Dearborn Heights, MI asked in Intellectual Property and Landlord - Tenant for Ohio

Q: Can I immediately evict a tenant if they threaten property damage through text? He’s also verbally threatened my fiancé.

He’s been staying with us for awhile, he hasn’t paid rent this month and hasn’t paid bills from the month prior. He also made himself a liability when he constantly gets drunk and plays with his firearms. When confronted, he verbally threatened my fiancé while I was at work and told us he was leaving that day, took most of his things and left for about a week. He didn’t return his key. So we changed the locks. He came back without notice, drunk, and texted and called me and my fiancé that he’s going to bust the door to our house down. While also yelling at my fiancé through her window. She ended up having to call the police out of fear from his aggressive behavior and him possibly having his gun. The police ended up letting him take most of the things he left at our property prior and told him he had to leave the property. Can I immediately evict him and what would be the proper course of action?

1 Lawyer Answer
Joseph Jaap
Joseph Jaap
Answered
  • Landlord Tenant Lawyer
  • Cincinnati, OH
  • Licensed in Ohio

A: If rent is unpaid, deliver a 3-day notice to vacate, then file an eviction action. If you just change the the locks and throw his things outside, he could sue you for wrongful eviction. Use the Find a Lawyer tab to retain a local attorney to assist you.

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