malloc wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2024 6:25 pm
zompist wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2024 6:17 pmDid you get a written notice? Did it state the reason for eviction?
Yes and it specifies that I failed to pay the rent.
Did it specify that you can pay the rent, and in what time period?
It says nothing about having the option of paying the rent. It says that I have 30 days to vacate the apartment and return my keys or they will take me to court. Not one word about having the option to pay rent now.
malloc, landlords are not the law. He may not know the law, or may hope that you don't.
You do have the option to pay and you should be
communicating with him to do so right now. So far as I can see, from several sites, the landlord
must accept payment in full.
DOCUMENT any communication you have with him. E-mail is better than phone or in-person, because you can show that you paid, or attempted to pay.
The landlord cannot evict you (i.e. force you to leave). Only a judge can do that. If you simply ignore the written notice, he can file a court case, you will be notified and have to appear in court. You have time in either case: the trial is not immediate, nor is a judge's order.
That sounds like a pointless distinction in this case. The landlord has clearly already made up his mind
to get rid of me based on what the paper says.
If you have no experience with this stuff, then stop assuming you know what it means and how it works.
At the very least, you have
time. He needs to go to court to get rid of you, otherwise he is breaking the law.
Pay the rent; if you don't have all the money, ask to set up a plan to pay it.
You don't need a lawyer in court, though there is such a thing as free legal services. The judge will not evict you if you can show you paid the rent. The judge will be less well disposed if you spend the 30 days sitting on your hands without paying.
FWIW: if this is one month's rent, he's being an asshole, though he is within his rights under Missouri law. If it's more than one month, you need some mechanisms in place to remind you to pay rent. You may well be happier in a new place, or with a roommate. But you still
need to pay the past due amount; not doing so will make it hard to find a new place.