It's believed that last year there were roughly 3.6 million evictions filed in the United States. It's a sad fact, but sometimes evictions are a necessary part of being a landlord.
If your tenant stops rent payments or breaks the conditions of their lease arrangement, you'll need to begin the eviction process. So exactly how do evictions work in Richmond, Virginia? And what are some things you can do in the future that will prevent evictions with your tenants?
If you want to learn the answer to these questions, you're in the perfect place. This guide will walk you through the basics of evictions in Richmond.
The Evictions Process in Richmond, Virginia
Most evictions in Richmond, and Virginia at large, follow a similar pattern. To start, you'll first need to give a notice in writing that you're beginning the process according to Virginia eviction laws. From there, you'll need to begin filling out the necessary forms which you can find here.
Once you file these documents with the courts you will need to make copies. Then, it's necessary to serve these documents to your tenants. From there, you'll be issued a court date.
When the date arrives both you and the tenant will need to attend. You'll provide evidence for why the tenant needs to be evicted. Then, they'll give their argument to explain their side of the situation.
After that, the judge will issue a sentence. Either the tenant will be evicted, or they'll be allowed to stay.
The length of your eviction process will ultimately depend on how busy your local courts are. However, you can typically expect the eviction timeline to take months or even years to complete.
Use Tenant Screenings to Prevent Evictions
If you recently underwent an eviction, you likely want to do everything humanly possible to prevent one in the future. That begins with tenant screening services. These types of services ensure that you're only getting qualified tenants for your rental properties.
It does this by looking at factors like their income, employment history, criminal history, eviction history, and credit score. That way, you can weed out any problematic tenants before they're on a rental agreement.
Stay Protected With Eviction Guarantees
Another precaution you can take is partnering with companies like PMI Richmond that offer eviction protection plans. Here's how it works: we screen every tenant that enters your property. In the rare event that they need to be evicted, we handle all of the hard work for you.
What's more, we'll also provide up to $2,000 to cover any of the fees associated with the eviction. All you need to do is sign up for our eviction protection plan to get started.
Tired of Evictions? Contact PMI Richmond
We hope this guide helped you learn more about how evictions work in Richmond, Virginia. Here at PMI Richmond, we know that evictions can be a nightmare scenario for property investors.
That's why when you hire our services we do everything in our power to prevent them, from tenant screenings to eviction protection plans.
If you're currently going through an eviction we can even help you with the details. So if you're ready for the rental help that you need schedule a call with us today.