to promptly eradicate poor tenants in favor of great ones.
Understand Eviction Laws
Before you can file an eviction to get rid of your bad tenant, you must familiarize yourself with Florida's rental property laws. In Florida, you can evict a tenant for numerous reasons, but the most common are failure to pay rent, lease violations, and committing illegal acts on the property.
When this happens, you can't just forcibly remove your tenant. This is a "self-help" eviction and will result in severe penalties. Instead, you must first let your tenant know that you're terminating the tenancy
If they fail to heed the notice, you may then file an eviction. It's important to follow the rules to efficiently and successfully carry out an eviction.
Send an Eviction Notice
Each reason for eviction is served with a particular notice. For failure to pay rent, you send the tenant a 3-day notice to pay rent or quit. This gives the tenant 3 days to adhere to your demands or you may terminate the tenancy.
For lease violations, you send a 7-day cure or quit notice, giving them a week to fix the violation. For illegal activity, you can send a 7-day unconditional notice to quit. If they're not out of the property after the week, you can file the eviction and make moves to get them out of your property.
File the Eviction
Filing the eviction is done through the local court. You must fill out the correct paperwork, pay a small fee, and wait until you receive a hearing date in the mail. Both parties must show up on the date of the hearing to state their case.
To prepare for your eviction hearing, gather as much evidence as possible. A landlord's evidence can include things like:
- Proof of correspondence
- Receipts for repairs
- Photographic evidence of damage
- Bank statements showing nonpayment of rent
If/when your case is successful, the tenant will receive a date that they must vacate your property. In failing to do so, they'll be subject to removal by the local authority. You'll have your property back so you can clean up and start searching for a new tenant.
Get Help With Evictions
Follow these tips and you'll be able to navigate all evictions successfully. Even still, they can be a major source of stress because they're contentious and time-consuming. If you don't have it in you to carry one out, hire a property manager to do it for you.
PMI Daytona Flagler is Daytona Beach's top property manager. Not only will we help you get rid of poor tenants, but our tenant screening services will guarantee your next tenant is a perfect fit. Contact us today to learn more about our services.
