West Virginia Eviction

UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021

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Jeffrey Johnson

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Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

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UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021

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It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021

Advertiser Disclosure

It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021Fact Checked

Evictions in West Virginia are available to any landlord so long as the landlord follows proper West Virginia eviction procedure. If the landlord does not follow West Virginia eviction law, the eviction suit may be dismissed, and the tenant may be entitled to damages from the landlord. In West Virginia, eviction actions are called “unlawful detainer” suits.

Available West Virginia Termination Notices

The most common reasons for evictions are failure to pay rent and breach of a term of the lease. Before a landlord can file for eviction, he or she must give the tenant the proper termination notice, which outlines the reason or reasons for the termination. For month-to-month or other periodic tenancies, the landlord needs no cause to terminate; he or she must only give a certain amount of time for the tenant to leave (usually 30 days).

For term leases (1 year and 2 year leases), the type of notice a landlord must give depends on the reason for the termination. If a landlord wishes to end a term lease tenancy earlier, he or she may do so by serving the tenant with an appropriate notice. You should contact an evictions lawyer or your local Magistrate court to find out exactly what kind of notice you should give your tenant.

Getting Help

Evictions in West Virginia are handled by the Magistrate courts. Find your local Magistrate court at the West Virginia courts website. Your local Magistrate court will also have forms available for you to fill out to begin the eviction process. If you are unsure of the termination and/or eviction process at any point, consulting an experienced West Virginia landlord tenant attorney is a good option. Be sure to take a look at Questions to Ask Your West Virginia Evictions Lawyer below before you speak with an attorney.

Self-Help Evictions in West Virginia

Self-help eviction is illegal in all states. In West Virginia, a landlord may not shut off the utilities, lock out a tenant, or force a tenant out in any other way. If a landlord uses self-help methods to evict a tenant, the tenant may be entitled to:

  • Damages; and
  • Attorney’s fees.

Questions to Ask Your West Virginia Evictions Lawyer

  1. How many evictions cases have you handled?
  2. How many were successful/unsuccessful?
  3. How long will the eviction process take?
  4. For tenants: How long do I have before I MUST move out?
  5. For landlords: Will I be able to get a judgment for back rent for the amount of time the tenant has been living in the rental property illegally?
  6. What do you charge?
  7. For landlords: If I hire you, will I be subject to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)?

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Jeffrey Johnson

Insurance Lawyer

Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

Insurance Lawyer

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

Get Legal Help Today

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

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