Eviction time.. again! Providence RI

[Richard Moreno]

I actually am looking fro recommendations for eviction attorney! 

And I thought I would share whats going on. This should be a continuation of one of my previous post, because it has to do with the same tenant.

This is in my 3 family located in Mt. Hope section of East side Providence. I've been having issues with my second floor tenant literally since they moved in when 2 weeks in there were cops called to the house for domestic violence! Since then I gave them another chance with the promise it would never happen again! By the way my daughter still lives on the first floor, so she hears everything that goes on. 

After that I have not had major issues, she is very clean and for most of the year the rent was on time,,, until she lost her job !!  Now they are almost 30 days late every month. What pisses me off is that they always have people over, I've had teenage kids from previous marriages living there and then their family from abroad, then it was the husbands brother. They always have get togethers which involves heavy drinking and ends in loud arguments. I didn't end their tenancy after the lease was up because I kinda felt bad that she lost her job, and honestly I could not afford not to have the rent even if it was a month late. But after the cops showed up recently because the husband put his hands on his wife again, AND I was fixing the trash and noticed so much heavy liqueur $$$ AND then my daughter tells me that the husband showed up with a brand new motorcycle ( taxes )!!! That's it ! I told her she needs to leave, and I verbally gave her 2 months to find another apartment, and I mailed a 30 day demand to vacate !! She has not responded to any of my messages, and times up, now I need an attorney. I had an eviction attorney and for the life of me I cant find his information anywhere.!

Any recommendations will be appreciated!

[Anthony Thompson]

@Richard Moreno I've used Steve Conti and know other investors who have used Murray Gereboff. You can get their contact info on the RI Bar Association website. 

Both focus exclusively on evictions, which is what you want, as they'll know all the laws in that area inside and out and (maybe even more importantly) will know the judges. Plus, they're going to be in eviction court anyway (for one client or another) so the cost is usually a little better (since you're not the only one paying for them to go to court).

You'll want to have all your paperwork in order before contacting any eviction attorney, which includes the lease and any renewal agreement(s) if applicable of course, but also any written correspondence you've sent the tenant, any deposit receipts (or check photocopies) and bank records, as well as any records of maintenance requests and evidence that you took care of them (e.g., contractor or supply house receipts).

I've also been told some judges will want to see proof of ownership so bring a copy of any deed(s) related to the property. Also bring proof of property insurance since some municipalities require that by law too.

Basically, you're going to war and you want to be as prepared as possible. If the tenant claims they paid you, you want to have a detailed log of when payments were received and deposited, which your attorney will show the judge. If the tenant claims you never fixed anything when asked to, you want to have a detailed log of maintenance requests showing what was requested when, how quickly you addressed it and (ideally) what you spent to fix it.

You want to be organized, cool, collected, and professional, so that you are and look like a reasonable businessperson.

One last tip: If the judge or your attorney offer you a choice between getting a judgment for back rent, or getting the apartment back sooner (possession), always choose possession. A money judgment against a tenant is usually not worth the paper it's printed on, chances are excellent you'll never see a dime. What you need to do is get them out of there as soon as possible and start over with a good tenant, doing thorough screening to reduce the chances of getting a bad tenant again.