Just got eviction notice in San Tan Valley

(Request from Dawn in San Tan Valley, Arizona) Hello,  I fell behind on rent over a year ago my landlord has assisted in letting me make payments and their accounting system just rolls over the balance.  I just got an eviction notice now because they have someone who wants to move into the house and want me out.  I would like someone to help me figure out what my options are please. Thank you very much!

Dear Dawn,

It sounds like they did you a favor by letting you remain in the property as long as you continued paying your rent. If you have been chronically behind on your rent payments, then your landlord does have every right to pursue a legal eviction process to remove you from the premises. Furthermore, if you are at the end of your lease agreement, then the landlord reserves the right to refuse to renew the lease. I am assuming that you still have time remaining on your lease, but that your landlord has decided to pursue eviction in favor of another tenant who they believe may be better able to afford the monthly rent payments.

There are some options for dealing with the eviction. First, you could get help through an eviction prevention program.

CAHRA

Several months ago we detailed the eviction prevention program for a nonprofit organization that helps Pinal County tenants who are facing eviction. The Community Action Human Resources Agency, or CAHRA provides eviction prevention services in Pinal County as well as transitional housing for those who have been recently evicted. This could be a great place to start, especially since the actual eviction has not yet commenced.

Loan Option

A loan option is a remote possibility. If you have reasonable credit and the ability to repay the loan, then it may theoretically be possible to completely repay the arrears prior to the eviction date. If you do this, then your landlord cannot go through with the eviction based on nonpayment of rent.

This can be an option if the finance charges on a loan would be cheaper than having to rent a truck and move your belongings to a new rental property. Keep in mind also that a new rental would require at least 2 months rent in order to satisfy the security deposit and initial month rental fee.

Workout Agreement

Finally, it can be worth considering whether a workaround arrangement is possible. By asking your landlord if they are willing to let you begin repaying the arrears on an set schedule, you may be able to spread out the back payments over the course of a few months. This is usually not likely once an eviction has been filed by the landlord, but it is sometimes worth pursuing to see if they are open to the idea. To truly gain acceptance, the repayment plan should specify a dollar amount that will be delivered according to a series of dates so that they know exactly what the repayment arrangement would be.

A discussion with your landlord can be helpful. However to truly provide a promise that you can be trusted to follow through on the plan, it can help to put your schedule in writing so that they can see that you are serious about the proposal.