Landlord & Tenant Law

What are the necessary steps to legally evict a tenant?
First, the landlord must serve the tenant with a notice to quit. The most common notices to quit are the 14-day notice to quit for nonpayment of rent and the 30-day notice to quit a tenancy at will. If the tenant does not quit the premises in the timeframe set forth in the notice to quit, a landlord must file a summary process complaint to evict the tenant and regain possession of the rental unit. The landlord cannot resort to self-help and must go through the judicial system. The landlord generally has the option of filing the summary process complaint in either the District Court or the Housing Court.
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