Judges don't care about your frustration. They care about documentation and procedure.
The eviction hearing is typically short — 10 to 20 minutes. The judge wants to determine three things: was there a valid lease, was there a valid violation of that lease, and was the proper notice served correctly? Your job is to answer all three questions clearly and quickly with documentary evidence. The judge doesn't want to hear a 15-minute story about what a terrible tenant this person has been. They want to see the paperwork.
Organize your evidence before you arrive. At minimum, bring the original signed lease agreement, a copy of the notice you served, proof of notice delivery (certified mail receipt, photo of posted notice, witness statement), documentation of the violation (payment ledger showing missed rent, photos of damage, written complaints, police reports), any communication with the tenant about the violation, and your photo ID and proof of property ownership.
Make three copies of everything — one for you, one for the judge, and one for the tenant. Courts expect you to provide copies to all parties. Showing up with a single copy of your evidence looks unprofessional and slows the proceeding.
When it's your turn to speak, be concise, factual, and chronological. State that you are the owner or property manager. State that the tenant signed a lease on a specific date. State the specific violation and when it occurred. State that you served notice on a specific date with a specific number of days to comply. State that the notice period expired and the tenant did not comply. Present your documentation for each statement.
Don't editorialize. Don't express frustration. Don't argue with the tenant if they speak. Answer the judge's questions directly. If you don't know the answer to something, say so rather than guessing. Judges respect landlords who are prepared, professional, and honest. They lose patience quickly with landlords who are emotional, disorganized, or evasive.
The tenant may raise defenses. Common ones include claiming the notice was defective (wrong dates, wrong amount, improper delivery), claiming the violation was cured within the notice period, claiming you accepted rent after initiating the eviction which waived your right to proceed, raising habitability complaints (asserting the property has conditions that violate building codes or health standards), and claiming retaliation (asserting the eviction is in response to a complaint they filed about the property).
Some of these defenses are legitimate and some are delay tactics, but the judge will consider all of them. The best counter to tenant defenses is airtight documentation. If your notice was served correctly and you can prove it, the defective notice defense fails. If you didn't accept rent after serving notice and your records show it, that defense fails. Documentation wins eviction cases.
Winning the hearing is the goal, but it's not the end. Once you have a judgment, you still need to execute it. See what happens after the ruling for the final steps. And understand the full cost picture so you can budget appropriately. For state-specific court procedures, compare eviction processes across states.