Selling a Rental With Tenants in Place
An occupied property you have lost control of is a particular kind of stress. The bills keep arriving, the condition can deteriorate while you wait, and every option seems to run through a court. Here is what Nevada law separates, what you should not do while you sort it out, and where selling fits.
Two things up front. We are not attorneys and we do not give legal advice. And we do not remove people from properties — recovering possession runs through a statutory process, and which one applies depends on the occupant's status and the facts. What we can do is buy the property, occupants and all, so the problem stops being yours to carry.
What Nevada law separates, and why it matters
- 1
Work out what the occupant legally is
This decides which body of law applies, and it is not a matter of opinion. Someone with a tenancy — even a verbal one, even long expired — is a tenant, and removing them runs through the eviction process. Someone who took up residence in a vacant dwelling knowing they had no permission may be an unlawful occupant under NRS 205.0817; there, the presumption is rebutted only by a written rental agreement that is notarised, or signed by an authorised agent who held a Nevada property-management permit at the time, and that carries the owner's current address and phone number. Note those formalities go to that criminal statute's presumption — they are not a general test of whether an informal tenancy exists, which is a broader question. Forcing entry, including changing or manipulating a lock, is separately addressed as housebreaking under NRS 205.0813.
- 2
Do not handle it yourself
Nevada prohibits locking a tenant out, blocking entry, or interrupting electric, gas, water or other essential services to force them out, and gives the tenant expedited relief when it happens (NRS 118A.390). Owners at the end of their patience do this and hand the other side a case. There are narrow statutory circumstances in which an owner may act without a prior court order, but whether you are in one is a legal judgement with real consequences if you get it wrong — which is exactly why it belongs with a Nevada attorney rather than with your own reading of the situation.
- 3
Serve the right notice
For a periodic tenancy other than week-to-week, a no-cause notice runs at least 30 days (NRS 40.251). For nonpayment on residential property, the notice period is 7 judicial days (NRS 40.2512). Where the facts amount to forcible entry or forcible detainer as Nevada defines them, that route contemplates 4 judicial days to surrender (NRS 40.230, NRS 40.240). Picking the wrong notice for your situation can cost you the case, and judicial days are not calendar days — two of several reasons this belongs with an attorney rather than a template.
- 4
Status gets decided on the facts, not by you
The routes genuinely differ, and each has its own entry conditions. Where a tenant is in default on rent and rent runs monthly or shorter, Nevada provides a supplemental summary remedy (NRS 40.253) — that specific procedure is about unpaid rent, not about settling who someone is. Separately, where the facts meet Nevada's definitions of forcible entry or forcible detainer (NRS 40.230, NRS 40.240), a different route applies, carrying its own notice, a chance for the occupant to respond, and a court order for removal (NRS 40.414). Note that someone simply not being your tenant does not by itself establish those elements — the facts have to fit the definitions. Which procedure your situation belongs in is a legal question, weighed on evidence rather than on what the owner believes, and an occupant claiming a verbal agreement can slow it considerably.
- 5
Decide what you actually want
Some owners want the property back. Others want to be finished with it entirely. Those are different goals with different routes, and it is worth being honest with yourself about which one you are chasing before spending months on the other.
Your realistic options
There are three, and the right one depends mostly on whether you want the property back or want to be done with it.
See the process through
If you want to keep the property, this is the route: a Nevada attorney, the correct notice for your situation, and the court. It takes time and it costs money, and it is how possession is lawfully recovered.
List it occupied
Worth considering if the tenants are paying and reasonable — a tenanted rental is a normal thing for an investor to buy. It gets harder when the occupancy is contested or the condition is poor, since a buyer needing a mortgage may not be able to finance it.
Sell it as-is, occupied
We buy properties with people still in them and in whatever condition they are in. You stop paying for a property you cannot use, and the situation transfers with the sale rather than waiting on your outcome.
Where we come in
Our part is the third option. We can look at the property as it is, make a no-obligation cash offer that reflects the real situation rather than a pretend vacant one, and close through a licensed Nevada title and escrow company — subject to the signed agreement and the usual title work. We are not promising to solve the occupancy; we are offering to take the property. If what you actually want is the house back, the honest answer is an attorney and the court process, and we will say so.
