If my renters have violated the month-to-month lease agreement, canI evict them in 3 days?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If my renters have violated the month-to-month lease agreement, canI evict them in 3 days?
They have not payed rent and have animals there that are not listed on contract. There’s also physical damage to my deck and they never mowed the grass (which there are supposed to do according to the terms of the month-to-month lease).
Asked on July 5, 2011 under Real Estate Law, Washington
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
In WA, if you are evicting for non-payment of rent a 3 day notice is appropriate; if you are evicting for non-compliance (e.g. not mowing the lawn or unlisted pets on the premises), then a 10 day notice is required. However serving notice does not give you the automatic right to evict. You must file an action in court; if the judge decides in your favor then your tenants must leave. If they still fail to vacate, then you can have the sheriff come and remove them. The whole process can take about 3-4 weeks or more. In the meantime do not take any self-help measures such as changing the locks, removing their belongings and/or turning off the utilities. If you do you could find yourself on the wrong side of a civil suit (and possibly criminal case).
Note: The notice should: be in writing, be dated, have all of the tenant's names on it, give the reason for the notice, and give a date for them to leave by.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.