Category: Uncategorized

California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation Owner move-in (OMI) evictions are one of the most commonly misused “just cause” grounds for eviction under both AB 1482 and local rent control ordinances. Landlords who want to remove long-term tenants — often to re-rent at higher market rates — sometimes claim an intention to occupy the…

California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation California Civil Code Section 1940.2 prohibits landlord harassment — the use of pressure, threats, or interference with a tenant’s rights to force them out of a rental unit. For tenants in rent-controlled units or long-term tenancies that have become valuable to a landlord for redevelopment or market-rate conversion,…

California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation AB 1482 established statewide rent control — but dozens of California cities have local rent control ordinances that provide additional or stronger protections. In cities with local rent control, tenants may have significantly more protection than state law alone provides. Understanding whether you live in a local rent…

California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation A 3-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit is the first step in the California eviction process for nonpayment of rent — and it is also the moment when most tenants have the most options. Understanding what the notice requires, what you can do in response, and what…

California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation When a landlord files an unlawful detainer (UD) lawsuit — California’s eviction proceeding — the clock starts immediately. You have five days from service of the summons to file a written response with the court. Miss that deadline and a default judgment will be entered against you, allowing…

California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation Under AB 1482 and many local rent control ordinances, California landlords cannot evict tenants without “just cause” — a specific, documented reason recognized by law. This protection, which applies to most tenants who have lived in their unit for 12 months or more, fundamentally changes the eviction calculus.…

California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation California Civil Code Section 1942.5 is one of the most powerful tenant protections in the state — and one of the least understood. It prohibits landlords from retaliating against tenants who exercise their legal rights, and it creates a presumption in the tenant’s favor that shifts the burden…

California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation One of the most powerful tenant protections in California law is the prohibition on retaliatory eviction. If a landlord tries to evict you, raise your rent, or reduce your services because you exercised a legal right — complained about habitability conditions, contacted a government agency, organized with other…

California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation The Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482) established the first statewide rent control and just-cause eviction protections in California history. If your unit is covered — and millions of California rental units are — you have significant protections that most tenants don’t fully understand or assert. This…

California Tenant Defense System | Justice Foundation When a landlord fails to maintain a rental unit in a habitable condition, California law gives tenants two powerful remedies: the right to withhold rent until repairs are made, and the right to “repair and deduct” — hire someone to make the repairs and deduct the cost from…