I started evicting right when they were just about 2 months behind in rent. My lawyer recommended that we evict for lapse of time rather than nonpayment of rent. A 30 day notice was sent out for leaving by sept 30. Then, court summons were passed out. One of the tenants bogged everything down by stating he was active duty military and could not appear.(soldiers relief act prevents eviction of enlisted people). It took me and my lawyer a handful of attempts to get this shot down and turned into a non-appearance.

From the information I've read here, I should have went with a 3 day notice for nonpayment of rent.

Here is a another question.. the dryer is not vented. Since washer/dryer is not in the lease, can I ask that the tenants remedy the problem or quit use. The building official mentioned that poses a fire hazard (in addition to the mold breeding it may lead to). Someone decided to feed the washing machine outside. That is not a code violation, but it is an issue with the water pollution control. I can fix it quick with a longer length of washing machine hose. I was thinking of the middle ground approach and asking the tenants provide me with the necessary items and they can continue use. (I really, really don't want them doing any work on anything)

Second, how long have they been useing the washer and dryer in the state of condition you are describing? Why bother with it now? Let it go, have no contact with your tenants, do nothing that can be construde as harrassment. They should be thrown out soon. If the eviction was done properly with a 3 day notice to start, you could have had them out in 4 - 6 weeks. Next time hire a competent lawyer.