Some courts are set to resume operations in Phase Two and with that the resumption of evictions.
Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center Executive Director Cashauna Hill says evictions are a legal process that cannot proceed without a court hearing.
“The landlord will get a date and then the tenant will get the opportunity to go to court with the landlord and both might explain their side and the judge will make the decision about whether or not the tenant will be kicked out of their home,” says Hill.
Landlords with federally backed mortgages will not be able to file for evictions until the federal moratorium ends August 24th.
Hill says if the court agrees that you should be removed from your home then you will be given a certain amount of time to leave. If a tenant does not leave within the prescribed time then the landlord would need to go back to court and get permission to have the tenant’s items removed from the home.
Hill warns that landlords have attempted to force residents out of their homes before the process is complete by changing locks, shutting off the water, or killing the power. She says that’s illegal.
“It is still very possible for landlords to evict outside of the court process, it is a huge problem in Louisiana and in fact we see it quite often,” says Hill.
If that happens Hill encourages you to reach out to their office.
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