Tenant replaced/removed appliances/stove / Berkeley, California

[Susan Parker]

I am a Landlord in Berkeley, CA. I rented an apartment, and my tenant removed/replaced the stove without my consent. After asking the tenant to put it back, no response from the tenant. The stove was in perfect working order. I am baffled by this overt removal of my property. Is this considered theft, and/or should I serve the tenant with a three (3) day notice to comply or quit (correcting the violation)?

I’d like to evict the tenant. Material breach of rental agreement is easy to proof; however, it is something that can be fixed with reasonable effort or expense, while keeping the contract in effect, it's less likely to be material.

I am aware that the California eviction process is simple, however it certainly becomes complicated once the tenant decides to challenge the eviction.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.