Dealing with a troubling tenant can be a nightmare when you rent out residential properties in Saint Charles. Not only do you have to deal with the financial uncertainty that such a tenant’s tendencies may cause from month-to-month, but then there is also the long-term impact that his or her actions (or inactions) may have on the property. You may already be beyond fed up with such antics and ready to evict, yet does the law allow that? While you might think that you are the one who determines under what circumstances you can force someone to leave your rental properties, the state actually affords tenants certain eviction protections.
Per information shared be the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, you can only evict a tenant in the following situations:
- He or she fails to pay the monthly rent
- He or she causes damage to the property
- He or she violates the terms of his or her lease
- He or she allows drug-related activity to occur on the property
- He or she engages in illegal gambling on the property
- He or she injures you or another tenant
Furthermore, you can also commence eviction proceedings if the tenant refuses to leave the property once his or her lease expires, or he or she allows a person whom you have specifically excluded from living on the property to reside there.
“Commence eviction proceedings” is a key phrase here; you cannot simply change the locks and leave all of his or her belongings out on the curb. Rather, you must seek a court order when you plan to evict a tenant. Not only does this protect the tenant’s rights, but it also offers you the added assistance of having the law on your side should he or she contest the action.