The Eviction Process is complex, but the Austin Tenants' Council
has an excellent detailed description of the process. Here is a brief
overview of the process that begins if the tenant does not move out
after the landlord delivers a written Notice to Vacate to the tenant.
The landlord will file an eviction suit at the local Justice of the
Peace court, after which the court clerk will give the eviction citation
to the constable. The constable is required to attempt to deliver the
citation to the tenant twice at their home. If the constable is unable
to hand deliver the citation to the tenant, they may place it under the
door or attach it to the front door and mail a copy.
The
Citation will include instructions and the date of when the eviction
trial is to be held. If you fail to show up for the trial, the landlord
gets a default judgment against the tenant. The court is required to
send the tenant a written notice within two days of the entry of the
judgment.
If you do go to court, both you and your landlord
will be given the opportunity to present your cases. The judge will
make a decision and if they side with the landlord, the tenant has five
days to vacate the apartment or appeal the decision. If the judge
decides in favor of the tenant, the landlord also has five days to file
an appeal. When you file an appeal, you have to pay an appeal bond or
file a Pauper's Affidavit if you do not have the funds for an appeal
bond. The appeal process is very complicated, so if that is something
you are interested in, the Austin Tenants' Council recommends you
contact an attorney.
If a tenant doesn't leave the apartment or
appeal, the landlord has to ask the judge for a Writ of Possession, a
court order telling the constable or sheriff that the landlord is now in
possession of the rental unit. The landlord can now, under the
supervision of the constable or sheriff, remove the tenant, occupants
and all belongings from the unit.
Eviction is something no
future landlord wants to see on your rental history, so you should do
your best to avoid it at all costs. But if you do have an eviction on
your record, Apartment Specialists can work with you to try and find a new eviction friendly apartment where landlords are more likely to overlook an eviction.
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