Residential Eviction FAQs - Tenants

As a tenant, you have five days, excluding Saturday, Sunday, and legal holidays, after service of the Summons to file any defenses. This is referred to as an Answer.

If an Answer is filed, the landlord(s) must contact the Court to schedule a hearing. Once scheduled, a Notice of Hearing must be provided to the tenant and filed with the Clerk’s office.

The summons is a notification that the tenant will be evicted within 24 hours.

If the tenant fails to answer the Summons, the landlord may file a Motion for Default, obtain a Final Judgement for Possession, and request an Issuance of a Writ of Possession.