When to Begin Tenants Eviction

by Erwin Meredith
(Los Angeles, CA)

The first time I had to do a tenants eviction, I vividly remembered being told off by my landlord tenant lawyer. The reason for the scolding? My tenant had already owed me 7 month's rent and my lawyer said there was little chance of me ever recovering the full amount.

Sometimes knowing when to evict your tenants is even more crucial than learning how to do it. Depending on your local landlord tenant laws, you can probably evict your tenant if he is 60 to 90 days overdue in rent payments.

Yes, eviction can be a draggy and costly affair but you shouldn't hesitate if you have tried every rent collection method in the book yet nothing seems to work.

Unless your tenant has a perfectly valid reason and it is clear he is able to pay it back (e.g. He got retrenched and he just found a new replacement job), I will recommend tenants eviction once he owes you 2 to 3 month's rent.