Courts grant around 7,000 evictions yearly to landlords in Tulsa, OK, but that's only half of those that landlords file.
Of course, landlords must follow rules when evicting tenants, and tenants can fight evictions when landlords fail to follow the regulations. As a landlord, you must know these rules and regulations before evicting a tenant.
Learning the rules is critical to avoid breaking the law. So here are three vital things to understand about eviction protection regulations.
1. Landlords Must Notify Tenants in Writing
In 2020, the COVID pandemic hit Tulsa hard. As a result, many people became sick and couldn't work. The result was difficulty for tenants to pay their rent.
When tenants don't pay their rent, landlords have the right to evict them. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prevented this from occurring due to pandemic-related hardships.
Therefore, landlords were forced to learn the answer to this question: what is eviction protection?
Eviction protection included new regulations designed to prevent tenants from losing their rental properties due to COVID-related hardships. The primary program was a moratorium from the CDC.
However, this moratorium ended, allowing landlords to return to routine eviction procedures. These routine procedures also provide eviction protection in Tulsa.
One of the primary rules a landlord must follow is to notify tenants of past-due rent and their plan to evict. This letter must give the tenant five days to pay their rent in full.
2. Landlords Must File Evictions in Court
Eviction protection services also prevent landlords from handling evictions themselves. In other words, a landlord cannot perform an eviction without involving the court.
The landlord must file an eviction filing in the local court. The tenant receives a notification about this and must attend a court hearing.
Evictions offer tenant and landlord protection. They offer a legal way to evict someone, which protects the landlord. They also offer a legal process for the tenant, giving them the protection they need.
Of course, you might avoid evictions by performing criminal background checks and other screening procedures.
3. Landlords Can't Evict Without a Judgment
Finally, eviction laws state that you can't evict a tenant without a judgment. As a result, this means you must file the eviction and follow through with the required court hearing.
Additionally, you can only force the tenant to leave once the judge orders a judgment. This judgment states how long the tenant has to move out and requires that they move out.
Regardless of how many Tulsa evictions you file, you must follow these rules when evicting tenants.
Keep Up With Eviction Protection Regulations
Landlords have to know a lot of things, including eviction protection regulations and rules. After all, handling evictions properly is difficult if you don't know the law.
However, there is an easier way to handle this issue. You can hire a property management firm.
Contact us if you operate a rental property business in Tulsa. We offer property management services and can help you with your rental properties.