Lockouts, Utility Shutoffs, and Removed Doors: The Self-Help Eviction Penalty Machine

Only the sheriff evicts in California. A landlord who changes locks, kills the power, or removes your belongings owes statutory damages that add up by the day.

What California Law Says

Civil Code section 789.3 prohibits utility interruption, lock changes, door and window removal, and property removal to force a tenant out — with actual damages plus a statutory penalty of up to 100 dollars per day of violation, minimum 250 dollars, plus attorney fees. Penal Code provisions make some conduct criminal.

How to Protect Yourself, Step by Step

1. Document the scene immediately: photos, video, timestamps, witnesses.
2. Call police for reentry assistance — bring your ID and proof of tenancy; illegal lockout is their vocabulary.
3. Restore essentials: the utility company can often reconnect service the landlord cut.
4. Compute the daily penalty across the violation period.
5. Sue in small claims or superior court — 789.3 claims are clean, statutory, and fee-shifted.

Common Questions

The landlord says I was just a guest, so no eviction was needed. Who decides?

Tenancy facts decide — rent paid, mail received, keys held — and self-help against anyone with lawful occupancy triggers the statute.

The power was off for 12 days. What is the claim worth?

Up to 100 dollars per day plus actual losses — spoiled food, hotel nights — plus fees; the daily meter is the point of the statute.