The eviction itself wasn't the problem. The paperwork was. A single incorrect date on a 48-hour notice nearly derailed the entire process and taught Alan a lesson he never forgot.
Experience doesn't prevent mistakes.
It teaches you how to recover from them.
Everything about this eviction appeared routine. The notice was posted. The moving company was scheduled. The police were notified. The eviction team arrived expecting an ordinary execution.
Then the tenants said something unexpected.
They had no idea an eviction was scheduled.
At first, that didn't make sense.
Then the police officer showed Alan a copy of the notice he had provided earlier that morning. That's when he spotted the problem: the date on the notice was wrong.
A simple clerical error.
A potentially serious one.
Fortunately, Alan had retained his records and knew exactly where the notice had been posted. When everyone went to check, the correctly dated notice was still there on the property. The version left at the police station was the mistake—not the one that had actually been served.
The discrepancy was resolved, and the eviction proceeded without further issue.
But the lesson remained.
The Constable Files – Episode 32: The Wrong Date is a true story about documentation, verification, and the importance of checking your paperwork before someone else does.
Because in this profession, the smallest mistake on a piece of paper can become the biggest issue of the day.