An occupied property we bought
A house taken over by people who would not leave
Las Vegas Valley
A client had a group of people occupying their property and refusing to leave. They had taken over the house, it was filling with debris, and the situation was getting worse rather than better. The client had not been able to resolve it themselves and reached out to us to see whether we could help them get out from under the property and the situation.
We sent one of our team out to look at the property with the client and take photos, then brought in our transaction coordinator to start the process. The property was eventually clear, though it was left needing a great deal of work. The client sold the house to us and was rid of the property, the liens, and everything else that came with it.
As told by Alex Wentland, CEO — July 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Occupied property questions we hear a lot
Will you buy a house that still has tenants in it?
Yes. We buy occupied rentals, including difficult tenancies, and we would rather know exactly what we are walking into than be told the house is empty and find otherwise. Tell us who is in the property and what the arrangement is, and we will price it honestly.
Do you remove the tenants or squatters for me?
No, and be careful of anyone who says they do. We are not attorneys and not law enforcement. Recovering possession in Nevada runs through a statutory process, and which one applies depends on the occupant's status and the facts — none of which changes because the house changed hands. What a sale can do is take the property, and the ongoing cost of it, off your hands.
What is the difference between a tenant and a squatter?
Legally it matters a great deal, because it changes the procedure and the protections. A tenant has a tenancy, which can exist even without a written lease, and recovering possession runs through the eviction provisions of NRS Chapter 40. Someone who took up residence in a vacant dwelling knowing they had no permission may instead be an unlawful occupant under NRS 205.0817, which is a criminal statute with its own test. Which one applies is decided on the facts and ultimately by a court — not by the owner, and not by us.
Can I just change the locks? They are not paying anything.
Not on a tenant. Nevada prohibits locking a tenant out, blocking entry, or shutting off electric, gas, water or other essential services to force them to leave, and the tenant can seek expedited relief when it happens (NRS 118A.390). Nevada law does describe narrow circumstances in which an owner may act without a prior court order, but they turn on specific facts and notice requirements, and deciding you qualify without advice is how owners create the problem they were trying to end. Ask a Nevada attorney before you touch a lock.
How long does an eviction take in Nevada?
It depends on the ground, the tenancy, and whether it is contested. A no-cause notice on a periodic tenancy other than week-to-week runs at least 30 days (NRS 40.251); a nonpayment notice on residential property is 7 judicial days (NRS 40.2512); the forcible entry and detainer route contemplates 4 judicial days to surrender (NRS 40.230, NRS 40.240). Those are notice periods before a court process, not total elapsed time — and note "judicial days" are not calendar days. Anyone quoting a firm figure without knowing your facts is guessing.
Do I have to clean the place out first?
No. We buy as-is, including properties left in poor condition — debris, damage, belongings left behind. That is normal in these situations and it is not something you need to solve before talking to us.
There are liens and unpaid bills on the property too. Does that stop a sale?
Usually not. Liens are typically settled through escrow at closing, which is one of the reasons every purchase we make runs through a licensed Nevada title and escrow company. Tell us what you know about and we will look at the rest with the title company.
What does it cost to talk to you?
Nothing. Looking at the property and giving you an offer is free and carries no obligation, and when we buy we cover the standard closing costs. If the better answer is to finish the legal process first and then list it, we will say so and take no referral fee for pointing you elsewhere.
About this guide
Written by the team at Alex Buys Vegas Houses, a Henderson-based property solutions company that buys houses across the Las Vegas Valley and Boulder City. We buy occupied rentals across the Las Vegas Valley, including properties in poor condition and with contested occupancy — and we tell owners plainly when the better route is finishing the legal process first.
Last reviewed July 2026. This is general information about Nevada's process, not legal advice — for advice about your specific situation, talk to a Nevada attorney or a HUD-approved housing counselor.
When we do buy, here is what that means
As-is, any condition
No repairs, no cleaning, no staging. Leave behind what you do not want.
No agent fees or commissions
You are selling directly to us, so there is no listing side to pay for.
We cover standard closing costs
The usual closing costs come out of our side of the table, not yours.
Close on your timeline
Days or months — you pick the date that actually works for you.
A local buyer, based in Henderson
We work across the Las Vegas Valley and Boulder City, and we come to the house. Not a national iBuyer, not an out-of-state fund.
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Tell us about the property
The address, and roughly who is in it and how they got there. Nothing you say is going to shock us. If you would rather talk it through, call (702) 793-2582.