Tenant Refuses to Leave Property
By an edhat reader
I'm in a situation where I need to speak with a service or attorney about tenants who refuse to leave a rental property. I'm helping my elderly mom rent her (previous) home so she's not in a position to pay a lot of money to get them out. Any recommendations for a reasonable attorney or service to provide guidance is appreciated.
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Sep 24, 2020 01:02 PMRental Housing Mediation Program:
https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/services/home/rhm/default.asp
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Sep 24, 2020 11:40 AMIt looks like some LLs are commenting on her, current and/or former. Question for you LLs: If you had a tenant who was causing damage would you want another tenant to tell you? I've lived where I am for years and have a good relationship w my LL. Someone new moved in next door and there is regular loud/startling bangs on the floor [weight equipment I believe that they are just letting drop on the wood floor] and they really slam the doors. There's also alot of loud dragging and banging noises, likely furniture constantly being dragged around. I know over time these behaviors cause damage. It's also nerve wracking but I hate to complaint to my LL about stuff. Would you want to know?
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Sep 24, 2020 09:58 AMI'm usually on the side of tenants, but long ago I was a lawyer for a client who owed back rent (can't recall if he had reasons or just financial issues), but the aggrieved landlord removed the door from the entry way into my client's apartment. Clearly not legal, but was rather effective in getting his attention and our willingness to find a compromise.
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Sep 24, 2020 01:18 PMHAPPY C.: I'm sure you're referring to prominent Montecito Realtor "A.R." He took off more than one front door from a scofflaw's dwelling "for repairs." "A.R." was actually a hell of a nice guy, and only went the "door repair" route when the tenants were completely unreasonable. I'm surprised he never got into legal trouble for that.
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Sep 24, 2020 09:32 AMFor starters this is not enough to draw any conclusions on either the tenant or the owner.
All we know is a tenant is refusing to leave.
What we do know dims that SB demands it’s property taxes & the bank wants its mortgage.
There is no forgiveness or wiggle room for the owner of the property.
Whereas a tenant if in in a complex of four or more units, I believe, can hold off on paying rent. But that rent is due in three months, all of it.
So if we all want forgiveness and big hearts, lobby the govt for tax forgiveness & to have banks forgive unpaid mortgages.
Make it fair for everyone.
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Sep 24, 2020 08:29 AMFirst have a look at the SB Rental Housing Mediation Program Pages:
https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/services/home/rhm/default.asp
Look at the Landlord and Tenants' Rights info. And call them for further guidance. It's a place to start.
I live in a rental that was recently sold to investors from out of state. All 4 units got a 60-day notice, as the new owners plan to renovate. Last month's rent is waived. It's a shock to be ousted. One tenant has been here over 20 years, one is 70 years old, a family of 4 is leaving SB altogether because rents are so high, a couple is leaving the state. Lousy timing
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Sep 24, 2020 07:34 AMIt’s sad that it has come down to owning a house and not being able to do what you want with it. Exactly why I will not rent my extra 3 bedrooms . People seem to think they can just do as they please. I was verbally attacked while sitting on my porch by a woman walking by condemning my very beautiful artificial lawn. Which I put in when we could not water.
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Sep 23, 2020 10:01 PMFor peace of mind and terrific service, call Lacy Taylor at Goodwin & Thyne: (805) 899-1100. A few years ago I needed an attorney. A trusted, savvy friend of mine told me: "Goodwin & Thyne." That's how I came to hire Lacy. She helped me, advised me. I will be eternally grateful to her for her problem-solving skills. If the present problem is rent debt, you should know the following (addressed to the tenant, but applies to your situation):>>>>>>>>>>>>"No matter if there is an eviction ban in your area, you are still obliged to pay rent. Depending on the language of a ban, your landlord might be able to assess late fees, interest, or other penalties for not paying the rent on time. If you don't think you can pay your rent due to COVID-19 related hardships, you have options, and you should consider talking with your landlord as soon as possible." (Nolo. How Evictions Work)>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Sometimes just a letter from an attorney, advising that legal procedures are about to ensue, is enough to resolve a problem. I wish you and your Mother luck and easy resolution.
