In order for a landlord to evict a tenant, proper legal procedure must be followed exactly. A landlord may evict a tenant under a lease for nonpayment of rent or for other lease violations, and in the case of a month to month rental a landlord may choose to terminate the contract and evict a tenant at any time, as long as proper notice is given. Before court action can be taken to evict a tenant, a landlord must serve a tenant with an official eviction notice. The notice should state the reason for the potential eviction. In the case of eviction for nonpayment of rent or a lease violation, an eviction notice should specify a set amount of time that a tenant has to correct the violation or pay rent to avoid eviction. Laws regarding the amount of time required vary; eviction notices are often three day or five day notices, though they can also be for a much longer period of time depending on the specific circumstances. After the required amount of time, if the matter has not been settled a landlord may then file an eviction complaint in court to legally evict the tenant.