Heidi, how did this work out?
I evicted my tenants once and addressed the Pay or Quit notice (they did neither) to both of them in one letter. When I went to court, the judge admonished me for not having them served separately. It was a while ago, so maybe it was the court summons that he was wishing was served to each of them. However, one of the tenants might have a reasonable defense against eviction if they never got the Pay or Quit. Boyfriend could hide it from girlfriend for whatever cuckoo reasons people lie to each other.
Anyways, I got a stern talking to from the judge, neither tenant bothered to show at the hearing, and the judge granted me the eviction. I didn't end up evicting them in the end, they paid me some money and they stayed on a few extra months and bought a house. I never got all of the $ they owed me but I guess it worked out (Especially for them).
In the future, each individual will get their own certified mail and regular mail copy PLUS a door notice. Any court summons/order will be served to each individual by the constable.
I was required to take a landlord class by my mortgage company to buy the house and relied on the handbook they gave me to determine the proper dates to send notices, etc.
I'm in the State of RI.