2024 Eviction Process in Idaho: Laws for Landlords & Property Managers

A Forcible Entry or Unlawful Detainer Suit is the legal term for the Complaint a landlord files against a tenant. These vary from county to county, but they still follow the same general eviction process:

• Send a clear written notice
• Fill out the forms
• Serve the tenant
• Attend the trial
• Wait for judgment

Once a landlord wins the case, they can ask for a court order called a Writ of Possession that will order a tenant to move out of the rental unit. A landlord cannot evict a tenant without one being issued to them.

This article details a summary for landlords to refer to when evicting a tenant. Alternatively, a landlord can also ask for legal advice from an attorney for more information on the rules for eviction.

The best legal advice will come from an attorney who is well-versed in Idaho legal law.

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Now, let’s dive in. 

Eviction Reasons

The first step all evictions must take is providing a notice called a Notice to Quit. There are only some states which do not require a Notice to Quit, and even then, it depends on the reason for eviction.

The notice must provide the reason for eviction and how long a tenant has to pay, comply, or leave before the process begins. A landlord cannot evict any tenants without this notice.

1. Failing to pay rent/Nonpayment of rent

The most common reason for eviction is the nonpayment of rent. A landlord can evict a tenant for nonpayment of rent.

Late rent payment in Idaho is a day past its due.

Before starting the eviction process, a landlord must give the tenant a written 3-Day Notice to Pay once the rent is past due. This gives the tenant 3 days to pay rent or leave the rental unit.

If the landlord wants to offer a second chance, they may do so. They can also provide a stipulation in the lease that offers a grace period.

If a tenant wants to avoid getting evicted, they have to pay rent due. Payment of rent in full stops the eviction process.

Failure to pay rent in full means the tenant must vacate the rental unit.

Should they remain past the notice period of 3 days and refuse to move out, the landlord may continue filing to evict the tenant.

2. Violation of the lease/rental agreement

A lease agreement can vary from tenant to tenant. It contains all information on the responsibilities of each party during the entire duration of the tenant's stay.

A tenant may face eviction for violating the terms of the lease. Both tenant and landlord must uphold the lease/rental agreement at all times.

If a tenant violates any terms from the lease agreement, the landlord must give a written notice called a 3-Day Notice to Comply. This notice informs the tenant that they have 3 days to either fix their violation or vacate the property.

Lease violations in an Idaho eviction include:

• Damage to the rental unit
• Subleasing the rental unit
• Smoking in non-smoking areas
• Housing a pet in a pet-free rental unit, etc.

A landlord can begin the eviction lawsuit to evict a tenant who cannot fix their violation or vacate the property after their notice period.

3. Conducting illegal drug activity

If a tenant has engaged in illegal activity, the landlord is required to give them a written 3-Day Notice to Comply before proceeding with a Forcible Entry or Unlawful Detainer suit.

Illegal drug activity includes the involvement in the creation, distribution, or consumption of a controlled substance.

4. Committing health and safety violations

A landlord can evict a tenant for threatening the sanitation of the entire rental property by creating waste. A landlord has to give the tenant a 3-Day Notice to Quit.

The landlord may start filing for eviction if the tenant fails to vacate the rental unit after 3 days.

5. Non-renewal of lease after the end of the rental period

An Idaho eviction process does not allow a landlord to evict a tenant without good cause. However, if the tenant becomes a "holdover" tenant, the eviction process may begin after the notice period.

A holdover tenant is someone who overstays their lease term without applying for a renewal. This type of notice usually only applies if the landlord wants to end the tenant's lease.

Tenants under a month-to-month lease have to ensure they renew their lease to avoid eviction. A landlord must give the tenant a written notice called a 30-Day Notice to Quit if they do not wish for the tenant's lease to be renewed.

It does not matter whether a tenant is on a month-to-month lease or a week-to-week lease. They all receive the same type of notice.

A landlord may start filing for eviction for tenants who remain on the rental property after the end date indicated in their notice period.

To download your own Idaho lease agreement, visit DoorLoop's Forms Page to quickly download an example lease agreement.

