This is a common question from clients and the answer invariably is one attorneys give time and time again to a multitude of questions: it depends. Your initial time period will depend upon why you are evicting the tenant. If they aren’t paying rent, you have to serve the three-day notice to quit or pay rent, wait three days, and then file the lawsuit. The tenant then has five days to “answer”, and then the case is set for trial usually in about two weeks. The hitch is that the lawsuit must be “personally served” and tenants can be quit good at avoiding service.
Therefore, the answer is “at least three weeks and possibly a lot longer” depending on a number of factors.
This link has a flowchart for your average eviction.
If you need help for an eviction in Sonoma County, Mendocino County, Napa County, Marin County, Solano County, Lake County or Contra Costa County, call now. I serve the cities of Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Petaluma, Windsor, Healdsburg, Cloverdale, Lakeport, Clearlake, Ukiah, San Rafael, Novato, Fairfax, Napa, Calistoga, St. Helena and Vallejo. The Law Office of Wallace Francis can help you with your eviction matter.