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Sep 23, 2020 07:14 PMGive me $500 bucks and I will have them out in under 20 minutes.
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Sep 24, 2020 06:16 PM"Let you know when the job is done." ?Usually you pay first and the one who pays for the job usually gets more time then the person who does the job when all is said and done...I would do it for free if I could and I'm not tough. I just don't like people who abuse old folks.
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Sep 24, 2020 07:49 AMI got $500, let me know when the job is done. I am always curious to see if tough talkers on anonymous social media will back up their vigilante threats.
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Sep 23, 2020 08:36 PMIf I could I would do it too...I don't like anyone messing with older folks..
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Sep 23, 2020 06:13 PMMy nephew had a very seeet rental lined up a couple months ago in the Upper East, but was denied renting the private pool house. He found out later that he did not get the place because he had a Hillary sticker on the back of his car. Funny thing is he is/was a Bernie supporter, but was driving his girlfriend's car!!! Denied because of "politics"....go figure.
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Sep 23, 2020 05:48 PMThe obvious answer is to never rent your property in the first place. The more people realize this the more desirable Santa Barbara will become, the lower the crime rate will be, the less crowded our neighborhoods will be, the lower social welfare costs will be and the faster your property will appreciate in value. Why would any property owner want to give up control of their property to a complete stranger who does not have the means to own property themselves.
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Sep 24, 2020 10:47 PM40 minute commutes are average - gets you to plenty of affordable housing in this area. Substitute " I refuse to commute" when you hear anyone complain they can't afford to live in Santa Barbara and then tells us we need to build more "affordable housing" just for them.
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Sep 24, 2020 08:38 PM“No one working regular jobs can afford to commute.” Then who the hell are all those people commuting? I thought those were people who couldn’t afford to live here?
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Sep 24, 2020 11:57 AMOAITW, without rentals they'll be no one to serve you your dinner and drinks when you go out and about, or anyone to handle your dry cleaning, hair cuts and the like. Or to fix your car, can and bag your groceries, give you a facial or massage. No one working regular jobs can afford to commute. Also I am a renter by choice. I don't want to worry about fixing stuff when it breaks, and if I decide to move I can easily do so. I'm actually saving money by renting.
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Sep 24, 2020 07:51 AMSo all those people that rented rooms and/or property over the millenia were just idiots? What percent of landlords end up with a toxic tenant that they couldn't have known about by doing a thorough background check? My guess is very small.
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Sep 23, 2020 06:04 PMNot sure I follow your logic.
-Lower crime rate? Is there a guaranty that home owners are not criminals?
-Less crowded neighborhood? What control is in place to limit the size family moving into a neighborhood?
-lower social welfare? Are you stereotyping renters as social welfare recipients?
-Give up control of property? Residential or commercial investment property is a financial vehicle to accumulate wealth. There is a risk reward to owning property.
-Strangers with no means to own property? Again I think your stereotyping renters as a poor social welfare recipients.
Thanks for your thoughts. Always glad to hear others opinions.
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Sep 23, 2020 05:14 PMThe King of squatting still has to be Randy Quaid and his wife.. Ever seen the movie Christmas Vacation, it is Quaid's best.
Just wait till January when we have the evictions, it is gonna be a Chris Farley time..."and yes you can live in a van down by the river/beach!"
Dario Pinni has not been sleeping well lately I have heard..
Just deserts for the property owners in town, methinks!
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Sep 23, 2020 04:28 PMI think more info is needed. Why are you trying to evict? There are protections for evictions based on non-payment of rent but as far as I know if someone violates the terms of the lease, violates public health orders by having parties, they can get booted. Several LLs in IV are doing that right now. While I think it's ridiculous that LL's are being saddled with the consequences of this pandemic, they still have rights. Oh and I'm a renter. Who would never take advantage of this situation and who tries hard to be a good tenant.
