Landlord

California tenants can refuse improper entry, but Civil Code 1954 gives sellers a real right of access with proper notice. Here’s how that actually works.

A tenant’s death does not end their lease in California. Here’s what happens to rent, the deposit, and their belongings before you can sell the unit.

If you serve a tenant notice soon after they complain about the property, California law presumes you’re retaliating — even if you’re really just trying to sell. Here’s how the presumption works.

A no-fault eviction lets a landlord end a tenancy without the tenant doing anything wrong — but California limits when you can use one, and it isn’t always the fastest way to sell an occupied rental.

A 1031 exchange lets you defer tax on a California rental sale, but the state’s clawback rule requires an annual filing for years afterward if you buy replacement property out of state.

The Ellis Act lets a California landlord exit the rental business and evict every tenant to do it — but the notice periods, mandatory relocation payments, and five-year rental restriction change the math for a lot of owners.

No California statute requires a residential tenant to sign an estoppel certificate — the obligation comes from the lease, if it comes from anywhere. What buyers are actually verifying, what happens when a tenant refuses, and why a rent roll is not a substitute.

Cash for keys is a negotiated surrender, not a legal process — which is why the agreement matters so much. What belongs in one, how it compares to the cost of an unlawful detainer, and why the City of Los Angeles regulates it under LAMC 151.31 with a mandatory disclosure and a 30-day tenant cancellation right.

No written lease does not mean no tenancy. California law turns a handshake arrangement into a month-to-month tenancy with the same protections as any other. The 30 and 60-day rules, why just cause still applies, and the narrow lodger exception under Civil Code 1946.5.