Filing a Complaint

The next step to a state of Idaho eviction process is filing a legal complaint in the correct district court. Successful evictions rely on accurate filings, so the landlord must file them correctly.

1. Steps in filing

• Proceed to the justice court the rental property belongs to
• Fill out the forms to file the complaint - be sure you know your district's zip code for ease in filling out the forms
• Pay the fees

2. Timeline

It takes about 3-30 days from when the eviction notice was given to the tenant before a complaint may be filed.

This part of the process can take as long as 1 month.

Notice to Comply

Before filing for an eviction with the court, you need to issue the tenant a notice to comply. You can either download the free PDF or Word template, or create your Idaho eviction notice from here using a step-by-step wizard that guides you through the entire process to make sure you are submitting the legally correct notice.

Keep in mind, the step-by-step wizard will ask you to pay a small fee at the end - it's a small price to pay to ensure legal compliance and protection. The last thing you want is to go to court only to find out you did the first process incorrect.

Serving the Tenant

The next step in an eviction process is serving the Summons and Complaint to the tenant. In most cases, the landlord cannot serve the documents by themselves.

Idaho state allows individuals over the age of 18 who are uninvolved in the case to serve the documents.

The date and time of the court trial must be found in the Summons.

1. How to serve documents to a tenant

The documents must be served through one of the following methods:

• Personal Service: The Summons and its supporting documents are served on the tenant in person
• Substituted Service: If the tenant is unavailable, a copy of the Summons may be left with someone residing with the tenant who is over the age of 18
• Publishing & Mailing: The Summons and Complaint are published in the local paper, and a copy is mailed to the tenant.

2. After serving the Summons and Complaint

In Idaho, tenants need to file an answer with the court to appear at the court trial within 21 days after receiving the Summons. They must explain why they disagree with the landlord's case against them.

If the tenant fails to file a written answer, it may result in a default judgment in favor of the landlord.

This does not apply to eviction proceedings involving squatters, non-payment of rent, and illegal drug activity.

3. Timeline

There is no specific length of time for a tenant to receive the Summons and its corresponding documents.

However, if the eviction was about non-payment of rent or illegal drug activity, the documents have to be served at least 5 days before the hearing date.

Eviction proceedings meant to evict a squatter require the documents to be delivered at least 24 hours before the hearing date.

A formal answer is required from the tenant within 21 days after they receive the Summons.

To learn more about Idaho's landlord-tenant laws, head over to DoorLoop's Complete Guide to Idaho's Landlord-Tenant Laws for an in-depth guide.

Asking for Possession

1. Filing a Motion to Obtain Judgement and get a Judgement for Possession

To win and accomplish this step, landlords must provide a strong argument backed up by solid evidence against their tenants. Should the tenants fail to show up to the hearing on time, the landlords may win by default.

However, a tenant can send an attorney in their place to defend them during the hearing. The attorney has to be licensed to work in Idaho.

2. Next procedure if the tenant disagreed and filed an answer

Along with the tenant, the landlord has to support their claim with evidence and show it to the judge on the date of the trial. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Copy of the deed and the lease/rental agreement
• Rent receipts
• Rent ledgers
• Bank statements
• Witness statements
• Photo and video documentation of the violations committed by the tenant

Alternatively, either party may ask for the legal services of an attorney who is well-versed in information about Idaho legal law to assist in the hearing.

3. Timeline

Evictions about nonpayment of rent and illegal drug activity are held within 12 days.

An eviction hearing about evicting squatters from the property is held within 72 hours.

For either hearing, the defendants can ask for a 2-day continuance or postponement.

Eviction hearings about other kinds of reasons can only begin after the 21-day period a tenant has to file a written answer. It can even be scheduled for longer than 1 month.

Getting Possession

1. After the landlord wins the case and gets a Writ of Restitution

The court will issue a Writ of Restitution a few hours to 5 days after the landlord wins the case. This court order informs the tenant that they have to get out of their housing on the property or else they will be forcibly removed.

