Tenant not paying rent, eviction process

[Kevin Oh]

I am a new real estate investor, I have two properties. Both tenants have their lease up and I gave them new leases. Tenant A received the lease and did not pay or acknowledge she is going to sign. Tenant A has been a problem with not paying in the past, I went to the eviction office today and filed an eviction for Tenant A. 

I just bought another property for a house hack and gave lease agreements to all the tenants. This one tenant is giving me some serious problems (tenant B). Tenant B is on Month to Month with the original seller, I gave Tenant B the lease agreement for month to month, I signed it and was waiting for her signature. Tenant B signed it but added an additional clause. The contract is now void. I am going to give tenant B a 30 day notice. I may have to file for eviction.

My question: Even with eviction notice or 30 day notice, does the tenants have to pay for rent? If they do not, how would I get the rent from them? If they do more damage to property than security deposit, can I go after them for rest of payment for damages? What would be the next step?

[Jill F.]

The landlord should ALWAYS sign the lease last. otherwise the tenant could make changes without your permission and you already signed. Yes, the tenant is still contractually obligated to pay rent, but you'll have to use the civil court process to collect. The eviction process varies from state to state, county to county, and city to city. You'll need to learn the rules everywhere you do business.