Can you evict tenants on the Rental Relief Program if you sell?

Question

I'm currently looking to buy a property in VA. The current landlord has a couple tenants that are on hold for the (Rental Relief Program) but haven't received funding and he believes they're trying to beat the system.. If he was to sell the property, would he be able to evict them with a 30-45 day notice?

Linda S. · Answer

@Brian Rodriguez,

Of course he can sell the property, but  I'm 99% you can't evict a tenant when they applied and are waiting on rent relief.    It's in the tenant/landlord agreement you both have to sign when you apply.

I'd suggest the do a cash for keys if they want them out ASAP.

Bud Gaffney · Answer

Nope, can't evict and tenants all over the place are ABUSING it.

Janet Jones · Answer

OK,  So I am a Real Estate Agent and Property Manager in VA.  My thoughts are this....No you cannot "evict" once the process with Gov2go/RRP has started, however, there is nothing stated that you cannot take them to court and get a possession order just in case their claim is denied.  A possession order is good for up to a year in most cities (not portsmouth) though.   You don't have to act on the order to evict right away but it will allow you to cut out the process once the approval/denial has been given by RRP/Gov2go, then you can just go to court, file the writ of possession and they will be evicted in approx 2 weeks not 45 days.    This is all in hoping that a good judge would give you that possession order.   Most are pro-tenant here which is great except I work for my OWNER.

Also if the tenant has not received an answer from the program within 45 days, you can proceed with eviction, this information is straight from our Attorney.

Lastly a lease takes precedence over any sale here in VA, so the tenants would have to leave or be evicted or you would have to purchase the property as an investment property.

Brian Rodriguez · Answer

Yeah, this is what he's telling me. Says they're still waiting to hear if the tenants have been accepted or not but also hasn't seen confirmation if they've even applied. He's in talks with his attorney, I'll come back with updates if we figure something out. Appreciate the insight on this!

Can you evict tenants on the Rental Relief Program if you sell?

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