Evictions
The Suffolk Sheriff's Office procedures for evictions are mandated by the Code of Virginia as amended. The Sheriff's Office works closely with tenants and landlords alike to satisfy the requirements of the court orders we serve. The Suffolk Sheriff's Office executes all orders issued by the Court in accordance with the law.
When a Writ of Possession is received in the Sheriff's Office, an eviction is scheduled as soon as possible. The landlord or plaintiff will be called and informed of the date and time the eviction is to take place. The plaintiff's address and telephone number must be printed on the writ. If the Sheriff's Office does not have a phone number to contact the plaintiff, the writ will be returned to the court. The Sheriff's Office will provide the earliest date available for the eviction.
The Suffolk Sheriff's Office receives Writ's Of Possession on a daily basis thus scheduling may take a few days or possibly a week to be set. Once set, evictions will not be rescheduled for any reason other than an emergency situation to be determined on a case by case basis by the Sheriff's Office. Virginia code requires a 72 hour notice before tenants may be evicted. The plaintiff may call the Sheriff's Office and cancel the eviction if the tenant moves out after the eviction notice is served.
At no time may the plaintiff interfere, cut-off or in any way change the utilities at the property until the eviction is executed by the Sheriff's Office or withdrawn by the plaintiff if the tenant has vacated the premises prior to the eviction and the eviction has been canceled by the Sheriff's Office.
On the date and time of the eviction the plaintiff or their representative must arrive on time and be prepared to change the locks to complete a" lock out" (the most preferred option by most plaintiffs as well as the Sheriff's Office) or have a group of employees large enough to expedite the removal of all property either to the public right of way or to a storage facility.
If the plaintiff fails to appear within 15 minutes of the scheduled eviction time and/or is not prepared to precede the Sheriff's Office will cancel the eviction. Only a "lock out" will be conducted during periods of inclement weather.
Eviction Timeline
Scheduling
When a Writ of Possession is received in the Sheriff's Office, an eviction is scheduled as soon as possible. The landlord or plaintiff will be called and informed of the date and time the eviction is to take place. The plaintiff's address and telephone number must be printed on the writ. If the Sheriff's Office does not have a phone number to contact the plaintiff, the writ will be returned to the court. The Sheriff's Office will provide the earliest date available for the eviction.
The Suffolk Sheriff's Office receives Writ's Of Possession on a daily basis thus scheduling may take a few days or possibly a week to be set. Once set, evictions will not be rescheduled for any reason other than an emergency situation to be determined on a case by case basis by the Sheriff's Office. Virginia code requires a 72 hour notice before tenants may be evicted. The plaintiff may call the Sheriff's Office and cancel the eviction if the tenant moves out after the eviction notice is served.
No Changing Utilities
At no time may the plaintiff interfere, cut-off or in any way change the utilities at the property until the eviction is executed by the Sheriff's Office or withdrawn by the plaintiff if the tenant has vacated the premises prior to the eviction and the eviction has been canceled by the Sheriff's Office.
Date of Eviction
On the date and time of the eviction the plaintiff or their representative must arrive on time and be prepared to change the locks to complete a" lock out" (the most preferred option by most plaintiffs as well as the Sheriff's Office) or have a group of employees large enough to expedite the removal of all property either to the public right of way or to a storage facility.
If the plaintiff fails to appear within 15 minutes of the scheduled eviction time and/or is not prepared to precede the Sheriff's Office will cancel the eviction. Only a "lock out" will be conducted during periods of inclement weather.