What if the tenant does not respond to the eviction complaint? Written By Sandra McCarthy Founder, A People’s Choice Fact Checked If the tenant does not file an Answer to the complaint or other type of written response with the court, the landlord can ask the court to enter a default judgment. When requesting a default judgment in an unlawful detainer/eviction case, the landlord must serve the tenant with a copy of the Request for Default. Once the court clerk grant’s the default, the landlord can then complete and file a Judgment for Unlawful Detainer and submit a Writ of Execution so that they can get legal possession of the property. By Sandra McCarthy|December 3rd, 2017|Eviction FAQs|Comments Off on What if the tenant does not respond to the eviction complaint?