How to Handle an Eviction Notice

Q.      My landlord and I had a slight argument over what he had to fix in my apartment.  This week he told me I have one week to be out of my apartment.  I have lived in my apartment for three years, but never had a written lease.  I have also never been late on my rent.  Can he kick me out without any notice?     T.W, Bensalem

A.      If a landlord wants a tenant to move out, the landlord must follow the notice requirements of any written lease.  In your case there is no written lease, but you still have what is called an oral lease. 

Since you have lived in the apartment for more than one year, the landlord must give you a thirty-day written notice.  Even after the notice, a landlord cannot evict or lock out a tenant without first going through court procedures. 

If the tenant gets a notice from a court scheduling an eviction hearing, the tenant should try to contact a lawyer or a tenant organization.  The tenant should go to the hearing with documents and witnesses and tell the tenant’s side of the story. 

If the tenant does not go to the hearing, the tenant will automatically lose and may be evicted. 

For a free landlord/tenant packet, you can go to www.buckscounty.org or call  Consumer Protection at 215-348-6060 for a copy mailed to your address.