How it works
How a case is designed to move through Evictions API once its state is open. An attorney licensed in that state approves the notice and the court packet before anything is served or filed, and you can see the status at every step.
What is available today
Evictions API is a sandbox beta, in test mode only.
Available today
- Sign-up for a free sandbox account
- The online case form
- The REST API
- A sandbox with a fictional test state, where a built-in sandbox reviewer reviews cases automatically, you can step them through to close and receive webhooks
Not available yet
- Serving notices or filing in court for a real case, in any state
- Live mode, which would accept real cases
- Online checkout
A state opens when its rules have been reviewed by a licensed attorney in that state and a partner attorney is confirmed. Until then, requests for that state are recorded and nothing is served or filed.
Two ways to start
Start at the notice
The default. The notice is generated from the state’s rules, the attorney reviews it, and it is served. The case moves to filing only if the matter is not resolved.
Notice already served
Upload the notice and proof of service. They are checked against the state’s notice rules and reviewed by the attorney. If there is a defect, you can restart at the notice stage.
How a case moves through Evictions API
This is the process once a state is open. Today, cases run only in the sandbox: you can create one yourself with the online form or the API, a built-in sandbox reviewer reviews it automatically, and you can step it through to close.
Intake checks
Before a case can be submitted it must pass every check: proof of your authority over the property (you confirm you are the owner of record or an authorized agent and upload a deed or management agreement), the facts the state requires for the ground, a rent ledger that adds up to the amount claimed, and federal and local protections where your state’s rules provide them, such as servicemember status, federally covered and subsidized housing, and local just-cause rules. You also confirm the case is not retaliatory or discriminatory. Validation reports which checks failed and why.Attorney review of the notice
The notice is generated from the state’s rules and goes to a partner attorney licensed in that state. The attorney confirms your authority, reviews the notice, and approves it, returns it with reasons, or asks for changes. The approval covers the exact documents reviewed: if a document changes, it needs a fresh approval.Service of the notice
The approved notice is served on the tenant by a method the state’s rules permit, and the proof of service is attached to the case. Serving a real notice is not available yet.Notice period
The notice period required by the state runs, with deadlines computed from the date and method of service and the rule they come from shown on the case. Nothing is filed before the period ends. Where the state’s rules give the tenant a right to pay or cure, the case allows for it.Attorney review of the court packet
If the matter is not resolved, the court packet is generated and the attorney reviews and approves it before anything is filed.Filing
The attorney is the filer of record. Two filing paths are planned, and neither is available yet: in states marked for direct filing, the packet is to be filed electronically under the attorney’s court account; everywhere else, the attorney is to file through their own court account and record the result on the case. If the court rejects a filing, the case returns to the attorney with the court’s reasons.Service of the summons
After the court accepts the filing, the summons and complaint are served on the tenant as the court’s rules require.Hearing
The court sets a hearing date, which is recorded on the case. The partner attorney handles the hearing. The itemized cost you receive before a case starts shows what the attorney’s fee covers.Judgment
The attorney records the outcome: judgment for you, judgment for the tenant, or dismissal. The court decides the case; no outcome is promised.Writ
Where your state’s rules provide for it, if you have a judgment for possession and the tenant has not left, the attorney can request a writ. A writ is carried out by the officer the court designates.
What you provide
- The property address and the owner of record.
- The names of the parties: you or your company, and each tenant.
- The lease start date and the monthly rent.
- For nonpayment: a rent ledger of charges and payments, and the amount owed.
- For a lease violation: what happened and when.
- A deed or management agreement showing your authority over the property.
- Answers about servicemember status and whether the property is federally covered or subsidized housing, and confirmation that the case is not retaliatory or discriminatory.
- If you already served a notice: the notice, how and when it was served, and the proof of service.
If the tenant pays or cures
You can report a payment or a cure through the API at any time before judgment. If it happens during a cure period the state’s rules provide, the case closes as resolved. At any other point, the attorney decides what happens next. You can withdraw a case at any time before it closes.
Status at every step
Each case shows its current state, the deadlines that apply with their legal source, its documents, and the next action and who it is waiting on. The case history lists the steps visible to you, and webhooks tell your systems when a case changes state.
Have a case to send?
Sign up for a free sandbox account to try the whole process with a test case. Everything runs in test mode.