If you plan to rent property in California, you must understand the various protections for the renter and the owner. Under the Tenant Protection Act, multiple protections are in place that restrict what property owners can and cannot do regarding their property when housing or evicting a tenant.
What are at-fault evictions?
At-fault evictions are evictions where the tenant has responsibility for his or her eviction. For example, if a renter does not pay rent, you have legal protections to evict that tenant. Other evictions include:
- Criminal activity on and off the premises directed at the owner
- Breach of material lease terms
- Refusing to allow legal entry
- Refusing to execute a new lease with similar terms
- Using the property for unlawful purposes or causing a nuisance
Remember that different counties can also apply landlord and tenant relationship rules.
What Are no-fault evictions?
No-fault evictions are not the fault of the tenant. These might include if you plan to move into the unit, if you want to withdraw the unit from the market or if you want to demolish or substantially remodel the property.
However, you must abide by specific rules if you plan to evict based on a no-fault reason. For example, if you plan to move into the unit, you must act truthfully and move onto the property in a specified amount of time and live there for a specific amount of time for the move to be valid.
If you lie about why you evicted a tenant or if the tenant suspects that you lied about the reason for eviction, it could result in serious litigation.