Before you speak to the judge, you may have a chance
to talk to the landlord or their representative and work
out an agreement. If you cannot make an agreement or
would prefer to talk to the judge, you may ask for a
hearing. The judge will listen to the landlord first, then
you before coming to a decision.
If the judge rules against you, you must follow the judge's
directions. You may have only 48 hours to move out. If you
do not move in time, the landlord can ask the sheriff to
post a 48-hour notice on your door. After 48 hours, the
sheriff will return to remove you and lock you out.
Post the notice on your door AND send you a copy by certified mail.
The landlord, a process server (a person hired to give you the
notice), or the sheriff can give you or a person in your home the
notice in person.
The landlord must give you written notice before filing for eviction.
After giving you the notice, you may have a limited time to move out,
pay rent owed, or fix a problem. The landlord may send written notice
in two ways:
1.
2.
EVICTION PROCESS
You MUST go to court or you
will get a "default judgment."
That means the landlord
automatically wins the
eviction and you will be
evicted.
The landlord must give you official notice of
when you have to go to court. This is called
the "summons." The summons tells you when
and where the hearing will take place.
Notice
Summons
At the Courthouse
Decision
The landlord must give you 24 hours' notice before entering your
home, and can only enter during reasonable hours (unless in an
emergency). Tenants must let the landlord in for usual inspections
and repairs.
Landlord-Tenant Rights
If your landlord does not keep the property safe & livable, you can:
Repair & Stay: Give the landlord written notice. If they don't fix it
within two weeks, you can fix it and deduct the cost up to one
month of rent. You must give your landlord an itemized bill.
Move Out: You must give written notice that if the repair is not
made within two weeks, you will move out within a month of when
you told them about the issue.
Landlord Right of Entry
If the landlord thinks the property has no value, they may throw it away. If the
landlord thinks the property is worth something, they must hold it for 30 days and you
may either pick up your property and pay anything you owe, or the landlord may sell
the property and use that money to pay anything you still owe after that time.
If you leave anything behind after you move out:
Essential Services: Your landlord must provide some essential services
like heat and water. If they do not, there are other steps you can take and
you can learn more about them at bit.ly/RequiredServices
Resources
oklaw.org/issues/housing/evictions
tulsaltrc.org/renting-tenant/
www.shelterwell.org
