What power do landlords have?

California landlords are legally required to offer and maintain habitable rentals. Tenants may withhold rent, move out without notice, sue the landlord, call state or local health inspectors, or exercise the right to “repair and deduct” if a landlord fails to take care of important repairs, such as a broken heater.

Is no electricity uninhabitable?

Section 1941 of California’s Civil Code defines a tenant’s right to habitability. Habitability means that your dwelling is safe, secure, and a reasonable person would not have a problem living there. According to the California Department of Consumer Affairs, faulty electrical wiring affects habitability.

Can a landlord videotape you?

Landlords cannot use cameras to track a tenant’s personal life. Pointing cameras at a tenant’s private space can be a breach of a tenant’s quiet enjoyment or tenant harassment. Thus, landlords can justify placing cameras in common areas. Common areas include hallways, laundry rooms, and shared entryways.

What are unsuitable living conditions?

Uninhabitable conditions can include dangerous ones, such as holes in the floor, unsafe or exposed wiring, or non-working air conditioning in dangerously hot summer months. Gross infestations of roaches, fleas or other pests are also uninhabitable conditions.

How much notice does a landlord have to give for rent increase?

In most states, landlords are legally required to give tenants at least 30 days notice of a rent increase, although that can vary based on how high it’s hiked. In California, for instance, that advance notice expands to 60 days if the increase amounts to more than 10\% of the rent.

When do landlords have to notify tenants of rule changes?

Landlords can implement rule changes when a tenant’s lease agreement expires. In other words, landlords should notify the tenant of the upcoming change well before it’s time to renew the lease so the tenant will know of the change before signing the new agreement.

Can a landlord change the rules of the lease?

It may seem that the landlord should be able to change the rules of their lease because they own the property and should be able to switch things up when they want to, as long as the rule change is fair. Right? Wrong.

Is it normal for a landlord to raise rent every year?

As unfortunate as it may be, rent increases are common, and many tenants expect some kind of increase every time their lease comes up. Still, some renters might find it hard to believe just how much the price of their housing goes up every year. “When it comes to how much a landlord can raise rent, anything flies,” says Pellegrini.