[Swimmer]

Seven days or less all you have to do is tell them to get out, and then move them if they don't.

Thirty days or less give them written notice they have to leave and then move them if they don't.

Beyond thirty days it becomes more difficult. 34 years I have been dealing with this bull@$%t. We have many rooming houses in the town I work in. Dealt with this all the time, and still do almost daily. It came to a head years ago when the Willow Motel was still up and running. They used to rent to the alcohol addicted people who could make thier monthly kiss in the mail last about two weeks. Then it was adios from the manager/owner of the motel. I got called up there one sunday and they wanted me to throw this drunk out, because he was drunk and no other reason. Well the problem to the owner wasn't that the guy was an alcoholic (and a severe one at that), but that he had run out of money, (owner lied to me). Police officers cannot participate in civil issues only to keep the peace. If I started throwing out people who can't afford rent then I be nothing but a hried gun. And besides being a debtor is not a crime, in an d of itself. So I go and talk to the guy who is drunk. He has no feet. If you looked at the end of his leg, it was a straight shot down. No instep, toes, arch, nothing. He lost it to frostbite a couple of years before. He is drunk, no doubt about it. I asked him if he had anyplace to go and he says no. Oh by the way, he was a veteran. I asked him what the problem was with the owner. He says the owners wife is pissed because he ran out of money. I walk over to the office and inside there were four couples all having Sunday cocktails, it seemed maybe they were on about thier third drink themselves. I told the owner and his wife that I wasn't taking the guy anywhere. He is drunk as you reported, but that wasn't a problem as loong as he had money for the room. I told them you took his money for the fourteen days he was here in the filthy room, that they could let him stay until tomorrow when the weather clears. Across the room in the office living room area where all the people were, this beyotch starts with the, "I pay your salary, don't you know who I am, I'll have your ass in the morning, you'll take him somewhere or else". I said no I wasn't and walked out. Husband/owner follows me out the door and apologizes for his wife. Husband brought man to veteran's shelter. Moral of the story is, wife did complain about me, and I don't think she was sober when she did. But her complaint caused towns attorney to look at exactly what tenants and landlords could and couldn't do. The towns attorney confirmed what I did was right. At that time I had been following those rules for about twenty years, because like I said we have many flop houses in the town I work, and run into this all the time. Mant times landlords think they are going to get the local p.d. to do the eviction and that is completely illegal. Cops don't do civil process. That is done by constables in this state and many others. But like I said, seven days or under, say goodbye and throw him out. Thirty days or under, notify in writing, then throw him out. At least I received a letter from veterans group thinking me for looking out for the guy who ran out of money. The other point here is that if this guy didn't pay any money to stay there for a week or two or three, in Chatham, and is there in Chatham, because our fellow board member's father let him stay there out of the goodness of his heart then thier is no contract, hence he is an unwanted guest and tresspasser at this point. Nothing more, nothing less. Doesn't have a leg to stand on. You could throw him out and all the cops can do is stand there and watch and make sure no one beats up on each other. Keep the peace, thats all.