advice on how to move an alcoholic out of my house who refuses to leave

paddyflan1971 · #1 08-13-2007, 10:29 PM

What is the name of your state? VT

Hi folks, I have a very upsetting sitation in my household. 3 years ago, my wife and I decided to help her father out who lost his house to foreclosure. Of course it was only meant to be temporary until he got back on his feet but in the mean time he has decided to retire early and sit at home drinking all day.

We always knew he had a drinking problem but it got out of control after he retired. Basically he has become a freeloader, who drinks all day, gives my wife verbal abuse when drunk, and pays no money for the upkeep of the house. My wife is afraid of him and upto now has blocked all my efforts to get him out. In addition, she has now had to stop work because of a serious medical condition which has obviously effected her ability to function and deal with our problem.

Well she finally relented and I gave him 30 days to leave but he refused. I am at my wits end because he is gradually causing the breakdown of my marriage. In all this my 7 year old twins are in the middle which is terrible for them because they see 2 parents so unhappy and a drunk sitting around the house.

Is there anything I can do? There is obviously no contract or anything like that so i don't know what I can do. I just wanted to know if I have any recourse with the law**************....can I go to court to get an enforcable eviction notice here in Vermont and can I petition the court myself......thanks for any pointers you can give

Ozark_Sophist · #2 08-14-2007, 12:22 AM

Your alcoholic FinL is a tenant and has to be provided written notice to vacate (typically 30 days). If he dosn't leave at that point, then you can start the eviction process. There are exceptions, so check back.

truesdell · #3 08-14-2007, 08:41 PM

Check your local legal definition of a "tenant." Here in CA, a tenant is someone who pays rent, in some form or another. If your father in law is not considered a tenant under local laws...getting him out will probably be MUCH more simple and a lot cheaper than going through with a full-on eviction.