Eviction firms are really moving.

It's not exactly a reason to celebrate for most Angelenos, but the eviction business is booming throughout Los Angeles County.

Companies that help landlords remove commercial and residential tenants from rental properties say business is up about 25 percent from two years ago.

The Southland's continuing economic slump, which has caused problems galore for many renters, is the reason for the increase. And the end result is the dozen or so companies in Los Angeles County that help landlords evict tenants have more business than ever.

This business boom, however, has more human consequences than most; it's not just a matter of dollars and cents. People's livelihoods and living quarters are at stake, and many tenants take extreme measures to keep a roof over their heads as long as possible.

For instance, Joseph Trink, president of United Landlord Services in Van Nuys, tells the story of a tenant who recently feigned a heart attack.

"The man had asked for a continuance (a delay in an eviction proceeding) and, outside of the courtroom, he faked having a heart attack," says Trink. "He was taken to the hospital, but I know it was a fake. It worked, though, because he ended up getting a continuance and got to stay in his apartment."

Stories like that are not uncommon in the eviction business, which makes it easy to see why those working for eviction services are often characterized as heartless souls. But those working in the industry insist that they are just as compassionate as the next guy.

Under eviction services in the telephone book there are listings of businesses that help landlords separate people from their residences or, in some cases, their businesses. Some in the business have law degrees, but most are paralegals. Many have backgrounds in real estate, as apartment owners or managers.

What these companies primarily do is process the legal work that leads up to the actual evictions. Actual removals from the premises are carried out by the Los Angeles County Marshal's Department.

"Sometimes it can be very sad," says Deputy Kathleen Kearns. who notes the department probably does hundreds of lockouts" every month. "But the people know it's coming. They have received plenty of notice. If it involves someone who needs some help, we call in the social service agencies."

People in the eviction business say it's not a pretty job; but someone's got to do it, and if there' s a buck to be made...

Most of these businesses go where the money is -- representing landlords rather than tenants. Tenants are typically represented by nonprofit associations staffed by paralegals who offer free or low-cost advice to renters.

At least 90 percent of eviction cases in Los Angeles County every year involve residential rather than commercial properties, says Sue Shatzkin, owner of All Valley Evictions and All City Evictions in Tarzana.

"You figure, if they're in business, they have to have some business acumen to know they have to pay their rent," Shatzkin elaborates. "What you find is that, by the time you et around to evicting a business, they have long ago gone out of business."

Most eviction-service people contacted by the Business Journal reported that business is up. But some also point out an ironic twist created by the Southland recession.

"Landlords are being a little more lenient. Because vacancy rates are so high, landlords are being a little more patient before starting legal proceedings.." says Laurence Lishner, owner of Landlord Legal Services in Los Angeles.

Lishner and others say landlords in Los Angeles County today may be more willing than they were three years ago to negotiate with a tenant.

"If the rent is $500, they may be willing to take $400 for one month, with the promise of collecting the rest later," says Trink. "They know, with the high vacancy rate, it may take a little longer to get another tenant quickly."

But the bottom line is that, tenants who don't pay their rent will likely soon find themselves expelled from the premises.

Bill Stafford of Tenants Association, a pro-tenant group in Reseda, recounts that a man living in a $3,500-a-month apartment in Marina del Rey recently received a three-day notice to vacate for nonpayment of rent. The man, says Stafford, ignored the notice, figuring his 10 years in the same apartment would carry some weight with his landlord. He was wrong. In order to avoid eviction, the man filed for personal bankruptcy.

There are even cases in which tenants who are paying their rent on time end up getting evicted. For instance, one real estate agent rented out a a house the agent was trying to sell for a client. However, the owner wasn't notified about the rental agreement and thought the house was vacant. The renters were tossed out once the owner discovered their presence.

The eviction process, as handled by those in the business for prices that range from from $250 to $1,000 per case, is not a complicated matter. It involves filing a-lawsuit with the civil courts and is similar to any other simple legal matter, except that it can move fairly quickly. Except for criminal cases. eviction proceedings are given the highest priority in the court system. said people in the eviction business. They said the entire process can take only a few days and rarely, takes longer than five or six weeks.

To slow things down, a tenant can, and often does, file for bankruptcy protection, which stops all legal proceedings against the filer. Bankruptcy is the most common way to slow the process down but other ways include a renter denying ever receiving a nonpayment notice from the landlord, or demanding a court hearing.

A landlord may start an eviction any time a rent payment becomes delinquent. If a lease agreement says the rent is due on the first of the month, a landlord can start eviction proceedings on the second if the renter has not paid.

The action starts with the landlord serving the delinquent renter with a formal complaint that is also filed with the court. The renter then has five days to submit a written response, or "answer." If the renter submits a response, a court date is set, usually within two or three weeks of the time of submitting the response. When it reaches the court, a judge usually resolves the matter in about 20 minutes.

If the judge rules in favor of the landlord, a notice to vacate is ordered by the court. If the renter doesn't respond within five days, a default judgment is entered in the court and either a three- or five-day notice to vacate is posted on the property by the landlord. If the tenant does not vacate in the allotted time, the Marshal's Department moves in and locks the tenant out.

Most tenants who protest residential evictions base their defense on claims that the landlord did not keep up the property. In commercial cases, tenants cannot use the inhabitability defense because it is written into those lease agreements that the tenant rather than the landlord is responsible for maintainence.