Talk To Your Landlord
If you receive an eviction notice, or demand, you should first try talking to your landlord. You may be able to come to an agreement without going to court. An eviction will cost both of you money , and your landlord may be willing to stop the eviction if you agree to certain terms, such as paying rent you owe or stopping behavior that violates the lease. If you can’t come to an agreement that prevents you from moving out, perhaps you can agree on a certain date and time for when you will move out of the rental unit.
If you and the landlord are able to agree on anything, be sure to get the agreement in writing, signed and dated by both of you.
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What If The Landlord Does Not Follow The Required Steps
Im pretty sure my landlord is the kind of landlord who must get permission from a judge before I can be lawfully evicted. But my landlord is not following the eviction steps youve described. What can I do to make my landlord follow the law?
Your landlord may be in violation of a law known as 540-A. Your legal remedy may be a 540-A PETITION.
Need help figuring out if your landlord has violated 540-A and if you should file a 540-A petition? Contact 603 Legal Aid at 1-800-639-5290. You may also apply online to receive a callback by one of our housing advocates. You can also read about Tenants Rights and 540-A information .
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Can A Bankruptcy Stop Or Delay An Eviction
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Can A Landlord File An Eviction If A Tenant Does Not Pay Rent
Filing an Eviction for Nonpayment of Rent: A landlord is legally allowed to file for an eviction against a tenant if the tenant has not paid their monthly rent. A landlord will often have to send the tenant a Notice to Pay Rent or Quit before being able to file for the eviction.
If the tenant does not stop the behavior after this notice, the landlord may have the right to file for an eviction. 8 Sometimes the landlord is required to send the tenant multiple notices before an eviction can be filed.
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How A Landlord Starts An Eviction Case
In most states, a landlord must file and win a court case before evicting you . You’ll receive a copy of the action and, if you file a response, you’ll be given a trial date.
At trial, the landlord must prove the case against you. If successful, the landlord will obtain a ruling from the judge that allows the landlord to evict you, often known as an eviction judgment or a judgment of possession. The landlord cannot evict without the judgment.
Here’s the tricky part. Once the landlord gets an eviction judgment, filing bankruptcy won’t help most people. Learn more about evictions in How Evictions Work: Rules for Landlords and Property Managers.
Keeping It From Getting This Far
Remember that the writ of possession will be issued after your home is sold at a foreclosure auction and the new owner is given the title to the property. If you want to avoid all this, you need to take action before your home is sold at auction.
The best thing to do, if you’re able, is to hire an experienced foreclosure defense attorney as soon as you’re served a summons and complaint. A good attorney should be able to prolong the foreclosure process for as long as possible and help you work for a permanent solution, like:
- Loan modification. This allows you to reinstate your loan and keep your home with a permanently lower monthly payment.
- Short sale. With a short sale agreement the bank lets you sell your home for less than you owe on your mortgage.
- Deed in lieu of foreclosure agreement. This is where you give ownership of the home to the bank to avoid foreclosure.
There are even ways you can get money for leaving your house with a cash for keys agreement or a government HAFA short sale.
It’s also possible to negotiate a deficiency waiver so you’re not responsible for the difference between what your home sells for and what you owe on it.
All of these options are preferable to having a writ of possession posted on your door and being forced out of your home by the sheriff. You have better odds of success if you act as soon as possible, work with a professional, and take part in the process rather than rolling over and letting things happen to you.
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What Will Happen On The Eviction Date
The U.S. Marshals Service will arrive at the property on the date of the eviction. The landlord must send a representative that day as well, along with a locksmith. The U.S. Marshals will observe as the locks to the rental unit are changed, and will deliver a paper to the landlords representative. At that time the eviction will be considered complete.
Can A Bankruptcy Affect A Tenancy Where The Tenant Is Not In Default
A bankruptcy estate of all of a debtors nonexempt property is created when he or she files for bankruptcy. The trustee who administers this estate has the authority to decide whether the debtor can continue with his or her lease. Usually, a trustee lets the debtor keep the lease. However, if you are a debtor who is renting a place that is too expensive in light of your income, and there are other rentals with more reasonable rent, the trustee has the authority to terminate your lease and tell you to rent one of the more reasonable places instead.
