Tenant is not leaving after lease end. Eviction time! Any tips?
My awful tenants in Hawaii have had a last-minute drama. Over the past 4 months they have incurred numerous HOA violations, the police breaking up fights about 2-3 times a week, flooding of my kitchen causing $6,000 of damage, and general living-like-pigs.
I got them to sign a Quit & Vacate agreement to terminate the lease early and move out July 31. In a last bit of drama, a few days ago the wife ditched and left with all the money, and the deadbeat husband has said he has no money, no job, and he's not leaving my property.
So, it's eviction time.
I contacted a lawyer and he wants between $3,500 and $6,500 to represent me. I talked with the state landlord-tenant hotline and they said I can just file the eviction myself and represent myself. The form is very simple, and the procedure looks surprisingly straight-forward.
For anyone who's done an eviction, especially with a tenant who has dug in his heels and refuses to leave -- Any tips?
Oh, got a few extra questions: With the lease ended July 31 (in a few hours), I am thinking of switching off the Internet to the tenants, disabling the thermostat (no air-conditioning), and disabling DirecTV. I can do all those remotely. I know I cannot turn off water or electricity on the tenant, but how about these amenities which were included with the lease (remember, the lease expired today, July 31, and the tenant is in holdover). OK to turn those off? Bad idea?