All Forum Posts by: Jorge Liang

The tenant is now citing 1941.1 and implying that I need to pay for monthly spray.

Under California Civil Code §1941.1, landlords are required to maintain rental properties in a habitable condition, which includes ensuring the premises are free of pests that compromise livability. Additionally, the "implied warranty of habitability" obligates landlords to address pest infestations unless they result directly from tenant negligence.

Lol how do I even respond? His dogs are bringing flees into the house, and he refuses to outfit them with flea collars.

I dont have any Pest provision in the lease. I am most likely going to respond to tenant by saying pest issue is not my responsibility and I will cover a 1-time spray as a one-time good will. All future pest control is the tenant's responsibility.
 

Recently, my tenant has complained about fleas on his dogs from stray cats out in the front yard. The tenant has requested a pest control company to spray the front yard. I am sympathetic and plan on covering the cost of the spray. 

Here are some additional facts: 

1. Tenant refuses my recommendation to have his dogs wear flea & tick collar. "Not natural" he says.

2. Tenant also does a good job keeping the place inside clean.

3. I have never had a flea or tick problem reported from previous tenants.

Questions for you all:

1. Am I, as the owner, responsible for pests that may or may not exist outside of the house and are brought into the house by the Tenant's dogs?

2. If the answer to 1 is yes, then am I just stuck footing the bill if a flea problem were to reoccur?

Thanks in advance.

The lease states that the tenant is responsible for all utilities and does not specify who is supposed to turn on the utility. My intention isn't to evict but to shift the burden of paying the utility to the tenant.

I think the risk is too high to turn the utility off so the tenant can start his own. Thanks all!

Los Angeles market. Tenant pays rent on time. He has not paid utilities since Aug 2022. I am currently going through the Small Claims process to recover the unpaid amount. The electricity utility account is under my name (a mistake, I know). I have called LADWP (electricity provider), and they confirmed that the homeowner is not responsible for unpaid bills if the bill is under the tenant's name - even after the tenant vacates the property.

Given what LADWP is telling me, I am inclined to stop service ASAP and inform the tenant to start service in his name. I plan to give tenant 3 day notice (less if I can) via mail and email. What are the steps I need to follow to make sure I am doing this correctly without exposing myself to legal challenges?

A little context - my tenant has been in a pissy mood since I confronted him about misusing the driveway (blocking traffic flow). He started to be late on utility payments sporadically since Jan 2023. Then, in around May-June, he stopped sending payments. He has paid rent every month. The utility bills are under my name, but I have written in the lease that he is responsible for all utilities. He has had a history of paying the utilities when I sent him the bills. To date, he owes me $2.6k and counting.

I plan on writing a professional yet stern letter to request payment next week. I also have all of the evidence and paper trail to pursue small claims. 

One question - can I charge late fees for this scenario? I have a late fee clause in the lease but not sure if it only applies to the rent.

I would appreciate any advice. TIA.

Thanks all. I did consult a lawyer (free consults). The lawyer said that due to the eviction moratorium in the county, nothing can be done besides official communication. I did not ask him about not renewing the lease. Is that even possible? I mailed her a rent increase notice last year and she has still paid the previous amount.

I will likely move forward with an official notice to tow if the parking spot is taken again and enforce it.

The lease does not spell out driveway usage (only dedicated parking spot)/we did not expect or predict the tenant would grossly misuse the driveway and take a parking spot that isn't hers.

My dad (retired) has a rental property with a tenant that has been problematic over the years. Here are the facts:

The tenant leaves (more like litters) personal items like toys for her kids, bicycles, and others in the driveway to the garage. It was a huge eyesore. She has also refused repeated requests to keep all of her items in her rental. To mitigate/appease, my dad built a storage shed and personally moved all of the tenant's items into the shed. However, she still has a few personal items occupying the driveway.

The tenant also has occupied all two of the parking spaces. She was only assigned 1. She has refused repeated requests to stop and is defiant.

What can we legally do as landlords to stop this? We wrote some official letters but plan to write more. The tenant has ignored all letters besides being defiant over SMS. Are we able to able to charge rent for the occupied space in and out of the shed as well as the parking? Is towing also an option?

Received an email from the tenants that they are moving out at the end of the month on 1/15. 

Are CA tenants required to give a 30-day notice? If so, can I hold the tenants accountable for the 30 days after the day I receive the email? Does the notice have to be via certified mail or will Email be sufficient? What does the law say? 

Per Nolo - "Unless the rental agreement provides a shorter notice period, a California tenant must give their landlord 30 days' notice to end a month-to-month tenancy".  However, I can't find the specific CA policy to verify this.