Do we want the eviction process in Nevada to look like that of California?

Senator Julia Ratti has introduced SB151, and it contains several provisions of concern for landlords and property managers regarding summary evictions. The bill would extend the eviction process in Nevada.

SB151 would:

Double the pay or quit timeline from 5 full days to 10 judicial days
Increase the period of time in which the constable has to remove a tenant in default of rent from within 24 hours of the court order to no earlier than 48 hours
Drastically increase the amount of time a person has after receiving a written notice to surrender when the person holds over and continues possession of real property or a mobile home that has been sold or foreclosed upon from 3 days to 30 days
Change the method of service of the notices to the Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure or the Justice Court Rules of Civil procedure, as applicable

The Nevada eviction process works well.

With our current eviction process, renters have a reasonable amount of time to rectify their situation, as well as opportunity to present their case in court. It is mostly a straight-forward and no-nonsense process, as it should be. We do not need to drag out the timeline.

Eviction is not the cause of homelessness.

The causes of homelessness are: death of family members, unemployment, divorce, family disputes, mental illness, addiction, disabilities, etc. We can’t help the homelessness issue by extending the eviction process in Nevada. No one really wants to evict people from a home. However, making it more difficult to do so will not help anyone.

Keep Nevada business-friendly.

Currently, large numbers of investors in Nevada real estate come from out of state. Like most property managers in Nevada, most of our clients are out of state. One of the reasons these investors like to bring their money to Nevada is the fact that their risk is limited here. Increasing the amount of time bad tenants can stay in a rental property, increases the risk and cost to landlords. Unfortunately, that will discourage new investment in Nevada.

This change would lead to increased rent prices.

Raising the risk of owning rental property in Nevada will push landlords to raise rents. Nevada residents would have to pay more for housing. This would be especially troubling for lower income people who may already be at-risk of becoming homeless. As a result, the cost of this proposed law will be born by renters, and could ultimately lead to even more homelessness. In this case, the law of unintended consequences can be brutal.

You can share your opposition to this proposed change to the Nevada legislature here:

https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/Opinions/80th2019/ – Select bill SB151.