California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation Code enforcement is one of the most underused and most effective tools available to California tenants dealing with habitability problems. Unlike a demand letter, which the landlord can ignore, a code enforcement complaint triggers a government investigation — a physical inspection of the property, a written report documenting…

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California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation Your lease is a contract — but it’s a contract whose terms are substantially shaped and limited by California law. Many lease provisions that landlords include are unenforceable under state law. Understanding which provisions are valid, which are void, and which create rights you may not realize you…

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California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation Bed bug infestations are both a habitability violation and a growing problem in California rental housing. California law imposes specific obligations on landlords regarding bed bug disclosure, inspection, and treatment — and tenants have enforceable rights when landlords fail to meet those obligations. Landlord Disclosure Requirements California Civil…

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California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation Shutting off a tenant’s utilities — electricity, gas, water, heat — without a court order is illegal self-help eviction in California, one of the clearest and most serious violations a landlord can commit. If your landlord has cut off your utilities or threatened to do so, you have…

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California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation An eviction on your record — or a negative credit report entry from a former landlord — can prevent you from renting a new unit for years. Understanding what information appears in rental screening reports, what landlords are permitted to consider, and how to dispute inaccurate information protects…

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California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation Under California state law and numerous local ordinances, tenants displaced by no-fault evictions — evictions where the tenant has done nothing wrong — are entitled to relocation assistance payments from their landlord. Many tenants don’t know these payments are required, or don’t collect the full amount they’re owed.…

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California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation California’s COVID-era eviction protections have largely expired, but some tenant protections established or strengthened during the pandemic remain in force, and the debt relief programs created during that period continue to affect collection of COVID-related rental debt. Understanding the current landscape — what protections remain, what has expired,…

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California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation Lease provisions restricting subletting are common — but California law places limits on how landlords can enforce such restrictions, particularly for long-term tenants in rent-controlled units. Understanding what you can and cannot do when your living situation changes, and how landlords can and cannot respond, is essential for…

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California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation Constructive eviction is a legal doctrine that allows a tenant to terminate a lease and vacate a rental unit — without continuing to owe rent — when the landlord’s failure to maintain the unit makes it effectively uninhabitable. It is the tenant’s equivalent of the landlord “evicting” them…

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California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation California Civil Code Section 1940.2 specifically prohibits landlord harassment of tenants — and it creates significant liability for landlords who engage in conduct designed to force tenants out of their homes through means other than lawful eviction proceedings. If your landlord is harassing you, you have both defensive…

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