Tenant not paying and lease ended

[Joshua Robinson]

Hey guys, I need some advice with this problem. I have an out of state property and the tenant has not paid rent since Feb. Her lease expired in July and she doesn’t answer text or calls. Spoke with my attorney and he says government orders (MN) won’t allow me to evict her. Can someone explain to me how this is possible or what I could do to move forward? It’s been a huge inconvenience and I can’t let this continue any longer. I prefer my leases to end in the summer and not close to winter.

[Randall Alan]

In Florida you can post a termination of lease notice (completely ignoring the fact she isn’t paying) and simply say “her lease is up and I want my unit back”.  Because this is not COVID related, Florida is letting these evictions go through... so maybe check that for your state. 

Between now and then, file a small claims court case to get a judgement for your 7 months of back rent.  We did this recently.  It works well because you know where she lives until she is evicted.   Lol.  The judgement is good for 5-10 years in Florida and you can garnish wages if she blows off paying you back.  You register your judgement with the Secretary of State in Florida.  

Hope it helps!

Randy