Are you looking for eviction help? If so, then you have likely found yourself in a situation where you have no idea what to do next. You’re in trouble, but you don’t know what to do to get out of it…Does that sound familiar? Well, today we’re going to talk about a few of the ways that you can get help with your eviction.
Eviction Help: 3 Ways You Can Get Help With Your Eviction
1. Talk to a Real Estate Attorney!
One of the most important things that you can do is talk to a real estate attorney. Your real estate attorney will ask you about your current situation to see how best to help you. It’s important that you take any and all information that you have in regard to your mortgage or rental agreement, your payment history, any communications with your mortgage company or landlord, etc. The more information you can provide, the more accurate of a picture your attorney will be able to create. The more accurate a picture, the more accurate a solution your lawyer will be able to help you to find.
What kind of solutions can your attorney help you with?
- Assess your current tenant agreement and ensure that this agreement is legal and enforceable
- Determine whether or not your landlord or mortgage company have upheld their obligation to you
- Determine whether your landlord or mortgage company have broken any laws
- Determine whether your landlord or mortgage company have followed the appropriate protocol for eviction
- Assist in developing payment agreements to keep you in your home
There are many different ways that your attorney can help you with your eviction, but to find the best solution for your situation, you must talk candidly with your lawyer.
2. Financial Assistance Programs
There are a number of financial assistance programs out there that are designed to help renters and homeowners to stay in their homes when being faced with eviction. Here in Florida, a few of these programs include:
- Eviction Prevention Program (EPP) (for renters in Miami)
- Emergency Solution Grant (ESG) program
- Florida Housing’s Coronavirus Relief Fund
- State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program – SHIP
- There are also a number of Continuum of Care (COCs) Agencies that can help with housing needs when you are facing eviction
- Orange County Government’s COVID-19 Eviction Diversion Program.
Each county of each state in the U.S. should have at least one program in place that is designed to help renters and homeowners who have fallen behind on payments and who need to find a solution either before their eviction takes place, while their eviction is in process, or after their eviction has taken place and they find themselves in need of shelter.
3. Mediation and Negotiation
We mentioned this briefly in the first option above since this is something that your attorney can assist with. The possibility of mediation and negotiation is going to depend on your specific situation. Your landlord or mortgage company will look at a number of factors that may influence whether or not they are willing to work with you. Some of these factors include:
- Your previous history with your landlord or mortgage company
- Your ability to pay payments on time if you get a new payment plan set up
- How far you have fallen behind on your rent or mortgage
- Whether you are currently employed at a stable job
- The state of the property – whether you have taken good care of the structure or not
- Even how genuine you are in approaching a refinancing or payment arrangement can influence whether your lender or landlord is willing to work with you.
There are a few things that you need to remember when you approach this type of solution, though.
- You shouldn’t try to approach a refinancing or negotiation by yourself. Having a mediator or attorney present will give you a professional source of information, someone with a calm head, and someone who is familiar with any pertinent laws and regulations relating to rental and lending agreements. Attempting to tackle this situation on your own, however, can very quickly lead to hotheads, disagreements, and even dishonesty by unscrupulous lenders or landlords!
- You have to be honest with yourself, your landlord, your mortgage company, and your attorney when renegotiating your mortgage or creating payment agreements with landlords. There is no point in spending time and effort renegotiating your payments if you aren’t going to be able to make those new payments either. Sit down and plan out your budget, really make sure that you know what you can afford in terms of monthly payments and don’t exceed that amount when renegotiating.
- Holding on to your home isn’t necessarily the most important thing to do. As we mentioned above, keeping your home while still being unable to afford your payments is only going to prolong your problems. Sometimes you need to know when to cut your losses and find an alternate solution. If you’re wondering what those alternate solutions are, take a look at our article “Foreclosure Prevention: Getting Legal Help to Avoid Foreclosure“.
Looking For Eviction Help in Florida?
If you’re looking for help with your eviction in Florida, Weidner Law is here and we’d be happy to help you to decide what your next step should be. To set up an appointment with attorney Matt Weidner, just give us a call today at 727-954-8752
