{"id":11417,"date":"2021-03-24T16:59:53","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T16:59:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/?p=11417"},"modified":"2023-05-23T03:31:59","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T03:31:59","slug":"landlording-101-tenant-eviction-in-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/landlording-101-tenant-eviction-in-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"Landlording 101: Tenant Eviction in Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this article, we\u2019ll outline the eviction process for you: from the eviction notice onwards. If you need legal help with landlord-tenant law, a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Dallas &#8211; Fort Worth landlord <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">attorney can help you get what you need to evict tenants.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Notice of Termination Without Just Cause<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ending a Fixed-Term Tenancy<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A landlord can\u2019t terminate a fixed-term tenancy without good cause. If they haven\u2019t violated the terms of the agreement or haven\u2019t forgotten to pay rent, Texas law prevents you from getting them evicted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A landlord who wants a fixed-term tenant to vacate the premises must wait out the duration of the lease. The good news is that landlords do not have to give the occupant notice that they won\u2019t renew the lease unless required by the lease itself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A tenant who does not vacate the property by the end of the term becomes what\u2019s known as holdover tenants. They\u2019re no longer protected by the lease. In Texas, a landlord must provide holdover tenants a three-day notice to vacate. If they refuse to move out by the end of the three days, you can file a forcible detainer suit (AKA eviction lawsuit) against them in court.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ending a Month-to-Month Tenancy in Texas<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11418 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/eviction-in-texas-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"eviction in texas\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/eviction-in-texas-66x66.jpg 66w, https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/eviction-in-texas-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/eviction-in-texas-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/eviction-in-texas-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/eviction-in-texas-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/eviction-in-texas-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/eviction-in-texas.jpg 626w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/> Landlords who want to terminate a monthly tenancy have to provide notice to the tenant. The amount of time required for the notice is dependent on how many times they pay each month.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If payment is more than once every month, the tenancy can end on the later of the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The number of days equal to how often they pay rent<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The date is given in the notice of termination<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If payment is once monthly, you can terminate the tenancy on the later of the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One month after the date the notice is given<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The date stated in the notice of termination<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Notice of Termination For Cause In Texas<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A landlord can choose to end a tenancy early for problem tenants. If they keep violating the rental agreement\/lease agreement, or if they miss the rent payment, you can follow the legal process for eviction of renters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before an eviction lawsuit filing, you must give the tenant three days\u2019 notice to vacate the rental property. If they don\u2019t move out at the end of the period in the notice of eviction, you can then sue them in court to evict these nuisance tenants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s important to follow the letter of the law when it comes to eviction and unlawful detainer. One mistake with the paperwork or the eviction action can cause trouble and unnecessary expenses. Talk to our experienced Dallas &#8211; Fort Worth landlord lawyers to get legal aid with the eviction proceedings and unlawful detainer action.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tenant Defenses to Eviction<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not all tenants will take an eviction lying down. If the tenant decides to fight the eviction, you need to know their possible defenses so you can prepare for these and counter them. Here is a list of the most common eviction defenses:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The landlord did not wait for the proper period before filing the eviction case.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The landlord did not follow all the rules for evicting the tenant.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The landlord was unfair or was discriminatory toward the renter.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The landlord failed to maintain the habitability of the dwelling.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Removing a Tenant in Texas<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The only way to legally remove a tenant is by winning the <a class=\"linkilo_keyword_link  hyperlinks\" href=\"\/the-difference-between-forcible-entry-and-detainer-and-forcible-detainer\/\"  rel=\"dofollow\" title=\"forcible entry\" data-linkilo-keyword-link=\"linked\">forcible entry<\/a> and detainer suit. Even then, the landlord cannot evict the tenant by their own hands. Only an officer authorized by the judge through an eviction order can conduct the eviction. It is illegal in Texas for landlords to personally kick out a tenant and their belongings even from their personal property.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the final judgment has been delivered and the tenant still doesn\u2019t move out, you can ask the judge for a writ of possession. This is the last step in the process and allows for the removal of the tenant and all their belongings from the unit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Final Thoughts<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When terminating a lease\/rental agreement, a landlord needs to be aware of the proper procedures of evicting a tenant. If there\u2019s any mistake, you\u2019ll have to go back to square one, paying attorney fees and court fees all over again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Girling Law, PLLC<\/strong> offers a full range of legal representation to independent rental owners and apartment communities. If you need legal advice on how to evict a tenant, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/contact-us\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">call our Fort Worth landlord lawyers now<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this article, we\u2019ll outline the eviction process for you: from the eviction notice onwards. If you need legal help with landlord-tenant law, a Dallas &#8211; Fort Worth landlord attorney can help you get what you need to evict tenants.\u00a0\u00a0 Notice of Termination Without Just Cause Ending a Fixed-Term Tenancy A landlord can\u2019t terminate a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":11419,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11417"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11417"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12725,"href":"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11417\/revisions\/12725"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlinglaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}