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a witness. Have that person in the courtroom the day of the hearing, just in case.

It is trickier for a landlord to evict a person for any other breach of the lease than it is for non-payment, and generally takes a longer period of time. It will pay to have an attorney in pocket' who specializes in landlord-tenant law in these instances.

The first step in evicting a tenant for reasons other than non-payment happens before the tenant moves in, by having a well-crafted rental agreement, drawn up by an attorney well-versed in landlord-tenant law in your state. Do not rely upon the office store generic lease to protect you, or your property. The one size fits all' nature of those leases, while good in generic situations, may not protect you as the landlord.

Document everything. Names, dates, and time of day of the event. If the tenant is damaging the apartment and/or the property, get pictures and file police reports. If possible, get third-party witnesses.

Keep in mind that the police will unlikely be able to do anything about damage going on inside the apartment, since the person causing the damage has a legal right to possess the space. If the damage is affecting the neighbors, have them file police complaints as well. All of this will potentially serve as evidence for your cause for eviction.

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