Tenant Problems for a Landlord

[Garrett O.]

Hey everyone, first time on here. Hope everyone is doing great. I'm looking to get some feedback/advice/thoughts on this situation with a family member and there property.. 

They have a tenant who started to pay late constantly, and would say the money is coming and it did and they would eventually catch up... Well lets say since the new year has started these people haven't paid rent.. They are 7 months behind and haven't filed anything for covid relief.. He's lived there for around 2 years now. He has been avoiding us for the past month to 2 months from texts/calls.. Granted we are finally able to evict him I believe from covid moratorium ending in the area of Lomita. They are around $21,000+ behind, finally a response from the tenant after we threaten with (a 3 day pay or quit) and when the guy finally responds he said in 2 weeks he should have roughly $7,000 to give to us.....  The landlord wants to give it a shot, and wait because he says its very hard and costly to get your money back from someone and would end up likely not getting it...

(kicker-doesn't have written lease, only verbal) 

I'm the type to stop the bleeding where it is and get them out and someone new in... (especially once they are this far behind)

thoughts/comments please??

(Granted the guy was single at 1 point, and last year ended up marrying and taking on the wife with 3 kids.. Which I know has to be a big life change)