How Does California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act Help Renters Fight Housing Discrimination?
How Does California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act Help Renters Fight Housing Discrimination? By Aser G. Tolentino, Esq. Introduction When most people think about the height of the Civil Rights Movement, they tend to think of the 1960s and 1970s, when protests, civil unrest, and some of the most iconic progressive voices in American history […]
Protecting Your Privacy: When Can Landlords Enter Your Home in California?
Protecting Your Privacy: When Can Landlords Enter Your Home in California? When a tenant rents a home for their use, they expect it to be just that: theirs. However, from the lease they might have to sign, to written notices from the landlord to the landlord simply showing up at the front door, there can […]
Preventing Unwanted Charges and Deductions from your Security Deposit
Preventing Unwanted Charges and Deductions from Your Security Deposit Moving into a new apartment or rental home is exciting as it is stressful. Oftentimes, renters are too preoccupied with moving out of their old home to pay close attention to the condition of their new one. If you fail to document your home’s condition […]
Pushed to the Edge? Know Your Tenancy Rights Against Constructive Eviction
Pushed to the Edge? Know Your Tenancy Rights Against Constructive Eviction One of the first questions tenant rights attorneys often need to answer for a potential client is whether someone is in fact a tenant, and whether certain circumstances alter their rights. Previous newsletter and blog articles have discussed issues like citizenship status and membership […]
How Can California Tenants Protect Themselves Against Landlord Retaliation?
How Can California Tenants Protect Themselves Against Landlord Retaliation? Tenant Law Group’s latest monthly newsletter discussed how to request necessary repairs and document attempts to resolve the issues that make rental units uninhabitable. One natural concern that someone might have with following the steps recommended in that article would be landlord retaliation. California’s legislature foresaw […]
Security Deposit Showdown: Navigating the Tug-of-War between Tenants and Landlords
Security Deposit Showdown: Navigating the Tug-of-War between Tenants and Landlords One of the most common points of conflict between landlords and tenants is the handling of security deposits. Even when a tenancy has gone smoothly from the first day to the last, with not a maintenance request or noise complaint to speak of, the […]
Calculating Emotional Distress Damages In Tenant Rights Cases: Can You Sue Your Landlord?
Calculating Emotional Distress Damages In Tenant Rights Cases: Can You Sue Your Landlord? Perhaps one of the most difficult concepts to understand when learning how the legal system works is the way in which the law determines the harm someone has suffered and attributing a dollar amount that is supposed to make them whole. […]
How Long Does an Eviction Hurt Your Credit? Understanding California’s Laws
How Long Does an Eviction Hurt Your Credit? Understanding California’s Laws The dangers of an eviction can go far beyond losing one’s home. Your credit score going down could make it harder to get a credit card, mortgage, or car loan. A landlord hearing about an eviction might decide not to rent to you, […]
Understanding Tenant Deductions: Differentiating Wear and Tear from Damages
Understanding Tenant Deductions: Differentiating Wear and Tear from Damages When determining how much a landlord may deduct from a security deposit, the law specifically leaves out any necessary repairs due to “normal wear and tear.” Nowhere in the law itself is that term ever defined. It is left to common sense and good faith […]
Unexpected Moves: Unraveling the Cost of Breaking Your Lease Early
Unexpected Moves: Unraveling the Cost of Breaking Your Lease Early Sometimes, because life is just unpredictable, you might find that you need to move prior to the end of your lease. This naturally begs the question: how much will this cost you? The answer will depend on the terms of your lease and […]