Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

I have a tenant which choose not to pay rent do i have the right to take her balongs out of the room to rent to someone else and can i remove to door to her room so that maybe she will just leave before i have to take leagal action.


Asked on 9/30/09, 9:31 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

George Shers Law Offices of Georges H. Shers

No. California bans so called self help. You have to give her a 3 and 30 day notice, serve her with an unlawful detainer civil suit, get the sheriff after judgment to evict her. If you make any mistakes or she goes to Legal Aid, she can drag out the eviction for 3-5 months without paying any rent. Erros can also result in a monetary judgment against you.

Being a landlord is a business. It seems to me that you know very little about your rights and obligations. You need to read some books, such as the Nolo Press series; for your first eviction you should probably hire an attorney who runs an eviction mill to get some idea as to what happens. It might cost about $1,500.

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Answered on 9/30/09, 11:28 pm


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