Some good news from the Lone Star state. Effective August 31st, 2013, all 254 counties in the state of Texas will be required to abide by the same rules with respect to residential evictions. Previously, the process remained open to interpretation by local small claims courts and was a bit of an dentist waiting room dance. Why is this important? Well…it forces landlords to become more organized and it enables lone star state landlords to move more quickly in dealing with delinquent tenants. In many of the smaller counties, where precinct judges do not work full time, securing a court date in less than a month can be difficult. The new law forces the courts to set a date within a 10- to 21-day window.
“Timelines are so important and these rules were written out to help landlords deal with these tenants who are not paying rent,” said Bell County Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Bill Cooke, who is a full-time judge. “These changes are not only going to give opportunity for more rights for the landlords but repair and remedy for tenants as well”.
Landlords previously took a tenant to court for an eviction hearing if rent wasn’t paid. The new laws will force landowners to take all of the tenants on a lease to court in order to evict them from the property.
Are you a landlord in Texas? What do you think of this legislative change? Share your thoughts with us!
