Providing the actual owner with video (and audio) evidence is pretty damning, and also places the owner on notice that said activities are taking place.If sued (especially in small claims court - where you can file serially... one case per infraction to get around the dollar limit), it's always interesting when a tenant lies to the judge and denies ever doing something, and only after that do you play the evidence (it's nice that small claims is informal when it comes to evidentiary rules).  

In my area, city inspectors will write you up for an infraction for windows that don't open, only open halfway, or are very difficult to open. 

One of these infractions is smoking in areas that are not allowed.

One issue I ran into with an HOA is the "telephone" game where the HOA will notify me via email of some small infraction on the tenants part, so I have to inform my PM who then notifies the tenant.

There is has also been an uptick of claims (a higher percentage than in the past are manufactured claims) of landlords having code violations and various other infractions.  

Troy, NY has recently become guilty of this infraction.

I had a tenant complain recently and I asked the infracting tenants if they could smoke by the outdoor venting range hood.

In some cases, the Landlord was stuck because the tenant did not have to move or pay until the Landlord was able to correct some infraction. 

I don’t understand the mentality sometimes of the group being so quick to kick out long term tenants over smaller infractions.

It's worth it if you can stop the infractions and additional fines.