Landlord – Tenant Law

Combining aspects of both property law and contract law, landlord – tenant law directly impacts a majority of people in the South Bay, due to the fact that more than 50% of all residences in the Los Angeles area are occupied by renters. Compounding this, 85% of all rental properties in the City of Los Angeles are subject to the city’s rent stabilization ordinance (RSO) – commonly referred to as rent control. Likewise, most local businesses lease commercial property, rather than own their places of business.

California law and the Los Angeles RSO define the duties of landlords, which when properly fulfilled, provide powerful protections and remedies under the law. But a failure to execute on these responsibilities can put a landlord’s rights and property at risk. A skilled landlord – tenant law attorney can help property owners and property management companies navigate the sometimes complex legal environment and ensure that investments in valuable commercial or residential real estate are well protected.

Virtually all landlord – tenant legal disputes stem from a breach of contract, and most of these result from the failure of tenants to pay rent on a timely basis. Unfortunately, there are very few justifications for not paying rent as agreed. For most tenants who fall behind on their rent and can’t quickly catch up, the best legal outcome is merely delaying the inevitable – slowing down the eviction process. But in the end, eviction cannot be avoided unless a tenant is willing and able to pay their rent on time and in full. Because most tenants who find themselves in this situation are facing larger financial problems, this law firm finds it unconscionable to charge tenants legal fees, which would only further contribute to their financial distress. Instead, we recommend that tenants facing eviction for non-payment of rent seek self-help legal services from the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, which has offices in all area courthouses.

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