Small landlords
For the owner of a two-family house or a few units
You are not a property company. You have a mortgage, a tenant who stopped paying and a lot of advice from friends.
We help owners do it in the right order: a notice that holds up, a case filed correctly and a unit returned lawfully. Cutting corners tends to cost an owner more time than the proper way would have.
What we do for owners
Four ways we help a landlord
Notices that hold up
Written, timed and delivered the way the court expects, so the case is not thrown out on a technicality.
Unpaid rent
A demand, a payment plan if it makes sense, and a court filing when it does not.
Lease violations
Noise, extra occupants, damage, unapproved pets: what the lease allows and what the court will accept.
Getting the unit back
The handover, the inspection and the deposit accounting, in writing.
Before you try it yourself
What an owner should never do
Almost every state treats these as illegal self-help, however late the rent is.
Changing the locks. Shutting off heat, water or power. Removing belongings. Threatening a tenant or their family. Any of them can turn a strong case into one where the owner pays.
The lawful route is slower than it feels, but it is the one that ends with the unit back.
Are you in the right place?
We say yes more often than owners expect, and no when we have to.
Does your tenant already call us?
Then we cannot act for you, and we will say so on the first call.
Is it one to a few units?
That is who we are built for. For a large building, we will refer you.
Do you have the lease and the payment record?
Bring both, plus any notice you have already sent.
Is a court date coming?
Call at once. Dates do not move for good reasons or bad ones.
Landlord questions
Notices, unpaid rent and what to do first
Can I just change the locks?
No. In nearly every state, a lockout without a court order is illegal, and the tenant may be able to sue you.
How long does an eviction take?
It varies by state, court and how the tenant responds. We give you a realistic picture after reading the file.
Do I have to give the deposit back?
Usually, minus what the law lets you keep, and within a deadline. We help you account for it in writing.
Can I accept rent after sending a notice?
Sometimes that weakens the notice. Please ask before you take a payment.
Got a paper in your hand? Bring it, or send a photo.
A photo of the front and back is enough to start. We will tell you what it is and what the dates on it mean.
Please don't send confidential details through the web form. We'll ask for them on the phone or in person.