I Got An Eviction Notice. What Should I Do? Iowa

You can’t ignore an eviction notice in Iowa. The quicker you act the better chances you have to reslove issue. There are three types of eviction notices and they should come in order. The first one should come from your landlord. The second one comes from the court and you get a chance to fight it and the last one comes from the sheriff or marshall and you have no choice but to get out. If you need a lawyer because of violation of your tenant rights or your lanlord’s negligence on responsibility don’t hesitate to contact one right away. Read on for more information.

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First, you need to figure out what kind of eviction notice you received.

If the document is from the landlord himself, it is probably the “notice” he is required to give you before he can file a lawsuit against you. It might say, "Pay the rent or vacate in 3 days" or the like. If you fail to do either during the stated time, he may then file his eviction lawsuit in court.

If the document is from the court, it is probably what is called a “summons” notifying you that the landlord has filed an eviction lawsuit against you. You now have a chance to defend yourself in court - if you act quickly.

If the document is from the sheriff or marshal's office, it is probably an order to vacate that the landlord has obtained after suing you. The order will probably state a time by which you must vacate.

What to do depends on what kind of notice you received.

If the document is a landlord's notice and you are able to comply with it (e.g., by paying the overdue rent), do it. If the document is a summons, see a lawyer right away. Don't put it off, because the time limits for responding to a summons are very short - as little as 3 days in some jurisdictions, and your lawyer might need some of this time to prepare and file papers for you. If the document is an order to vacate from the sheriff or marshal's office, you should probably move your family and your belongings out of the premises as soon as possible.

If you leave anything behind, it might cost you storage fees to get it back. Finally, if you didn't receive a summons before you received the order to vacate, then you should see a lawyer right away, because a lawyer might be able to have the order vacate or otherwise set aside the eviction order on the ground that you never had a chance to defend yourself in court.

For more information on eviction defense, tenant rights, eviction, security deposits, leases, tenant lawyers and discount legal services, visit GotTrouble.com
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