PHILLY EVICTION LAWYER

Philly's Best Eviction Lawyer

Mark Copoulos has successfully represented landlords in thousands of Philadelphia eviction cases obtaining judgments of possession, money judgments against the tenant, and processing the lockout.

Mark Copoulos is Philadelphia’s premiere eviction lawyer, processing tenant lockouts faster than any attorney in the City of Philadelphia.  Copoulos achieves this particular distinction by filing all lockouts on the Earliest Possible Date “EPD” thereby ensuring the fastest court date possible.  While some attorneys “bulk schedule” their hearings, Copoulos believes in prompt and personalized representation in Philadelphia Landlord Tenant Court.  Therefore when Copoulos walks into Court with your case you will get his undivided attention.  While some attorneys with bulk listings may promptly settle all cases out of time constraints, Copoulos will be ready to take your case to trial to obtain the best result possible.

Navigating an eviction in Philadelphia requires specific knowledge.  As a landlord you must provide the tenant with a Certificate of Rental Suitability, Partners for Good Housing Handbook, and Lead Safe Certificate where applicable.  In most cases a lead safe certificate is required where you are renting a property constructed before 1978 to tenants with children ages six and under.  The certificate must be signed by a certified lead inspector asserting the property meets the criteria for rentals.

Eviction, like family matters, are emotional cases with strong feelings on both sides.  Someone is in your valued property who you do not want there.  The tenant often has nowhere else to go but a shelter, and is fighting to preserve what they perceive as their “home.”  Therefore it can be helpful to have an impartial counsel advocating on your behalf.  Finally, if the case gets before a Philadelphia Municipal Court judge your odds of success may be higher if you can prove the elements of your case by a preponderance of the evidence.  Effective counsel may be able to assist you in presenting your case to the judge.

Once you win the case you still must schedule the lockout with the Philadelphia Landlord-Tenant Officer.  This requires you to file a writ of possession and deliver it to the office.  Once the writ is delivered it will be served by the office on the tenant.  From there you must file an Alias Writ and bring it to the Tenant Officer.  Following delivery of the Alias Writ the Tenant Officer will schedule a lockout to serve the writ.  When the writ is “served” the lockout is finalized and the tenant is removed by the officer.  If the tenant refuses to vacate she will be arrested.  It is important to hold the tenant’s belongings for at least thirty days and provide them with an opportunity by appointment to retrieve them.  If you discard of the tenants’ belongings you may be sued for violation of Pennsylvania law.

Evictions can be successfully filed by a layperson, but may be more promptly resolved by an experienced lawyer.  If time is money then it is important to consider that every week you save in processing your eviction may save you several hundred dollars.  If an attorney can process an eviction one month faster than you (by selecting the “EPD” and electronically filing all writs) his services are arguably worth at least one month’s rental on the property.

If you have a tenant who needs to be removed contact our office for a free no obligation consultation.   Most evictions can be processed electronically via email.  Simply send our office the requisite documents and we will send you a contract.  We will take care of the matter and call you when the sheriff is ready to come out to the Property.  Call us or send us an email to process an eviction right now.

Fast Evictions

Our office processes fast evictions by filing all pleadings at the earliest possible date, filing the writs of possession in the minimum time allowable under state law, and being aggressive but always appropriate in civil proceedings against the tenant.

Writs of Possession

The landlords work does not end in the courtroom. You must file a writ of possession with the court ten days after judgment in your favor. The writ must be served on the tenant. After the writ is served and eleven days have passed you are eligible to file the alias writ of possession, which is used to remove the tenant.

Ejectment Services

If the person in your property is not on a written lease then the proper course of action is an ejectment. An ejectment is a civil claim brought in the Court of Common Pleas against squatter. The burden is on the Plaintiff to prove a superior right to possession. This is usually accomplished by presenting the court with a certified and recorded deed.

Money Judgments

Remember that when you sue in eviction you can simultaneously file a claim for money damages. This may include lost rental payments, unpaid utilities, property damages, attorneys fees and other costs incurred. Most tenants are unable to pay on such judgments and therefore it may be reasonable to settle the money judgment in consideration for an agreement to obtain possession of the property.