"As a practical matter, if a person doesn't pay the last month's rent, you can start an eviction action," Mr. Meisel said.

If the tenant does not have a bona fide lease, "we can bring eviction action."

If the judge granted the motion, the apartment owner would then be free to file an eviction action in civil court.

"An aggressive tenant's lawyer can draw out an eviction action for a half year or more," he said.

A homeowner unable to make the payments then faces eviction action from the bank, which has bought the mortgage from the finance company.

And while some judges might allow an owner to register a building at the time the eviction action is filed, others will not.

The number of eviction actions in 1990 was 7,899, compared with 6,755 in 1988 and 5,566 in 1986.

Four were eviction actions, three of which took place last year.

Once a landlord has reasonable grounds to believe that a tenant is violating the code, the landlord can start an eviction action.

Recently, the board authorized the co-op's lawyer to file an eviction action for violation of the proprietary lease.