California Tenants' Rights

by Moskovitz, Myron; Warner, Ralph E.; Portman, Janet

• ISBN13: 9780873376440
• ISBN10: 0873376447
• Edition: 15th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-01-01
• Publisher: Ingram Pub Services

Table of Contents

Introduction
Some General Things You Should Know
Who Is Your Landlord?	2	(1)
The Landlord Business	3	(2)
Renters' Tax Credit	5	(1)
Lawyers	5	(2)
Typing Services	7	(1)
Legal Research Notes	8	(3)
Mediation	11
Looking For a Place and Renting It
Get Organized	2	(1)
Learn About Rental Agreements	3	(7)
Fees and Deposits	10	(2)
Rental Applications and Credit Reports	12	(2)
How to Check a Place Over	14	(4)
How to Bargain for the Best Deal	18	(1)
Get All Promises in Writing	19	(2)
The Landlord-Tenant Checklist	21	(1)
Your Responsibilities as a Tenant	21	(3)
Co-Signing Leases	24
Sharing A Home
Is It Legal to Live Together?	2	(1)
The Legal Obligations of Roommates to the Landlord	2	(1)
The Legal Obligations of Roommates to Each Other	3	(1)
Having a Friend Move In	4	(4)
Guests	8
All About Rent
When Is Rent Due?	2	(1)
Late Charges	2	(1)
Partial Rent Payments	3	(1)
Rent Increases: General Law	4	(1)
Rent Increase Notices	4	(1)
Rent Control	4	(3)
General Types of Rent Control Laws	7	(1)
Rent Control Board Hearings	8	(3)
What to Do If the Landlord Violates Rent Control Rules	11	(1)
Specific Provisions of Rent Control Laws	11
Discrimination
Forbidden Types of Discrimination	2	(2)
Legal Reasons to Discriminate	4	(3)
How to Tell If a Landlord Is Discriminating	7	(1)
What to Do About Discrimination	7	(2)
Sexual Harassment by Landlords or Managers	9
The Obnoxious Landlord and Your Right to Privacy
Your Landlord's Right of Entry	2	(2)
What to Do About a Landlord's Improper Entry	4	(1)
Other Types of Invasions of Privacy	5
Repairs and Maintenance
The Landlord's Duties	2	(2)
Remedies	4	(9)
Satellite Dishes and Wireless Antennas	13
Injuries to a Tenant Due to Substandard Housing Conditions
Standard of Care Imposed on Landlords	2	(2)
Landlord's Duty to Protect Tenant From Injury Caused by Others	4	(2)
Landlord Liability for Damage to Your Property	6
Breaking a Lease, Subleasing and Other Leasing Problems
What Happens When the Lease Runs Out	2	(1)
Subleases and Assignments	2	(1)
Subleasing With the Idea of Returning Later	3	(1)
How to Break a Lease	4	(3)
Belongings You Leave Behind	7
Security Deposits and Last Month's Rent
Amount of Deposit	2	(1)
Non-Refundable Deposits	3	(1)
What the Deposits May Be Used For	3	(1)
Landlord's Duty to Return Deposit	4	(1)
Effect of Sale of Premises on Security Deposits	4	(1)
May the Landlord Increase the Security Deposit?	4	(1)
Avoiding Deposit Problems	5	(1)
If the Landlord Won't Return Your Deposit	5	(3)
Rent Withholding as a Way to Get Deposits Back in Advance	8	(1)
Interest on Security Deposits	9	(1)
Last Month's Rent	10	(1)
If Your Landlord Demands More Money	10
Evictions
Illegal Self-Help Evictions	3	(1)
Illegal Retaliatory Evictions	4	(1)
Overview of Eviction Procedure	5	(2)
Termination of Tenancy Notices	7	(5)
Your Options After a Three-Day or 30-Day Notice Is Served	12	(1)
The Eviction Lawsuit	12	(32)
Stopping an Eviction	44	(1)
Postponing an Eviction	45	(3)
Appeal From an Eviction	48	(1)
After the Lawsuit--Eviction by the Sheriff	48
Tenants Acting Together
Tenant Organizing	2	(1)
Setting Up a Tenants' Organization	3	(2)
Getting Information on the Landlord	5	(2)
Tactics	7	(4)
Negotiations	11	(1)
The Agreement	11
Renter's Insurance
Condominium Conversion
Legal Protection for Tenants	2	(2)
Changing the Law	4
Appendix