Eviction Court Date

[bongovi]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NJ

Well, after a long battle, I filed for eviction & Friday is the court date. Our tenant has not paid since July...what should I bring to court??? He also changed the locks & won't respond to any attempts we've made to contact him.

Thanks!!!!!

 

[Gail in Georgia]

My motto is...bring everything but know where everything is in your files.

Your current lease stating the date the lease started, the date it ends, the monthly rent, when the rent is due, when late fees come into play. Records of when your tenant last paid. Copies of documentation regarding Pay or Quit notices, written attempts to contact your tenant, documentation of the tenant changing the locks, any written documentation of threats from your tenant.

Bring the originals and a copy for the judge just in case they request this.

Your case will be presented based on the evidence you have (instead of getting into a verbal disagreement with any lies your tenant might say).

On my recent trip to Civil Court I even brought the former landlord whose name I found from an old lease my tenants had left behind. It must have worked; when the tenants saw her walk into court, they got up, left and never returned.

Gail