What to bring to your first meeting with an attorney

What to bring to your first meeting with an attorney

You have a dispute with your landlord. You have written letters but it has not been resolved. You made an appointment with a lawyer who concentrates in tenant matters. What do you do before the appointment? The first thing you should do is retrieve all your documents....
When can you sue your landlord for not moving into your home?

When can you sue your landlord for not moving into your home?

What happens if your San Francisco landlord gives you a notice of an owner move-in, but then does not move into your home and live there in good faith for at least 36 months? You can sue your landlord for wrongful eviction, among other causes of action in San...

Illegal or secondary units and you

You see a listing for an apartment on the Internet. There is only one electric meter and one water meter for the apartment and for the upstairs single family house. The apartment was built in the back of a garage. You take the apartment because the rent is...

What is the Warranty of Habitability?

All residential leases in California have an implied warranty of habitability. This means that the landlord must do necessary maintenance to the apartment throughout the period of the lease and ensure it is “tenantable.” Before 1974, tenants were viewed as acquiring a...

What is ‘Reasonable Accommodation’?

A landlord cannot discriminate because of a disability. The landlord must make reasonable accommodations for his tenant. An apartment falls under the requirements of the federal Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Act does not require that a tenant’s request for a...