BiggerPockets

If you are evicting him for nonpayment all you need to do is prove nonpayment. His allegation of some other agreement is outside the scope of the proceeding.

If he wishes to sue you in a separate action over the fridge rental he can certainly do so. However, he will need stronger proof than an invoice, like a written contract signed by you.

Welcome to the rental business.

Josh and Mark are correct. I've done a couple in TX. Just make sure your paperwork is accurate. It'll still take awhile to get him out, and getting money from him usually isn't worth the cost, imo. Good luck. Rich in FL.

Welcome to the Group.
This should probably be moved to the landlord forum:

I was at the courthouse earlier this week. They are so backlogged and many of the defendents did not show up. The main reason behind the eviction hearing is to determine highest, best, interest and/or possession of the property.

Good news is he's out, but the judge said "good luck getting your money!". After inspecting the place I'm having to dump about 5-6 grand to fix the problems he created, dog urine, mold, you name it. I'm not sure how to go about collecting or if it is even going to be worth my while since he's handicapped and retired. From what I've heard I was lucky he left when he did as apparently it's a lot more difficult to get them out with medical problems. Thanks for checking in.