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As evictions tick up following the end of pandemic-era rent relief, more people are facing the possibility of losing the roof over their heads.
If you’ve received a notice to vacate or a summons and complaint, it’s important to reach out for help quickly, tenant lawyers told The Salt Lake Tribune.
Various state agencies and nonprofit groups are available to help, whether you’ve been told you have three days to fix the problem or get out or you’re facing an eviction lawsuit.
Here’s more information on what you can do at various stages in the process and who can help.
A notice to vacate is the landlord’s first step in the eviction process. It tells tenants they must move out or be sued for eviction. It may give you a chance to fix the problem, such as paying rent or complying with rules in your lease, instead of moving out.
Each notice will have a deadline to comply. Deadlines vary depending on the reason for the notice:
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Three business days for nonpayment of rent. This doesn’t count weekends or holidays.
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Three calendar days for a criminal act, engaging in unlawful business, nuisance, subletting, violating the lease or waste.
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Fifteen calendar days if they aren’t renewing the lease.
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Five calendar days for any reason if the landlord and tenant don’t have a formal lease.
The day a tenant receives the notice is considered day zero, according to Utah State Courts. That means someone who receives a three-day notice on Monday has until Thursday to comply.
People have a few options when they receive the notice.
For one, they can fix the problem in the notice.
If the notice is for nonpayment of rent, several organizations can help.
Utah Community Action and YWCA Utah are two options for people with low incomes. Utah Community Action is available to call or email at 801-359-2444 and info@utahca.org. YWCA is available for general inquiries at 801-537-8604 and info@ywcautah.org or in a crisis at 801-537-8600 and advocates@ywcautah.org.
There are other options available at slc.gov/housingstability/resources-for-rental-assistance-and-eviction-prevention and by calling 211 or visiting 211utah.org.
If the notice is for a lease violation, the tenant can correct the problem and tell the landlord in writing what they’ve done.
Tenants also can try to work something out with their landlord through a mediator — a neutral person who will try to help find a resolution.
Mediators are available through various services:
Tenants also can move out or try to challenge the lawsuit, though that could mean owing hundreds or thousands extra in rent, fees and fines if the landlord wins.
When tenants don’t comply with notices to vacate, landlords can file eviction documents in court.
Tenants will then receive a summons explaining their rights and a complaint explaining the reason for eviction. They’ll have three business days to respond after receiving the summons.
There’s legal help and advice available for filing an answer available through a few organizations:
More advice for people about what to do and information on steps in the process are available at utcourts.gov/en/self-help/categories/housing/landlord/eviction-tenant.html. That information is available in Spanish at utcourts.gov/es/self-help/categories/housing/landlord/eviction-tenant.html.
Tenants also can find information on eviction prevention at hud.gov/states/utah/renting/evictionprevention, though it does reference emergency rent relief that people can no longer apply for. That site is available in Spanish.
