A state law known as the Costa-Hawkins Act allows a landlord, whose rental property would otherwise be subject to local rent control laws, to increase the rent without legal limit if one of the tenants move out. With subtenants, Costa-Hawkins permits a landlord to...
California law seems to prohibit rental agreements from compelling mandatory arbitration of disputes. However, there is a conflict between two laws that the courts have not yet resolved. California Civil Code section 1953 states “any provisions of a lease or rental...
California law allows a residential tenant to make repairs and then deduct the cost from her monthly rent. This is commonly known as repair and deduct. However, certain procedures must be followed before this action can be taken. For example, the tenant must give the...
In San Francisco, a person who originally signs a lease with the landlord is usually called the original occupant or master tenant. Sometimes, the master tenant has subtenants, who might be accepted as authorized tenants by the landlord. According to the Rent...
There was a recent court decision concerning Section 8 housing. A tenant rented a house and received federal Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments. The rental was also located in Los Angeles which has a local rent ordinance. The tenant began renting the home in 2003...
Last month, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled that a mortgage company cannot evict a tenant in a home that had been foreclosed. As the new owner the mortgage company failed to give the tenant a 90-day notice to pay rent or move out under a federal law. As a...