Moreover, even if you are a tenant who has never been late with the rent, your landlord has the right to ask the bankruptcy court to demand that you show proof of your ability to pay rent in the future. The landlord can ask the bankruptcy court to lift the stay if you default on your rent during bankruptcy. Bankruptcy judges usually honor a landlords request to lift the automatic stay.
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How Can Bankruptcy Help You If Youre Facing Eviction
If you are facing eviction, or know someone who is, bankruptcy can help. Whether you want to stay at home, or leave without the back rent debt following you, there are solutions in filing bankruptcy.
Lets discuss what eviction is. Eviction is a legal process that ends in a judgment recorded with the clerk of the court. With that judgment, the landlord can have law enforcement remove the renter from the residence. You can dispute the eviction under certain circumstances. For example, if you believe you are being evicted as retribution, or due to your race, you may want to contact a landlord-tenant attorney. Bankruptcy deals only with the debt associated with eviction, not the basis for eviction.
If you have fallen behind on your rent payments, bankruptcy can either eliminate that debt, or give you time to catch up on your rent payments. Once a bankruptcy is filed creditors are prohibited from any attempts to collect from you. This is called the automatic stay: automatic, in that nothing needs to be done once you file – it happens automatically, and stay, as in stay away, bill collectors! Collection activity can be many different things: asking you for money, sending a bill, filing a lawsuit for collection or eviction, even reporting an amount due on your credit report. All of these are forbidden once a bankruptcy is filed.
Stopping An Eviction Using Bankruptcy Is A Matter Of Timing
If youre facing possible eviction, bankruptcy can help you catch up on past due rent, wipe out legal obligations under the lease, or give you more control over the situation.
Your options, however, may be limited if you wait too long. On the flip side, the need to prepare for bankruptcy may mean waiting to file your case. Review your situation with a bankruptcy lawyer early in the eviction process , so you can adequately plan for the best outcome.
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After A Judgment For Possession Has Been Entered
If your landlord has filed an eviction proceeding that you either did not answer or that resulted in a writ of possession in favor of the landlord, different rules apply. Bankruptcy Code Section 362 requires the debtor/tenant to give special notice to the landlord and to begin paying rent immediately. Take a look at the following summary of debtors duties from a New York bankruptcy court you will see that a bankruptcy filing after a writ of possession can buy you a little time but gives little relief in terms of your immediate financial obligations.
The bottom line: bankruptcy can stop an eviction but the time you buy with the bankruptcy filing may be as little as 3 or 4 weeks. As always, the sooner you seek legal advice regarding your options, the better.
Will Bankruptcy Stop An Eviction
In response to the spread of the COVID-19 health threat, California Governor, Gavin Newsom, issued a Stay-At-Home Order around mid-March, 2020, ordering certain businesses to close their doors and for residents to stay home. Resulting in substantial loss of income for many California residents. Understanding the financial impact that staying at home from work has caused, Gov. Newsome further issued an executive order to protect California renters, by suspending eviction proceedings against tenants until May 31, 2020 .
While Gov. Newsoms order provides tenants with some temporary relief, if you are a tenant, the order does not relieve you from paying your rent, or prevent your landlord from recovering overdue rent. So what happens after the moratorium on evictions is lifted, and despite your good faith efforts, youve fallen behind on your rent? Now your landlord is either threatening to evict you, or has already started the process. Youve asked your landlord for a compromise, or an extension, but they insist on moving forward. You may be asking yourself, What if I file for bankruptcy?
This law firm does not represent tenants in disputes with their landlords, but the following question has been asked in the past, which is the primary focus of this blog: If you file for bankruptcy, will it stop the eviction? It depends.
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Bankruptcy And Public Benefits
A governmental agency is not permitted to deny a public benefit because of a bankruptcy filing, because such discrimination is contrary to the central purpose of the Bankruptcy Code to give debtors a fresh start. In re Stolz, 315 F.3d 80, 87, 94 discussing 11 U.S.C. § 525.This is a broad topic worthy of a separate post, because like most areas of Federal bankruptcy law, nothing is what it seems.