The Writ of Restitution is not given automatically. The landlord must request the court judge for it to be issued.

2. Move out process from the rental unit

This final step in the eviction process is to move the tenant out of their housing. Idaho laws dictate that the tenants have to move out immediately once the Writ of Restitution is given to law enforcement officials.

Only the sheriff or the appropriate authorities are allowed to remove the tenant by force. Even if the landlord wins the case, they cannot engage in a self-help eviction.

If any belongings are left behind, the sheriff's office will move the belongings out of the unit and handle future correspondence with the tenant.

3. Timeline

Tenant shave to vacate the property immediately once the Writ of Restitution is given to the law enforcement officials. No extra time shall be provided.

This does not apply to evictions about nonpayment of rent. In this case, the tenant has 5 days before the Writ is issued.

Idaho Eviction Timeline

On average, it takes about 1 week to 2 months for a complete eviction process in Idaho.

<table style="width:100%"><tr><th>Eviction Process/Steps</th><th>Average Timeline</th></tr><tr><td>Issuing an Official Notice</td><td>3-30 days</td></tr><tr><td>Issuing and Serving of Summons and Complaint</td><td>24 hours – 5 days (or longer)</td></tr><tr><td>Tenant Files for Appearance</td><td>21 days</td></tr><tr><td>Court Hearing and Judgment</td><td>72 hours to more than 21 days</td></tr><tr><td>Issuance of Writ of Possession</td><td>A few hours to 5 days</td></tr><tr><td>Return of Rental Unit</td><td>Immediately</td></tr></table>

Showing Evidence

1. How to keep good records

If the tenant disagrees with the eviction request and they reply to the court, it’s important that you keep extremely good records of everything so you can provide proof to the judge and win your case. This part can make or break your entire eviction request in the event of a dispute.

You can stay organized by:

• Keeping a physical paper trail - This gets VERY hard to search through, takes up a lot of storage space, and could get lost, damaged, stolen, or burnt in a fire.
• Scanning documents - Scan every document into your computer. A great scanner is the Brother ADS-1700W for under $200 or the Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1500 for $400.
• Backups - Store and backup every file using Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or any other option that is easily searchable.
• PMS - Use a property management software to save everything from lease agreements, signed documents, violations, emails, notes, invoices, payments, reminders, maintenance requests, pictures, videos, and anything you can imagine. This is used best when you also scan every document into your software.

2. Evidence to show for not paying rent

If the tenant doesn’t pay rent, and they dispute that claim, it’s important that you show the judge the following:

• Your lease agreement - Showing the terms of the agreement, when rent is due, and any penalties for late payment.
• All payments - Showing all previous payments, how they were normally made (check, credit card, ACH, etc…), and what date they were normally paid on.
• Any payment returns - If their check bounced, their bank account had insufficient funds, or they did a chargeback dispute on their credit card, show this to the Judge. Also show any fees your bank may have charged you, and any penalties you are owed according to your lease agreement.
• All messages - If you sent your tenant automated or manual payment reminders by text, email, a letter, or mail, it’s important to show this. While it’s usually not needed, it’s still good to show that they were aware of the situation and were given time to cure and make payment. This is why it’s always best to have everything in writing instead of any phone calls or face-to-face meetings.

3. Evidence to show for lease violations

If you are evicting the tenant for lease violations, for example, noise complaints, unauthorized pets, or property damages, it’s important to show proof from any of the following methods:

• Security Cameras - If you have a surveillance system that can show them committing the crime or lease violation, it’s safe to say you will normally win this dispute.
• Video - If you didn’t catch them in the act, the next best thing is to record a video with your phone of any damages or the lease violation.
• Pictures - They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, a picture could be worth thousands of dollars! Even if you take a video, it’s important to show the Judge any pictures too as it’s usually easier to see by email or printed.
• Lease Terms - Once again, show the court which term they violated in their lease agreement. Don’t worry if you don’t have every single term spelled out in your rental agreement. If the violation is bad enough, it might not be needed to have it written. For the future, however, it could be beneficial to include these terms in future agreements.