Family Member Can't Pay His Way

[weebok]

My question involves an eviction in the state of: missouri. we have helped family members with paying utitlies & lot payment & no rent. he was suppose to get a job, but still going into 5 mo now and still we are paying. what rights do we as owner of this mobile home have? we told him verbal he has to be out by 1st of july. he says okay, but its not gonna be that easy with him. he just knows how to work that system, now he has admitted his self into a out of town hospital, saying its his nerves. i dont know how that happened cause he had everything payed for, he never needed to work cause we payed it. so now we need to get all the utitlies shut off cause its in our name. can we do this, beings he is in hospital? we need help & dont know how to go about all this. we are too old to have these problems. if anyone could help us, wed take you out for a supper here in saint joe mo. thanks.

[Mr. Knowitall]

So, basically, you own the mobile home and the utilities are in your name. Somebody else owns the lot, and you've been paying the lot rent. Is the lease for the lot in your name or in your relative's name?

If he's your tenant in your mobile home, the eviction process you would follow is summarized here.

To legally evict you, your landlord must file a lawsuit in court. If sued, you should receive a Petition and Summons, telling you when and where to appear in court, and what your landlord is demanding. Do not ignore the lawsuit. If you do nothing, a default judgment may be entered against you.

Usually the judge will hear your case on the first court date and not continue it. If you have a claim against your landlord, you must file it in writing with the court by the court date.

If the summons was only posted on your property (not hand-delivered to you or your family by a process server), your landlord may only be able to get a judgment for "possession," but no rent. Possession means possession of the apartment or house, not your property.

Contact an attorney as soon as you are sued or notified that your landlord plans to evict you.

A landlord is prohibited from illegally evicting you without a court order, i.e., by locking you out, removing doors to your home, shutting off your utilities, or removing you or your property. You should call your local police or city officials if this happens. In Kansas City, immediately call the Office of Community Relations (513-1836), the Police Department (911), or Neighborhood Preservation (513-9000 for utility shut-offs only). You should also consult a lawyer regarding filing a lawsuit.