For purposes of this post, a bankruptcy filing should not preclude a debtor from receiving public benefits such as Veterans Benefits, Social Security, unemployment, SNAP Benefit, and the like.
Section 8 housing may be trickier. A conflict exists among the courts as to whether Section 8 housing falls under Section 525. For example, In re Watson, 610 B.R. 747 held that it did not, because private landlords participating in a federal subsidy program are not included in the Bankruptcy Codes definition of a governmental unit.In re Watson, 610 B.R. 747, 753 Other courts disagree. In re Marcano, 288 B.R. 324
Overcome Bankruptcys Limited Power In The Face Of An Eviction Judgment
The automatic stay, though powerful, has limitations. For example, the automatic stay wont stop an eviction if the landlord gets a judgment of possession before you file your bankruptcy case.
If youre at the end of the eviction case and still want to stay in your home, you will need to deposit the full rent thats due within 30 days with the bankruptcy court the day your case is filed. Youll also have to submit a certification that youll be able to cure the entire arrears and that the law would otherwise allow you to do so.
Its only by depositing the money with the court and submitting the proper certification that the automatic stay will protect you from being thrown out of your residence.
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Eviction And Chapter 13
If you file Chapter 13 and you are current on your rent, you cannot be evicted as long as you pay ongoing rent payments on time and do not violate other terms of the lease. Ongoing rent may be paid outside the payment plan to avoid fees from the trustee.
If you are behind on your rent you must include past due rent AND ongoing rent in the payment plan.
In either case you do not have to assume or reject your lease until your payment plan is confirmed.
In a Chapter 13 you may be able to continue the lease beyond it’s term if you make payments on time.
Do not hesitate another day, to schedule a free consultation or call us today @ 941-306-3601
Giving Notice To Occupants
Following proper service of the writ of possession, the occupants of the subject property ordinarily have five days to vacate. If the occupants do not vacate by that time, the levying officer will go the property and physically lockout the occupants subject to the judgment.
If an occupant receives notice of the writ of possession, he or she should take immediate steps to vacate the premises as soon as possible to avoid a lockout. This will ensure they can maximize the time they have to remove all of their belongings. There is also usually a statutory period of time after the lockout to recover personal belongings, though this may cause the occupant to incur storage charges with the landlord.
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Understanding Eviction Notices In Georgia
If your landlord decides to evict you, you will first receive a written notice that states the reason for the eviction and a time period to either comply with the notice, if possible, or move out of the rental unit. In Georgia, you could typically receive one of two types of eviction notices, depending on the reason for the eviction:
- Notice of termination, or demand: You will receive this notice because you either failed to pay rent or violated the lease or rental agreement. This notice, also called a demand, will give you a certain time frame to move out of the rental unit. The law does not state how many days the landlord must give you, but if you do not comply with the demand, then the landlord can file an eviction lawsuit .
- Sixty-day notice to quit: This notice can only be given if you have a month-to-month rental agreement. With this notice, you have 60 days to move out of the rental unit .
Also, keep in mind that there are negative consequences to being evicted, other than losing your home. An eviction will have a negative impact on your credit report, and it could affect your prospects for future housing. Some landlords will not rent to people who have been evicted from a previous location.
For more information on the eviction process in Georgia, see The Eviction Process in Georgia. Also, if you are being evicted because the rental property is being foreclosed, see the Nolo article Rights of Renters in Foreclosure.
What If Occupant Lockout Is Improper
To the extent an occupant believes the lockout is improper, the occupant should immediately seek legal counsel and/or apply to the Court to stay the lockout. For example, if an occupant was not named in the writ of possession and were not served with a prejudgment claim of right to possession, her or she may be entitled to contest enforcement of the writ. As another example, if the occupant was never served with the complaint, there could be a basis to object to the writ on that basis by attacking the underlying judgment.
Schorr Laws real estate attorneys has experience with all types of issues related to tenancy issues. To schedule a consultation, contact us today! Ask if you qualify for a free consultation. 954-1877.
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