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5 Common Reasons to Evict a Tenant – Property Management St. Louis

selectstl • Jun 21, 2016

Landlords are sometimes unsure about whether or not they have the right to evict a tenant that they no longer want in their rental property. There are five pretty common reasons that property owners evict tenants. You’re pretty safe in removing a tenant if you find yourself in one of these situations.

Rental Payments and Eviction

Probably the majority of evictions are due to late rent payment or a lack of rent payment. When you have a tenant who pays rent late, or is consistent in paying rent late every month, you can lawfully evict that tenant from your home. You also have the right to evict if you have not received any rent at all after it’s due. For this type of eviction, you’ll want to move quickly so you don’t accumulate several months of missed rent payments.

Policy Violations and Eviction

Your lease agreement includes several policies which your tenant agrees to follow. So if you have a no smoking policy and you find your tenant is smoking in the house, you have grounds to evict. If there’s a pet policy in place and the tenant violates that pet policy, you can also move to evict. The tenant needs to follow the lease.

Evicting for Lease Violations

It’s not only the policies and procedures in your lease that a tenant needs to follow. Any written part of your lease that is ignored or violated provides you with a reason to evict your tenant. Make sure you know your lease so you can be aware of what the tenant can and cannot do.

Illegal Use of Your Property

You can always evict a tenant if you discover that illegal acts are being committed in your property. If the tenant is selling drugs, stockpiling firearms, or running an illegal business out of the home, you can evict.

Selling Your Property

When you decide you want to sell your property, you can take steps to evict a tenant. That opportunity will come with some considerations that you need to make for the tenant, but you can sell your home even while it’s occupied, and have your tenants move out.


If you have any questions about eviction and the reasons that you might want to remove a tenant, please contact us at Select Leasing & Management.

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