Seeking Guidance - First Tenant Eviction Philadelphia

[Neal A.]

I'm looking for a bit of guidance on what my first Landlord/Tenant eviction case will be like.

We inherited a new tenant when we acquired a property in Philadelphia. The former owner of the building had signed a year contract with them and we ran into issues shortly after. The end result was a couple months late rent, and damages to the property totaling over 500 dollars.

We are very eager to get them out and acquired the help of an attorney but aren't getting the extra bit of hand holding we'd like for our first time around. The attorney scheduled us a court date and we are all set. Admittedly, I don't know what to expect. The attorney double checked that all of our paper work was in order and we had fulfilled all of our obligations (and then some) to the tenant so far.

Are these kind of hearings just a formality?

Anyone have experience on what to expect?

 

[Gabe Plagge]

Hi Neal,

I've been through many evictions unfortunately over the years in Philly. From the start we enlisted the help of HAPCO and their eviction lawyer. They handle everything and I normally won't go to court myself unless I know the tenant will be there for sure. In my experience, 95% of the time, the tenant doesn't show up, and you will receive a judgement by default. If they do show up to fight the eviction, then you will be brought to a back room out of the courtroom and you and your lawyer can try to make a deal with the tenant to get some or all of the money through a payment plan or another agreement. In any event, it's never fun but I you should be fine if you have your rental license, rental suitability cert, missed rent payments, and documented Damages in order. Good luck!