You’ve long held that property, and it has fully depreciated. You’re looking forward to selling the property and retiring from the landlord business, but the current Tenants are giving you headache after headache. The tenants have to go, but they’re being obstinate—not paying rent, breaking the rules set forth in their lease agreement, and so forth. Here, we’ll go over how to Evict Bad Tenants so you can retire from being a landlord!

First Things First

Before you can actually evict a tenant, there are several steps you need to take first. Texas law details various protections for tenants, such as requiring you to provide a habitable living space and preventing you from locking them out or cutting off utilities to force them to pay overdue rent.

At times, talking with the tenant can resolve the issue. However, it’s important not to let them stall. If the issue can’t be resolved promptly, then you’ll need to take firmer action.

If it’s an issue with rent, be sure to send a late notice. The tenant will have five days after the notice is sent to pay. If not, you can move forward with the eviction process.

Cure or Quit

If the tenant does not fix the issue or pay past due rent after being notified, then a notice to vacate is the next step. This notice gives the tenant three days to repair the problem (either by paying rent or fixing their noncompliance issue) or else move off of the property.

Going to Court

If they still don’t move out, then it goes to court. File for eviction with the JP court in the jurisdiction where the property is located, and the tenant will be served papers notifying them of the eviction. They will have six days to respond, after which a court date is set.

If all goes well at court (which it probably will), they will be given five days to appeal or move out.

Writ of Possession

After the five-day period, if the tenant still has not moved out, then it’s time to file a writ of possession, which essentially allows you to move their stuff off the property and rekey the locks.

Ready to Sell!

When selling rental property after dealing with Bad Tenants, SellMyHomeToday.com will buy your former rental property, as is, for cash. No inspection or repairs needed. Just give us a call at (972) 643-8320 and arrange an appointment for us to come take a look. We will give you an offer on your home on the spot.