Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in West Virginia

Is this illegal eviction? or something else?

I lived with my husband and 3 stepsons and we were late paying our rent. We were almost near the end of our lease and had just found the new place we were moving. We decided to move 3 hours away to start fresh, and since we had some time left on our lease we figured we could gradually move our belongings because we couldn't afford a uhaul. We were never gone long periods of time, maybe 3 or 4 days at the most. When we came back the final time (the official last day of our lease agreement), the front door of our place was open and there was a large trailor out front. All of our things were thrown in the trailor and our home was empty. I couldnt help but cry when I saw what was missing...even my wedding dress and family photos. We drove to the landlord's office to find there was an eviction hearing for us in one hour. We decided to go to the hearing - which I didn't think could happen without being served. We were heartbroken, because we had come to pay our rent and turn in our keys. The landlord said they thought we had abandoned the property and they had emptied our home a week ago. How could they do that?

1 Answer from Attorneys

Related Questions & Answers

More Landlord & Tenants questions and answers in West Virginia

Looking for something else?