Know Your Rights and Responsibilites

“But I didn’t know….” is never an excuse. Ignorance of the law does not justify your action or
inaction. It is essential that you know your rights and that you get professional help if a problem arises.

Before you have a Problem

Most of my clients first became interested in knowing their rights and responsiblites as tenants
after a problem arose. Often that means going to court with a weak legal position.

Get Professional Help

Many tenants consult websites and self help materials and armed with that information try to tackle the problem themselves, only to find that they have mis-analyzed the situation … putting their
housing and good rental record at risk.

It is essential that you know your rights and that you consult an attorney who is a
HOUSING EXPERT if a problem arises.

Read the HORRENDOUS HORROR STORIES of tenants who thought they could represent themselves.

Eviction Defense

During the course of the past 20 years I have spoken to countless of tenants who thought they could represent themselves in eviction court and lost. Too often, tenants become the victims of fly by night operations that claim to be “legal aid” or a community legal service. They pay good money for inadequate paperwork, are told they don’t need a lawyer or that a lawyer will meet them in court …
and end up on the street, owing money to their landlord, with a bad rental record.

There is no reason for any tenant in the County of Los Angeles to go to court alone. RESOURCES exist to represent you in an eviction. Some of these resources are free. Others charge on a sliding
fee scale. If you are going to court for any reason I strongly urge you to hire a lawyer.

Help suing your landlord

If you want to sue your landlord, you should consult one or two lawyers prior to proceeding in small claims court. Make sure you are speaking with a HOUSING EXPERT.

I recently interviewed a woman with very serious damage to her respiratory system. Unfortunately, prior to seeking the advice of a lawyer she filed an action in small claims court that included damage to her property, a reduction in rent and some medical bills for a mold problem in her apartment. She settled all her claims for $4000. It is possible that the settlement will ban her from suing for her
current medical problems which have a value of much more than $4000.

But I don’t have the money for an attorney …

If you are facing eviction, you may be eligible for FREE LEGAL ASSISTANCE. Unfortunately, between 50,000 and 60,000 tenants face eviction each year and the free services can’t help
everyone. Between the EVICTION DEFENSE NETWORK and the PRIVATE ATTORNEYS that practice in this area, there is no reason for a tenant to go to court alone.

When tenants facing eviction tell me that they can’t afford to pay for an attorney I ask them to think about whether they can afford the following:

A significantly higher rent (especially those living in rent controlled or government subsidized housing);

A debt that a good lawyer could possibly negotiate away;

To look for an apartment in today’s tight housing market with an eviction on their record.

If you are not one of the fortunate few that receives free assistance from one of the nonprofits that provide it, borrow the money and hire either the EVICTION DEFENSE NETWORK or a qualified PRIVATE ATTORNEY.

Learn Your Rights and
Hire an Attorney to Protect those Rights

The following links give general information about your rights. Use this information to stop from making mistakes and to know when to get legal help.

A Tenants Checklist can use to avoid problems from the very beginning of a tenancy.

http://www.dca.ca.gov/legal/landlordbook/index.html for general know your rights information that applies to tenants in the State of California.

http://www.lacity.org/lahd/rsopubs.htm for general know your rights information that applies to
tenants living in the City of Los Angeles if both of the following apply: 1) the housing unit was built before October 1978; and 2) there are at least two separate tenancies on the same lot.

http://www.weho.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/nav/navid/113/ for general know your rights information
that applies to tenants living in housing protected by the City of West Hollywood Rent Stabilization Ordinance.

http://www.smgov.net/rentcontrol/charterandregs/regsindx.htm for general know your rights
information that applies to tenants living in housing protected by the City of Santa Monica Rent Control Ordinance.