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Sep 23, 2020 02:47 PMHow does that offering them money thing work? Do they hand you the keys and then you hand them a wad of cash? Or do you have them sign a legal document releasing all interest in the house first? I can see a 1000 ways this could go wrong if they have some legal right to be in the property and you give them cash. Once you get them out, I would vet the next tenant like they were trying to get access to classified records- elementary school records, minimum credit score of 800, lived at their last place 20 yrs and never missed a rent payment, the works.
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Sep 24, 2020 11:07 AMHello PITMIX,
A background credit check does not necessarily make for a good tenant. I speak from experience. I rented my 4-bdrm beautiful Mission Canyon hope to those that were outstanding within their credit background checks and in 30 years there of the shining star tenants turned out to be nightmare & destructive tenants. Since then I trust my instinct about people and has a proper deposit. Many tenants may have a spot on their credit, or claimed BK...that does not make them bad people, just struggling at some point I time. It has been my experience that those tenants have been my best. Can't judge a book by its cover.
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Sep 24, 2020 09:32 AMIt already is a fact of life among mom and pol landlords that they rent under-market to keep a good tenant. That is why government destruction of the mom and pol rental market is doubly punishing. City council, for cheap virtue signaling props, blunders into an industry they know nothing about. And refuse to budge off their greedy landlord deserves to be punished narrative.
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Sep 24, 2020 07:53 AM3:35, after thorough vetting, I would charge below market rents to encourage a good tenant to stay until they are carried out feet first. But I am not a landlord except to my non-paying freeloader dogs.
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Sep 23, 2020 10:41 PMYou could use a third party as a sort of "escrow" where they hold the cash and keys until both parties have fulfilled their obligations (they move out)
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Sep 23, 2020 03:44 PMI have heard many sad (and expensive) tales over the years, from small landlords having to deal with deadbeat or disruptive tenants. I suppose most tenants are good, but the bad ones can really cause trouble. You’d have to have a good cash reserve to risk renting out a property.
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Sep 23, 2020 03:35 PMPITMIX - With those background requirements, good thing you're not a landlord.
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Sep 23, 2020 02:38 PMState of Calif has a dot-gov website - Landlord Tenant Resources that explains the maze of technicalities one faces trying to evict a tenant today: https://landlordtenant.dre.ca.gov/index.html Then check with Santa Barbara tenant protections on top of the federal and state protections. Then ask yourself, why do they think no one has built any new rental apartment complexes in this state? And why mom and pop landlords get to the point they would rather leave a rental empty and simply build equity in the property, instead of risking ever renting the property out again.
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Sep 23, 2020 02:34 PMMy advice: Get a real job you leech
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Sep 24, 2020 05:51 PMOkay, SHOMK, so if it is immoral to evict a tenant for non-payment during a Pandemic (and why you are assuming that every case of non-payment is related to the Pandemic I have no idea), where is the morality in a tenant causing a bank foreclosure and seizure of a property that someone may have worked long and hard to buy?
Just F the landlord and no concern at all for that? Really?
See, it's attitudes like yours that got me out of the long term rental business and in to short term rentals only.
I decided I don't want to have to be put in the position of evicting good people in hard times to protect my own economic security just as I don't want to be put in to the position of trying to evict a criminal or psycho tenant and deal with that stress.
So...short term only. Pretty close to stress free.
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Sep 24, 2020 12:51 PMYou CAN evict someone as of recently if they are violating the lease/rental agreement. But it needs to be a good reason beyond not paying rent(as if that's not good enough). The laws are bent so far over to "help" the tenant it's ridiculous.
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Sep 24, 2020 12:25 PMUmmm, your exact quote from the beginning was "Get a real job you leech". You can't evict people for not paying rent right now, that's the established current reality. And that makes sense. But there are "X" number of people abusing the legal loop holes and simply staying in places beyond their lease and/or without any intention or plan of ever paying. They are abusing the system. The law went too far and while it protected good tenants, it also protects deadbeats abusing the system (and does absolutely nothing for landlords who still have property tax bills due and the delayed mortgage payments all due). So...to return to the OP's question...under the assumption they aren't paying rent and are simply refusing to leave, offer them money (more than you probably are thinking and definitely more than you want to) because you have virtually no rights or power to do anything till February...
