Landlords, I need help encouraging a tenant to decide to leave...?

I have a tenant that has violated the rental agreement two too many times. I certainly have enough reason to evict him, but would like him to think it is his idea rather than risk evicting him and having him damage my property on the way out. Any ideas how to make him want to move?
Additional Details
Damon, I allow pets, but told him the list of breeds not allowed by my insurance company. Pit bull was at the top of the list. He was there a year, then got a new puppy - a pit bull. He refuses to part with it.

He uses a neighbor's side yard as an extension of his own space - damaging the sod. The neighbor lives in another state and comes to the house once a year - the following week. The neighbor didn't complain about it.

In the rental agreement, it states the dogs must be vaccinated - proven with current health certificates. He can provide no health certificates nor even a receipt showing the dogs have been vaccinated.

The house is designated as a smoke free zone. I recently learned that he smokes marijuana in the house.

There is no lease - it is month to month.

is he still under contract with you? if so, for how long? can u tell me what his violations have been? (just to get a frame of mind on what kind of person he is)

UPDATE
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ok, if he has no children of his own living with him, you generally (in most states) have to only give him 3 days notice without a contract. If he does have children of his own living with him, then you are only required 30 days per child.

there is no certain way to guarantee that will "make" him decide to move without forcing him to. my sister, who owns many properties has even put a "For Sale" sign in the yard & notified the tenant that if she got a potential buyer, the tenant would have 3 days to move.... 2 weeks later, the tenant found somewhere else to park his clutter. After he moved, she took the For Sale sign down.

As far as not wanting your tenant to trash the place... whos to say that he hasnt already knocked holes in the walls & burnt holes in the carpet with his joints. If he is testing you & breaking rules on the outside of the home, imagine what it is on the inside. Hopefull, you have photos of the inside of the home with watermark dates shortly before he moved in.. just to compare with photos after he moves out.

Another idea I just thought of is this.... tell him that he KNEW that the pit bull was on the list for restricted pets... and since he got one anyways, and you have notified your insurance company and they have raised your rates an extra $300 a month due to the risk of a claim... and tell him that you are passing the $300 increase on to him. Since he is not under contract, the increase will begin immediately. I betcha he will be out in no time.

I wish you the best. Dealing with tenants can be fun, but sometimes it is a huge headache. Just remember one thing... in MOST cases, they are renting for a reason. and being a landlord, you know exactly what I mean.

If I can help you any more, feel free to email me via my profile.

Enjoy your day!
Damon

NOTE:
as always, yahoo is just a friendly soundboard for general ideas. Consult an atty for exact rights & suggestions before taking any of our advices as we cannot be held responsible for any actions taken... but you sound like you have a great head on your shoulders, and you already know that.

Finding a legal way to encourage him other then eviction is hard. You can raise the rent, but may still have to evict.

VERY few people are low enough to damage your property. Since you have his SSN you can track him anywhere, so law suits are useful.

Send him a letter from a lawyer saying he is in violation of the lease. Tell him he has two options....leave, or get evicted.

This guy is scum, you need to get rid of him as soon as possible.
If you are really eager to leave, tell him you will refund one month's rent if he leaves quickly and leaves the place nice.
You cant be nice with these people becausee they will take advantage of you.

it's called eviction. if he damages the property on the way out you can with hold his security deposit and even sue him for the damages.

All you can do is send him a certified letter advising him that he has 14 days to vacate the premises and then on that 14th day get the cops to haul his butt away. If he damages your property you keep his deposit and if that doesn't cover the damage you take him to civil court for the damages.
Believe me, if he damages your house/property it will be worse on him than you.

You need to speak to an attorney as the rights and remedies under the law for landlords vary from state to state. Generally spaking eviction may the best best route but some landlords have success with cash for keys. Contact an attorney and get legal advice

You have certain rights so Iwould follow the letter of the law rather than rely on advice given by Yahoo Users.

Be very careful with whatever answers you get here. Anything you do besides enforce your rights through the legal process may subject you to a lawsuit.

Raise the rent.

If you allow pets, an ammended contract could omit this allowance. If it were me, I would move before parting with my pet.

Serve him with a Notice to Vacate Premises. Notify him that he is in violation of his rental agreement and give him 30-60 days to vacate.

Notify him in writing by certified mail.

If by the end of the period he has not vacated, take him to court for violation of the rental agreement.

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