What is the real cost of eviction for landlords?

By Jeremy Raglin | September 29, 2020

Eviction is on the minds of many people right now due to Covid-19 and the eviction ban in California.

Sadly, even though many people think that most landlords have deep pockets and can easily afford to evict their tenants, the reality is that every eviction comes with a cost.

The Cost Breakdown of an Eviction

Let’s look at the costs involved in using the courts to remove a tenant from your property legally.

Legal fees

Legal fees are some of the highest costs of evicting a tenant. An eviction attorney will make sure all your paperwork is accurate and have a legal basis to evict the tenant.

Real estate attorneys can charge by the hour, or you could find one that has a flat fee for evictions. However, the costs can vary depending on the complexity of the eviction and where you live.

Expect to pay at least $500 in legal fees in an uncontested eviction.

Court costs

Court costs can depend on several factors. First, you’ll have to pay court fees to file a claim. But if the tenant contests the eviction, the cost to evict someone in court will jump up. If the trial drags on, you can soon find out you’ve must pay a few hundred dollars in costs.

The average court costs for filing an eviction are around $50.

Fees for hiring the sheriff

If you win the eviction hearing, you can almost breathe a sigh of relief. However, you need to get the tenant out of the rental unit. In an ideal world, the tenant vacates immediately and hands back the keys. However, in many cases, you must get the sheriff involved.

Costs of getting the sheriff’s office to serve notice can range between $50 and $400.

Book with title Landlord-Tenant Law and a gavel.

Lost rent

Not paying rent is the most common reason for an eviction. On average, it can take around three months to remove a tenant from your property legally. According to Statista, the average rent in the U.S. is $1,463. Now, you see that the total cost of evicting a bad renter has shot up.

The cost to evict someone in terms of lost rent is around $4,000.

Repair bills

There is always a clean-up job after a tenant vacates a unit. But after an eviction, repairs and deep cleaning is almost always necessary. Of course, the repair costs and cleaning fees will vary depending on the level of damage.

For the sake of argument, let’s say that the total costs for repairs and cleaning after an eviction are around $1,000 for repairs and $500 for cleaning.

Other miscellaneous costs involved with evictions

The total cost of evicting a tenant who violates the lease is more than just legal fees, lost rent, and property repairs. Here are a few more fees to add to the breakdown of eviction costs:

Locksmith: $150
Traveling expenses: $100
Advertising a vacant unit: $50 to $200 depending on where you place your ad
Stress: Your health is too valuable to put a price on

A Breakdown of Eviction Costs: The Bottom Line

After crunching the numbers, the actual cost of evicting a tenant can be between $4,000 and $7,000. However, the final eviction bill depends on where you live, the type of rental unit, and how long it takes to evict the tenant.