Eviction refers to the court-ordered removal of a tenant from a rental property. While evictions are not something that any landlord wishes to have to oversee, they are occasionally required. Landlords who are having issues with their tenants, including with tenants who refuse to pay their rent, are often unsure of what the eviction process looks like.
In this blog post, we will take you through a quick step-by-step guide to the eviction process in Las Vegas, Nevada. These steps include having a reason for evicting tenants, filing a complaint, serving the tenant, and asking for possession. Let's get started.
Reasons for Eviction
The first step in the process is to provide an eviction notice, known as a Notice to Pay or Quit. Here in Las Vegas, there are a number of reasons a landlord may file for a formal eviction process. These include:
- Failure to pay the rent
- Conducting illegal activity
- Violating the rental agreement
- Non-renewal of the lease at the end of the rental period
Depending on the reason, there is a different process involved in missing the eviction notice, with varying lengths of notice given to the tenants.
Filing a Complaint
Next, the landlord should file an Unlawful Detainer action. This complaint can only be filed after the notice period, alluded to above, has passed.
The landlord should process to the justice court the rental properties belong to, fill out the relevant forms, and pay the filing costs.
Serving the Tenant
The Summons and Complaint should then be served to the tenant, though the landlord cannot serve these documents by themselves. These documents should contain information about the time and date of the upcoming court trial.
If the tenant wishes to dispute the complaints made by the landlord, they must file an answer. If they wish to provide their own defense, they must attend the court hearing. In their absence, the judicial officer may give a default judgment without hearing their side.
Asking for Possession
In order to get a judgment for possession, it is necessary for landlords to provide a strong argument against the tenant (backed up by solid evidence). The tenant can then appeal the judgment within 10 days if the court issues in favor of the landlord.
The next step after winning the case is to get an Order for Removal. The very last step in the eviction process is when the tenant leaves the property.
Per Nevada law, a tenant has 24 to 36 hours to vacate the property before they are removed in the case that their eviction is related to non-payment of rent. Specific timelines do not exist for evicting a tenant for other types of eviction.
Your Guide to the Eviction Process in Las Vegas
For a landlord, the eviction process can be complex. We recommend that you partner with an experienced property management company, such as PURE Property Management of Nevada.
If you would like to learn more about the eviction process in Las Vegas, don't hesitate to contact our expert team.