My friend who lives in Virginia wants to throw her boyfriend out of her house. The house is in her and her estranged husbands name. They've been separated for 5 years. The boyfriend doesn't work. The last time she tried to toss him out the sherrifs deputies showed up and told her he was legally a tenant even though he pays no rent and she had to give him 30 days notice. This just doesn't sound right to me. I figure they just didn't want to have to deal with it.

Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks

They are right. Typically, Landlord/Tenant law allows that the occupant of a premises is the resident.

You need to file an eviction.

It'll probably cost you $150-$200 in court costs and filing fees, and a couple trips to the courthouse, to get it done.

Or an attorney will probably do it for you for about $150 (added to the above).

The process will be 30-45 days...

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. :(