Evictions are a type of lawsuit. They move much quicker than other types of lawsuits, and may be in court and concluded in a matter of weeks. Because they are quicker than other lawsuits, the pleadings and other papers filed in an eviction case are examined extremely closely, and cases are routinely thrown out for minor technical flaws. Because of the technical legal maze that surround evictions, and the rigorous standards applied to the eviction documents by the courts, even experienced landlords, and lawyers who do not regularly handle eviction cases, frequently have the cases thrown out on the trial date. Landlords seeking to evict tenants should seek the advise of experienced attorneys.

Tenants brought into court by their landlords in eviction cases face the possibility of being removed from their homes in a matter of weeks.

Leases should be crafted for each rental situation. Most of the pre-printed lease forms sold in New York have traps for unwary landlords (and tenants) which only become known at the time of an eviction trial.

Attorney fees and other costs are usually not available in evictioncases. Landlords will often want to recoup their attorney fees and to be awarded late fees or utility bills in an eviction case: these items areonly available in the eviction, in addition to regular rent, if a written lease provides for them in very specific language. Most pre-printed leases used in New York do not have the necessary language. Sometimes these costs may be pursued in a separate court case, after the eviction is concluded.