In Los Angeles, as well as throughout California, landlords frequently try to evict tenants despite poor rental conditions.  In 1974, in Green v. Superior Court, the California Supreme Court determined a “warranty of habitability” is a part of all residential rental agreements.  That means that the landlord has an affirmative obligation to maintain the leased […]

There countless unlawful detainer attorneys in Los Angeles.  So, how do you pick a good eviction attorney in Los Angeles?  First, ask about contact with the attorney. Many of the law firms that handle hundreds of lawsuits simply do not have the resources to give each of their clients the one on one contact they […]

Unlawful detainers by design are summary proceedings which allow a quick resolution of disputes regarding possession of real estate.  Depending on your perspective, either landlord or tenant, the effect of serving a tenant by substituted service can be important. As background, in California, unlawful detainers, like most actions, can be served by substitute service.  Substitute […]

Today, Zachary Schorr of Schorr Law, A Professional Corporation was quoted on foxbusiness.com, a national website.  The article, “Renting Your Home? 7 Things You Need to Know” provides tips for people considering renting out their home or a spare room.  In it, Schorr discusses the important of having a solid written lease.  The key to any […]

Unlawful Detainers in California are summary proceedings entitled to an expedited trial date and move rather quickly.  Attached is a timeline that is useful in understanding the  pre-trial timing for contested unlawful detainers in California:UD Timeline.    What the timeline shows is that within just 28 days an unlawful detainer proceeding can go to trial […]

In California a good unlawful detainer attorney will request discovery from the opposing party before proceeding to trial.  Discovery is the process through which each party learns of the other party’s evidence before trial so that they know how to prepare for trial.  Unfortunately, the time frame for unlawful detainer actions is very fast so […]

Although the California State legislature has tried to protect renters from the dissemination of unlawful detainer information to consumer credit reporting agencies, the legislature’s efforts have not been entirely successful because of the credit reporting agencies’ First Amendment rights. Accordingly, in California, landlords can access a potential tenant’s credit report to determine whether the tenant […]

In California, in order to speed up the unlawful detainer process for landlords, the law in California permits landlords to obtain a possession only judgment against the tenants in possession.  This means, the court deals with possession only and does not deal with any rental damages due.  This is an important tool for landlords as […]

Here are a three tips when defending a California Unlawful Detainer: 1.  Make sure the three-day notice is correct.  Any procedural defect in the complaint or the three-day notice can have a devastating effect on the landlord’s eviction attempt in the State of California.  Accordingly, upon receipt of an unlawful detainer or a three-day notice […]