Not anyone can afford to buy or build a house in their lifetime. So, some people would rent instead. In the United States alone, the number of families living in a rented place has gone almost exponentially high and it is no longer only households as thousands of businesses across the country are also operating from leased or rented spaces.
Even though a lot of people dream of having their own commercial or residential property, many settle as tenants because of financial restrictions. Even if you are renting in Los Angeles, you should not ever feel bad about such a choice as it also comes with a range of great benefits, e.g. low maintenance costs, financial flexibility, etc.
The sad thing though is renting also has its disadvantages and while most of them are tolerable and manageable, having a rift with your landlord is not one of them especially if the latter threatens to evict you without a good reason.
As soon as you feel that your rights are a tenant have been violated, calling your trusted Los Angeles Tenant Attorney should be your first move.
When to Call Your Los Angeles Tenant Attorney?
Below are signs that you need a lawyer’s help or rescue:
1- If you are being discriminated
Although tenant-landlord law varies between states, Los Angeles is still mandated to comply with the Fair Housing Amendments Act that protects tenants from any form of discrimination on the basis of religion, sex, race, color, or origin.
More often than not, the act of discrimination is bound to happen in the early phase where the prospective tenant is still looking for a place to rent. That is if the tenant’s application gets rejected for a discriminatory reason. But in some cases, discrimination may also occur if you are already renting and your landlord suddenly imposes a rent increase to you but not to the other tenants. If you feel that your application is rejected for this clause, a Los Angeles tenant attorney can help verify your instinct by studying how the rejection went about. Your legal counsel will likewise give you proper pieces of advice going forward.
2- If you are getting evicted for no valid reason
Every rental agreement comes with a contract that outlines the terms under which the tenant and landlord agree and are bound to comply with, e.g. the terms and circumstances that validate a tenant eviction. Such circumstances include:
- Using the space to conduct illegal activities like for gambling or sale of illegal items, e.g. drugs, etc;
- Using a residential space for commercial purposes;
- Putting your rented property up for lease without your landlord’s knowledge and permission;
- The landlord has no other place to live.
- The property is no longer safe nor healthy for occupancy and the only solution to address the problem is renovation – which requires the tenant to move out; and,
- Violating any of the other conditions stipulated in the signed contract.
Assuming an eviction is legal under the abovementioned circumstances, your landlord is still required to notify you in advance to give you ample time to prepare unless staying longer would put you and your co-occupants’ lives in imminent danger.
That is to say that if your landlord forces you to leave the place without a legitimate reason especially after a disagreement, then you should call your Los Angeles tenant attorney right away to reemphasize your rights as a tenant. There is a high likelihood that your attorney will make your landlord drop his eviction order too and you can even get compensated for the damage.
3- You are getting harassed in the middle of a legitimate eviction
Although legitimate grounds are present for an eviction, the law entitles you of an advance notice ranging from 20 to 90 days to the actual date to move out. That said, your landlord cannot force you to move out right away unless the eviction notice expires.
Once your landlord resorts to underhand tactics and harasses you so you will be forced to move out sooner, then that is a violation of the law and with the right lawyer, you got big chances to win the case should you bring it to court. Such forms of harassment include but are not limited to sending of threats, cutting off your power, water supply and other utilities, getting your possessions, and intruding your privacy.
4- If your landlord’s negligence caused you to be injured
One of your landlord’s responsibilities is to make sure that the space is safe and well enough to live in. Necessary repairs have to be done before the property gets marketed for lease. Now, if your landlord’s failure to have the necessary fixes done has led to you getting injured, you can actually hold him responsible for it.
Injuries can take place in your rented property. It can be a consequence of your negligence or your landlord’s. In the case of the latter, you can file a damage claim and pursue the case with the help of your attorney.
5- If your landlord does not act on your reported unhealthy conditions
For instance, if the property is already feasted with molds and this exposes you to respiratory conditions but upon reporting it to your landlord, he continues to play deaf and unresponsive about it, then that already suffices as a valid ground to bring the case in court.
6- f your landlord is not honoring his word
As long as you have hired the best tenant attorney in Los Angeles and the availability of pieces of evidence like signed contract or affidavit, it is possible to sue your landlord based on his false promises especially if that promise is important for your safety, e.g. your landlord did not hire security guards or install an electric fence as he promised weeks to months after you reported an incident.
In the name of “delicadeza”, you can use an ultimatum first, i.e. your lawyer will send a demand letter to your landlord, and if they still fail or refuse to fulfill their promise, then you can resort to filing a lawsuit.
Renting is fun and it will bring you the same joy as with living in your own space but one of the differences between the two is how the former can expose you to potential right violations. But that is why there are tenant attorneys in Los Angeles. You just have to have the right one on your side.