You were served with an eviction.
Answer it.

Filing an answer stops your landlord from winning by default and gets you a trial date. It takes about ten minutes here. Everything comes from your summons and your own words — nothing is invented.

The papers you were served

Case number

Top right corner of the summons.

County

The county named at the top of the summons.

Your landlord's name

Copy it exactly as written on the summons, including LLC or Inc.

The day you got the papers

How did they reach you?

Is this about unpaid rent?

How much money is your landlord asking for?

Look at the complaint. Under $1,000 lets you file a simple general denial.

Who is answering

Every tenant named as a defendant who wants to fight

Anyone who doesn't sign can still lose by default.

The rental address

City

State

ZIP

Phone

Email (optional)

Your defenses

Check everything that is true. Each one is a real box on the court's form, and each one is a reason the judge can rule for you. Only check what you can back up.

What happened, in your words

The facts behind the boxes you checked

Dates, what you told the landlord, what they did. This goes on the form as item 3t and the judge reads it.

Have you already moved out? (optional)

Leave blank if you still live there.

Mailing and fees

Who gets the mailed copy?

If the landlord has a lawyer, use the lawyer's name from the summons.

Their mailing address

Include a fee waiver requestThe filing fee is about $240. Courts waive it routinely for tenants on public benefits or low income, and in eviction cases the clerk usually decides the same day. Never let the fee stop you from filing.