Tenant Responsibilities in California Apart from paying rent in a timely manner, California tenants must: Keep the unit in a clean and habitable condition Keep fixtures clean and sanitary Use the rental unit for living, sleeping, cooking, or dining purposes only ...
Is It Legal for Me to Withhold Rent Until My Landlord Makes Repairs? Tenants have a right to safe and livable housing. This includes the right, in most states, to withhold rent or to repair the problem and deduct the cost of doing so from the rent (known as “repair and deduct”). ...
that might not be the end of the story. California's Civil Code Section 1942.5, prohibits landlords from retaliation against tenants who have exerted their "repair and deduct" remedies; exercised their reasonable rent-withholding rights; reported the landlord to a government authority or to a tenan...
In some states, withholding rent or “fix and deduct” is OK, but only under very specific conditions. “Withholding rent is always dangerous for the tenant’s case. You have got to make sure you have a strong position,” Kellman explains. “You wouldn’t test a rowboat after you took ...
rent, or go to court and ask that they appoint someone to collect your rents and then pay the utility bills. Laws governing a landlord's failure to pay utility bills vary considerably from state to state, and even from city to city, so be sure to get legal advice before taking action....