FED is short for a Forcible Entry and Detainer Warrant, more commonly known as an eviction. In many states, including Tennessee where I live and work, a landlord has to “swear out” a warrant and sue in court to regain legal possession of a property from a tenant. By doing so the landlord “swears” that they have been wrongfully denied access to their property (not paid) and want that situation remedied.
After a court hearing where the FED warrant is upheld by a judge, the landlord must then wait a specific period of time to allow their tenant to vacate and remove their possessions. If the tenant does not vacate, then the landlord must file for a Writ of Possession. Once this Writ is served on the tenant, often by a Sheriff’s Deputy, then the eviction can proceed.
With an FED Warrant and Writ of Possession in hand, a landlord gains the legal right to enter into their tenant’s home, by force if necessary, in order to remove them and their possessions and thus take back legal possession of the property. This entire process will generally take about a month.
Filing for and obtaining an FED warrant can be tricky and will differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Plus, if you own your property in an LLC, you might not want to do this yourself. Seek competent advice before filing and going into court. For the curious, the form to file for an FED in Memphis Tennessee can be found here. The Writ of Possession can be found here.
