In Columbia, South Carolina, an eviction normally takes from 30 to 45 days, and the cost can range from $100 to $1,200, depending on whether you use an attorney to help you through the process. Time is critical when it comes to eviction in Columbia. We tell our tenants that rent is due on the 1st of the month, and it’s late after the 5th. We file for eviction on the 6th.

That way, we can get the clock started on the 30 to 45-day time period. Here is a little bit of information on how the process works:

Eviction Process Phase 1

You first need to go to the magistrate and file for eviction. The sheriff will serve the legal notice to the tenants. When the sheriff goes out, he will give it directly to the tenant if someone is home and answers the door. Then, the tenants have a 10-day grace period to dispute the eviction. If the tenants are not home, the sheriff posts the eviction notice on the door and that’s when the 10 days will start.

Eviction Process Phase 2

After those 10 days are up and the tenants have received the eviction document, you can file for a Writ of Eviction. You’ll need to wait another 14 days or so once this is completed. If the tenants didn’t receive the notice in person and you had to wait for the posting and the mailing, you’ll have some extra time added to the timeline. At this point in the eviction, you are usually about 25 days in.

Eviction Process Phase 3

The final phase of the eviction process is your court appearance. It will take two or three weeks to get in front of the magistrate. Once your case is heard and the judge has ruled, it doesn’t mean tenants will immediately be out of the house. It simply means that the Writ of Eviction has been ordered. Then, you’ll need to get on the sheriff’s docket to schedule a set-out date. That could be another two weeks.

Eviction is not something that happens overnight. It’s a slow process and we like to tell people that just because you filed it doesn’t mean the tenants are going to get out right away or follow the law. That’s why we start the process on the 6th of the month. It allows us to plan for the worst-case scenario, which is an eviction that will take 45 days. We want to make sure you aren’t losing any extra rental income on your Columbia rental property.

We’ll talk about civil suits in a later blog, which you can file once the tenant has been evicted. Something to keep in mind is to check if your property management company in Columbia has programs that can help you. We at Empire PMG have a Rent Protection Program that can help you defray the costs associated with potential evictions. We would love to share the details of this plan with you, so please contact us at Empire Property Management Group. Our job is to help owners with rental properties in Columbia, Lugoff, Blythewood, Irmo, Gaston, Elgin, Lexington, and Sumter.