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Sep 24, 2020 12:04 PMDUKE-- nobody is saying that and you're putting words in my mouth. I am saying, and have been saying from the beginning that it's inhumane and immoral to evict people during a pandemic and for some reason you're on the other side here. Says alot more about you than it does about me *shrug*
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Sep 23, 2020 05:27 PMTouché
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Sep 23, 2020 05:26 PMBeware of Edhatter versus Edhater. One is an Edhat participant, the other spews hate on Edhat.
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Sep 23, 2020 05:25 PMWe’re both making assumptions... I’m assuming the old low funds mom” is trying to evict due to lack of payment/problems... you are assuming and evil old lady hell bent on kicking people to the curb... maybe the OP will help us fill in some blanks...
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Sep 23, 2020 05:07 PMI’m taking the Edhater who posted at his word that he/she is helping Their elderly low income mom out and you at your word that anyone who rents out property is a “Leach”. Under those assumptions you are correct in what you presumably are getting... one of us is a SHMUCK/clown.
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Sep 23, 2020 04:53 PMAre you equating me lending my car and belongings to a stranger online for no reason to evicting working class tenants during a recession and pandemic?
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Sep 23, 2020 04:51 PMYour right Shmonk. Quick question: Can I borrow your car and cell phone real quick? I'll bring them back , don't worry...
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Sep 23, 2020 04:49 PMLets say Lets say Lets say.... I don't make excuses for people I don't know that are committing inhumane and immoral acts. Weird that that is your default setting!
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Sep 23, 2020 04:06 PMThat is true, that's why I preface mine with "Let's say"...
Irregardless, it's virtually impossible to get someone out right now whether they have paid or not. So...be careful renting out an extra room in the house , guest house or your Mom's old house...because the tenants have all the power...they basically "own" the place.
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Sep 23, 2020 03:59 PMso far, no where did the poster say the tenants were NOT paying. this is all assumptions
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Sep 23, 2020 03:56 PMLet's say his Mom is in a nursing home and needs the rental money from her house to pay for her new digs. The tenant isn't paying and is refusing to leave. Does that seem right/tenable to you? And what do you do...what makes your job so useful or good that you can condemn someone for trying to help his mom collect some money from tenants refusing to pay/leave.
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Sep 23, 2020 03:49 PMAw man is my comment to vulgar for you :(
My comment is to the landlord trying to evict a tenant during a pandemic and recession, to be clear.
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Sep 23, 2020 02:42 PMShmonk - Is that directed at the the tenant or the guy trying to help out his mom rent out her former home? It’s seemingly over the top either way and the moderator should pop up and take it down but before that, where are you going with that comment?
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Sep 23, 2020 02:30 PMThere is a landlord-tenant mediation service locally that our tax dollars fund. Legal Aid is intended to help low income clients. Though they might take the side of the tenant. I suspect many ADU owners will get similar unpleasant wake up calls, it is not so great being a landlord in this state once they find they too have a "reluctant" tenant .Screen carefully, particularly ADU which are attached to your own homes..
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Sep 23, 2020 02:25 PMUnfortunately, California law is weighted HEAVILY in favor of the scofflaw tenant. I've been down this road myself with a sociopathic tenant who never paid a dime in rent the entire six months he lived at my property. DUKEMUNSON is right. Offer them money. That's what I finally had to do, and it worked.
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Sep 23, 2020 02:19 PM...Hell's Angels.
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Sep 23, 2020 01:58 PMOffer them money. With the eviction moratorium (combined with the recent CDC mandate) it's going to be virtually impossible to get a tenant out until February, doesn't matter if they haven't paid rent in months or are even a tenant on the lease. It's a legal nightmare in which your best case scenario is February and over $500 in filing fees (plus whatever the lawyer charges). Offer them money and hope they go....
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