Know About Landlord's 30 Day Notice To Tenant

How To Handle Tenant/Landlord Communications After A Notice Is Served

After you give your tenant a three-day or 30-day notice, it’s imperative that communications between you are limited, and when you do speak to the tenant, it’s imperative that you watch what you say to them. There have been cases where the Notice’s effectiveness has been damaged just the by contact with the tenant.

What Is A Three-Day, 30-Day Service Notice

Both three-day and 30-day notices are forceful documents that grant no exceptions. For instance: a tenant is given a three-day notice. This means he/she must pay you within three days or must move out. A 30-day notice to tenant means you are demanding possession and no additional extensions will be handed out.

When a three-day or 30-day notice is given to you by the court, it expects you to follow its parameters. Thus, if you forgive a tenant or modify it, even slightly, you waived the Notice and must begin the process all over.

How To Speak With A Tenant After Serving The Notice: 3 Reasons Why They Call Anyway

When your tenant contacts you after you serve them the Notice, it would still be good to speak them but begin the conversation with some deterrent remarks. Inform the tenant that the Notice is final and you won’t renegotiate and will strictly stick by it.

There are three reasons why your tenant will contact you after being served the Notice:

1 – In the hopes that you’ll change your mind and tear it up.
2 – Ask for additional time to pay the rent and/or move out.
3 – Where and how to deal with things under the Notice.

For reasons one and two, you must make yourself clear to the tenant that there is no room for negotiations. For reason three, you can clarify instructions so that they stay in compliance of the Notice. If they need to know where to pay their rent or who to hand the keys over to, as the landlord, you need to give them this information.

What If The Tenants Pay Some – Not All – Of The Amount Owed

What do you do if your tenant pays some of the rent money that is due within that three-day Notice period? If your tenant pays some of the balance owed, you can accept it but re-serve them the three-day Notice for the outstanding balance.

Should your tenant pay some of the rent later on, beyond that three-day Notice, the people living in your property will need to let the judge know that you agreed to this modification. You can stay silent but they can make the argument. Thus, it’s imperative that you let the tenant know that you won’t consider a change…regardless of what they say or do. Make sure to follow up with them using a short written notice of the conversation so all disputes are eliminated.

If you proceed with a lawsuit to evict your tenant and they decide to pay you rent, you should not accept it until you get legal advice. A Stipulated Judgment can enable you to accept the money and doesn’t waive the eviction action but it must be worded very carefully.