Is a landlord allowed to change the locks on the door after the 30 day notice period?
A landlord cannot do anything to a property to make it “unlivable” by a tenant, even if that tenant owes money for rent and is in the process of being evicted. Unlivable means things like changing the locks, turning off utilities, removing doors and windows, etc. An eviction is a legal process, and cannot be considered final until the tenant has moved out or has been removed forcibly by the sheriff. The way it works is that the landlord gives the tenant a 30-day notice to vacate. If the tenant does not vacate, then the landlord files an eviction complaint with the county courts. Within 5 days, the tenant has the right to submit a written response to the complaint as to why they think the eviction is illegal. If the judge agrees with the landlord (and automatically if not response is submitted by the tenant), the judge issues an eviction order within about 20 days of the complaint being filed. The court then issues a writ of possession to the landlord and the tenant, and the tenant then
