If you’re a landlord or property manager seeking to evict a tenant due to non-payment of rent or other lease violations, you should use a Louisiana (LA) Eviction Notice.
Your eviction notice must be written according to Louisiana state law, and give your tenant the legally required amount of time to respond, correct the violation(s) of lease terms, or move out.
Louisiana Eviction Notices by Type
Download a free eviction notice customized for Louisiana state law below in MS Word (.docx) or Adobe PDF format.
10-Day Lease Termination: Use this notice to vacate to let a tenant know that you’re ending a month-to-month lease and that they must prepare to leave your property.
In Louisiana, landlords and property owners must give tenants 10 days’ written notice to move out if they’re on a month-to-month tenancy.
Additionally, landlords must give 5 days’ notice for a lease longer than a week but shorter than a month and 30 days’ notice for a lease longer than a month.
Download: Word (.docx) or Adobe PDF
5-Day Notice to Quit for Non-Compliance: Use this notice to vacate to begin evicting a tenant if they’ve broken the terms of your rental agreement (such as engaging in illegal activity in the rental unit).
Landlords must give tenants a 5 days notice period before the Louisiana eviction process can begin in court. During that time, tenants may have the option to fix (or “cure”) the problem.
Download: Word (.docx) or Adobe PDF
5-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit: Use this notice to vacate to evict a tenant if they haven’t paid rent on time. Landlords must give tenants 5 days’ notice to either pay owed rent or vacate the property before the Louisiana eviction process can begin in court.
Download: Word (.docx) or Adobe PDF
If you wish to send a letter simply reminding your tenant that rent is late (without threat of eviction), use a late rent notice.
Eviction Laws and Requirements
Title XI of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure outlines all state laws and requirements for eviction in Louisiana.
- Louisiana State Laws: Title XI of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure
- Rent Payment Grace Period: No grace period for late or non-payment of rent in Louisiana unless stated specifically in the lease.
- Notice of Non-Compliance: Five days. Louisiana CCP 4701
- Late or Non-Payment of Rent Notice: Five days. Louisiana CCP 4701
What is the Eviction Process in Louisiana?
Step 1 – Serve Louisiana Eviction Notice (Notice to Vacate)
Providing the proper notice to vacate is the first step in the eviction process in Louisiana. Before sending it to a tenant (via certified mail or personal service), remember to make a copy of this notice for your records.
Step 2 – File Petition for Eviction
Suppose the tenant doesn’t vacate the rental premises by the date identified in the eviction notice. In that case, you can file a petition for eviction at the proper Louisiana court to start eviction proceedings.
The city court where landlords must file eviction lawsuits is determined by where the rental property is located.
Step 3 – Go to Court
The court will prepare an Order to Show Cause, which a parish constable or city marshall must serve. This notice provides the date and time of the hearing. Attend this hearing if you want to successfully evict a tenant.
Step 4 – Receive Judgment of Eviction
If the tenant doesn’t appear in court on the designated court date (results in default judgment), or you prove your case to the court’s satisfaction, the court will issue a Judgment of Eviction.
Step 5: Obtain Writ of Possession or Warrant for Possession
If your tenant has not vacated the property, ask the court for a Writ of Possession or Warrant for Possession. Provide the executed order to the appropriate constable or marshall so they can physically evict the tenant.
Related Louisiana Court Forms
Each city and parish in Louisiana has its own court forms, but examples can be found on the official Shreveport government website.
Contact the court clerk where the property is located for the following forms (and remember to ask about filing fees).
- Petition for Eviction: The Petition for Eviction sets out your legal grounds for evicting the tenant, states that the court is the appropriate one to file your legal action, and asks the court to formally evict the tenant.
- Soldier’s/Sailor’s Affidavit: This affidavit states whether the tenant is in the military and is filed with the petition.
- Order to Show Cause: This order is served on the tenant, notifying them when the court hearing will be.
- Writ of Possession or Warrant for Possession: This document gives the parish constable or city marshall (law enforcement officer) legal authority to physically remove the tenant from your property.
Eviction Information for Louisiana Landlords and Tenants
The following is more landlord-tenant information surrounding Louisiana eviction laws and the eviction process.
Landlords
Louisiana law prevents landlords from taking self-help measures against their tenants, such as shutting off utilities or changing the locks without a court order.
Visit the National Conference of State Legislatures for more information on the rights and obligations of Louisiana landlords and the legal civil actions you can take against tenants.
Tenants
The New Orleans Bar Association has information on Louisiana tenants’ legal rights and obligations.
LouisianaLawHelp.org is a good resource for Louisiana tenants to understand their rights and the eviction process (including what to know about retaliatory evictions).
If you are a tenant facing eviction, visit the following sites for more information:
How to Write an Eviction Notice (Notice to Pay Rent or Quit)
Follow the steps below to write an eviction notice in Louisiana.
Step 1 – Fill Out Date of Notice
Write the date of the Eviction Notice.
Step 2 – Enter Tenant Information and Property Address
Provide the name of all tenants listed on the original lease or rental agreement. Enter the full street address for the rental property.
Step 3 – Enter Lease/Rental Agreement Information
Provide the name (or title) and the original lease or rental agreement date.
Step 4 – Enter Late Rent Details
Provide the beginning and end dates for the time period in which the rent is past due. Write the amount of the past due rent, late fees (if any), and the total amount the tenant owes to the landlord.
Step 5 – Sign Notice and Enter Landlord Information
The landlord will sign and date the Eviction Notice. Provide the landlord’s current contact information so the tenant can contact the landlord if necessary.
Step 6 – Provide Proof of Service
Proof of service is an affidavit that shows that the Eviction Notice was served to the tenant.
Enter the date of delivery. This is important because it provides evidence of the date the notice is delivered to the tenant, which starts the number of days the tenant has to pay the past due rent (5 days) or vacate the property.
The person delivering the Eviction Notice, the server, should complete the delivery method, the fields for the person receiving the notice, and the address of the location where the notice was delivered.
The server signs, prints their full name, and dates the proof of service.
Louisiana Eviction Notice Sample
Below is an example of what a Louisiana eviction notice looks like.
Louisiana Eviction Notice Sample
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