If you are being evicted in the state of Nevada, you may not know how to proceed. Learning about the eviction process in Nevada can help you understand your rights and options under the law. After reading this guide, you will understand the steps involved in the eviction process in Nevada and how long each step will take.
Getting Notice
Before your landlord can begin the eviction process in Nevada courts, he or she must give you proper notice. Depending on why you are being evicted, your landlord may provide you with different types of notices and different timeframes in which you must act.
If you have not paid rent, your landlord will give you a five-day “pay or quit notice,” which informs you that you must pay all late rent monies due within five days or face eviction proceedings. If you pay the rent money during this five business day period, your tenancy will be reinstated.
If you are creating a nuisance on the property, your landlord may only have to give you three days of notice to begin the eviction process in Nevada. A nuisance may be any violation of your lease agreement, like keeping an unauthorized pet on the property.
Court Filings and Hearings
If you do not respond in the appointed timeframe to the eviction notice, your landlord will file an “unlawful detainer” suit. This will give you five business days to vacate your property or be subject to the Summary Eviction process.
You will be served with paperwork pertaining to the unlawful detainer and the summary eviction. If you wish to, you may contest the eviction in a court of law. If you decide to contest the eviction, you will be given a hearing date.
While you are not required to attend the hearing, if you fail to appear, your landlord will win the eviction case automatically. The eviction process in Nevada can move very swiftly, and you may be able to win your case if you are being evicted due to illegal discrimination, retaliation, or if your landlord has violated your lease. A lawyer experienced with the eviction process in Nevada can help answer any questions you may have about your hearing.
24 Hour Lockout
If you lose the hearing, or if you do not answer the unlawful detainer and summary eviction notices, you will be served with a 24 hour lockout notice. This notice gives you only 24 hours to vacate the premises or face forcible removal by the constable.
Your landlord is not allowed to use so-called “self-help” methods, like changing your locks or shutting off your utilities, to force you to leave. Landlords must go through the legal eviction process in Nevada or you may be owed damages.
If your personal belongings are left behind after an eviction, your landlord must store them for 30 days and give you 14 days written notice before disposing of them. In order to reclaim your belongings, you will need to pay inventory and storage costs to your landlord.
