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Re: Does eviction end tenant rent payments? - Landlord Forum thread 354841

Re: Does eviction end tenant rent payments? by Garry (Iowa) on October 31, 2017 @11:27

                              
You cannot charge your previous tenant any future rent, past when he was physically out, and you got possession back. It was YOU who asked the T to pay rent, or move. He chose neither. So you went to court to ask a judge to intervene on YOUR behalf. The judge granted YOUR request to give you possession back, thru a forced eviction. You can charge the T for all rents while he had possession of the premises, and for all costs associated with the eviction, but no rents after the T was removed.
Also, how is a judge to know if the market was "bad"? That's only your opinion. And how is a judge to know if your rents are reasonable, or you were asking too much compared to the "market". The same reasoning goes for the condition of the premises, and your qualifications for a new T.
Charging a T for the remainder of a lease after they vacate a unit, only happens when a T vacates a unit on their own, and YOU expect them to perform to the letter of the lease. And even then, most judges will only give you perhaps 2 months worth of rent, as they expect you should have been able to get it rerented after being vacant for 2 months, even in a "bad" market.
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Re: Does eviction end tenant rent payments? by Anonymous on October 31, 2017 @13:02 [ Reply ]
this is yet another PERFECT EXAMPLE of this guy G speaking with great authority on something of which he does not know.

IF there was a lease for a specific term of time and the tenant stopped paying rent or defaulted in some other manner before the term was reached, the tenant IS LIABLE for rents to the end of the term,....in most states. I do not know Iowa. In eviction court typically the LL is given back possession, with or without a judgement for PAST DUE RENTS THROUGH DATE OF RECOVERY OF POSSESSION BY LANDLORD. LL generally may then start a new action to recover lost rents AND INCURRED MARKETING EXPENSES as determined by WHEN the LL actually RE-RENTED the property.

LL MUST MAKE A DILLIGENT EFFORT TO RE RENT THE PROPERTY, AT PREVAILING MARKET. If LL had to re-rent at a lower rent to new tenant, LL may possibly seek to recover difference from evicted T.

A lease is a contract.

G,.....you're really doing a terrible disservice to people on here legitimately seeking guidance from our knowledge and experience.

I mean really,......why don't you and people like you either get a life or get so pertinent fact based education.
    Re: Does eviction end tenant rent payments? by Another Anonymous Guy on October 31, 2017 @14:56 [ Reply ]
    LL MUST MAKE A DILLIGENT EFFORT TO RE RENT THE PROPERTY, AT PREVAILING MARKET...

    By your BIG BOLD shouty letters, you make it sound like the landlord has to do everything in his power to get the unit rerented. I doubt that is the case. There is some variation between states however. To my knowledge, in most the landlord only needs to treat the unit as one of his own. He does not need to be diligent in getting the unit rented. At minimum, he has to treat it in the same manner as his others. That means if he advertises his others, he needs to include it. If he posts signs outside, he has to post the sign. He does not, however, have to favor it in any way.

    This landlord should check with his state statues...as should every single person here who asks a legal question on this forum.
    Re: Does eviction end tenant rent payments? by Garry (Iowa) on October 31, 2017 @17:07 [ Reply ]
    Yes, you are correct. A lease is a contract. But simply put, YOU don't know what an "eviction" is or does. The T stops paying rent. The LL wants his rent, so he gives the T a written notice to pay the rent----or move. The T says he is not paying the rent and he is not moving, either. So the LL files for an eviction. But, actually, what the LL is asking the judge to do, is cancel the original lease, and give you, the LL, back possession of the property. At that point, you do not want any money. All you want is a vacant property returned to you, and that is what you are going to get.
    Now, 6 months later, you, the LL, decide to go into court and ask for the rent you should have got while it was vacant. The T shows up and says to the judge----"why should I pay rent when YOU (meaning the judge) CANCELLED THE LEASE, AND FORCED me to leave." Now, really, what judge is going to award a LL rent when the LL HIMSELF, told the judge at the eviction hearing, that he wanted NO money, just POSSESSION. THE LL CANNOT HAVE BOTH. In any lease, anywhere in this country, if the T pays the rent, WHO has possession?----- THE TENANT, NOT THE LL.
    But don't take MY word for it. Why don't several LLs on this forum, call up several attorneys all over this country, and ask THEM what an eviction is and does, and if it cancels the previous lease, or not.
      Re: Does eviction end tenant rent payments? by Joe (Michigan) on October 31, 2017 @19:21 [ Reply ]
      The lease I signed with the evicted tenant does have a "Rent Acceleration Clause", which says if Tenant went default on the lease terms, all rents remained on the lease became immediately due. This tenant went default by not paying rent. So I supposed the Rent Acceleration Clause kicked in. The eviction judgement says "The defendant may be liable for money damages after moving if additional rent is owed or if there is damage to the property". Since eviction order was issued when Tenant was still in possession of the house, further claim for rents and damages after his move should be reasonable and make sense.
      Re: Does eviction end tenant rent payments? by Anonymous on November 1, 2017 @01:53 [ Reply ]
      Judges do not cancel leases, they either terminate possession or terminate both possession and the lease. In a slow rental market, a landlord could for example, just ask for possession and still hold the tenant liable for future rents as they become due until the lease terms end or the property is rerented. In most cases, a landlord just accepts the amount the court awards, such as up to two months rent as damages.
Re: Does eviction end tenant rent payments? by Stephen (Washington (WA)) on October 31, 2017 @13:58 [ Reply ]
I tend to agree with G. I don't believe the former tenant owes rent for after you regained possession. If there was a lease the tenant didn't walk out on it and it sounds like they wanted to stay. You, the landlord, went to court and forced the tenant out. Sometimes it is hard to re-rent a unit. That is part of being a landlord.

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