I think my tenant moved out, now what?

[Paul Zofsak]

My tenant is two weeks late with rent, I got an email with a reason why it was late and that it would be sent soon; nothing yet. I went by the house today and there were no cars outside and from what little I could see from the front window I couldn't see any furniture. I also didn't get a response to my phone call or most recent email.

So now what is my next step to insure that I don't do anything that infringes on my tenant's rights and could get me in hot water? I would guess that I would have to go through the eviction process whether they are there or not, correct?

[Jason Eliaser]

The last thing you want is a lawsuit from a tenant. Painful though it might be, unless you have a statement from the tenant saying "I have moved out," I would talk to a local landlord/tenant attorney and initiate legal eviction proceedings immediately. Better to regret wasting a couple of months with an eviction than to go in early and regret finding yourself at the wrong end of a tenant suit.