(e) A request for the issuance of a temporary restraining order without notice under FindLaw.com Free, trusted legal information for consumers and legal professionals, SuperLawyers.com Directory of U.S. attorneys with the exclusive Super Lawyers rating, Abogado.com The #1 Spanish-language legal website for consumers, LawInfo.com Nationwide attorney directory and legal consumer resources. If your roommate is on the lease agreement with you, then they only answer to your landlord. In a variety of situations, California law gives a roommate the legal right to break a lease before the lease agreement reaches its end date. If the petition is filed too late in the day to permit effective review, the order If they need to stay longer, they can file a stay of execution with the court to request more time, but they must pay rent for any extra days they are allowed to stay by the court. Co-tenants, sometimes referred to as joint tenants, are equal partners. What can you do? Even if this much precaution is not possible, try to line up at least two different places where you can stay if you feel uncomfortable at home. Reviewed by: Michelle Seidel, B.Sc., LL.B., MBA. Except as provided in subparagraph (B), if the court determines that disclosure Every human must be treated with dignity and evicting a roommate in California without cause just cant happen. available to the court. If you are not on the lease and your roommate ismaybe youre the one subletting, for instanceyou dont have many options. If the roommate has threatened or engaged in real physical violence against you, you can get a Domestic Violence Temporary Restraining Order from court that asks for a residence exclusion order. In some states, landlords cannot include clauses that provide for termination, should a tenant call the police in the face of domestic violence, nor can landlords make tenants pay for the cost of such calls. States typically require that the tenant provide proof (such as a protective order) of her status as a domestic violence victim. Behavior like harassing, stalking, threatening, or hitting someone, disturbing someones peace, or destroying someones personal property). In general restraining orders can include: For the person to be restrained, having a restraining order against him or her can have very serious consequences: If the restrained person violates (breaks) the restraining order, he or she may go to jail, or pay a fine, or both. (B) An order enjoining a party from specified behavior that the court determines is harassing, abusing, stalking, or; threatening you. A court clerk or an advocate will help you complete the forms, including information about what is happening and what you want now. Domestic violence victims may circumvent regular relocation requirements if they have otherwise complied with other Section 8 requirements, have moved in order to protect someone who is or has been a domestic violence victim, and reasonably believed that they were imminently threatened by harm from further violence. until the party who is protected can be properly noticed and may, upon a showing of Your roommate has master tenant status, meaning the lease exists only between the landlord and your roommate, and you are their subtenant. If youre subleasing to a roommate, you can evict them in California much more quickly especially if theres a history of bad behavior. Abuse can be verbal (spoken), emotional, or psychological. He or she might have to move out of his or her home. that a petition for a temporary order is granted or denied, a hearing shall be held The subtenant then has five days to vacate the premises or oppose the complaint by filing a response with the court. The law mandates that eviction shouldnt be a way to retaliate or discriminate against an individual. the person, and that serves no legitimate purpose. and to allow the respondent to comply with and respond to the protective order. Unlawful violence, like assault or battery or stalking, OR. But also, roommate harassment issues are very real. in actions brought pursuant to this section is mandatory. At the same time, she was doing the exact same thing talking about me to our other roommate and friends. and the other party are required to be present in close proximity. Judicial Council and that have been approved by the Department of Justice pursuant A fee shall not be paid for a subpoena filed in connection with a petition alleging Third, should another incident take place before you can leave, call the police. While there are a host of roommate harassment laws that you could prepare yourself with, there is also other know-how that could help you. Find more information . If a request for a temporary order is not made, the hearing shall be held within A notice shall be provided to the respondent that identifies the specific information If your roommate is NOT on the lease with your landlord, but they pay rent directly to the landlord, they may be considered a co-tenant. If you are terminating a month-to-month tenancy without cause, you must give either thirty or sixty days written notice, depending on how long your roommate has lived there. Related: According to New York state law, you must give your roommate at least 30 days to vacate. All rights reserved. Elder or Dependent Adult Abuse Restraining Order. You dont want to find yourself on the wrong side of the law, even though youre in the right. It encompasses the transfer of rights held by one party the assignor to another party the assignee. However, I have a strong desire to get out of the lease early. Participation in this column does not create an attorney/client relationship with Klein. Sign up for our mailing list to stay up to date on the laws YOU need to know. with a copy of the petition, temporary restraining order, if any, and notice of hearing respondent and may prescribe the manner in which proof of service shall be made. He or she will not be able to go to certain places or to do certain things. The injured roommates can sue for damages monetary compensation in exchange for all the associated headaches, trouble and grief this would cause. (2) A minor, under 12 years of age, accompanied by a duly appointed and acting guardian ad litem, shall be permitted to appear . He may evict them anyways for the party if that is a material breach of the lease or if they are damaging property. circumstances: (i) By the minor's legal guardian who petitioned to keep the information confidential The petitioner shall provide the officer with an endorsed copy of the order and order was converted to a restraining order at the hearing without substantive change If you are being abused in any of these ways or you feel afraid or controlled by your partner/spouse or someone you are close with, it may help you to talk to a domestic violence counselor, even if you do not want (or are not sure if you want) to ask for legal protection. making harassing telephone calls to an individual, or sending harassing correspondence While different types of roommate agreements can be a simple handshake or a legally binding written contract, these agreements never supersede the lease because they typically don't involve the landlord it's simply an arrangement made among roomies, which can range in formality. a copy of an order issued under this section, or reissuance, extension, modification, Laws, such as the California Civil Code and beyond, dole out rights on both the tenant's and landlord's side of the lease agreement. But harassing a person based on his or her race, religion or disability is a more serious crime punishable by up to 364 days . Read More: Rental Agreements in California: Key Terms to Look For. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated in September 2019 that in the previous year, Americans spent more than 25 percent of their pre-tax income on keeping a roof over their head. Copyright 2023 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Threatening your roommate will only hurt in this case as you will be the one in legal trouble as a result of that. It's a good idea to file a police report to have evidence of the behavior if the eviction goes to court. than five additional years, without a showing of any further harassment since the ACCESS Center San Francisco Superior Court 400 McAllister Street, Room 509 San Francisco, CA 94102-4514 RV Resources Join the RV Odd Squad: https://www A man died after being stabbed by his roommate in Long Beach Thursday, but investigators are still working to determine if the attacker was also the victim of a crime, officials said The law is . Subletting is an option, too, but it's very common for lease agreements in California to explicitly disallow subletting. Roommate Harassment Laws Roommates' rights can be limited when their behavior gets seriously out of line. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature or via Westlaw before relying on it for your legal needs. the order and shall at that time also enforce the order. neighbors, roommates, and; non-dating friends. (y) There is no filing fee for a petition that alleges that a person has inflicted But it can often be a necessity when you cant afford a house or apartment on your own. The next step is to call the police and ask them to forcibly remove your roommate if they remain in your home more than 72 hours after receiving the eviction notice. For more information about the legal concepts addressed by these cases and statutes, visit FindLaw's Learn About the Law. Additionally, the issues are fairly minor and easily resolvable. In that case, you will have to accept the rent payment and evict for another reason later on. 0 found this answer helpful | 1 lawyer agrees. In other words, roommates who initially occupied your rental unit as a subtenant may be catapulted to the status of a co-tenant by your acceptance of rent, even if they are not named in the lease. An OFP doesn't require an attorney and does not cost. Under the leases terms, they have identical rights and responsibilities. Civil Harassment Restraining OrderYou can ask for a civil harassment restraining order if you are being harassed, stalked, abused, or threatened by someone you are not as close to as is required under domestic violence cases, like a roommate, a neighbor, or more distant family members like cousins, aunts or uncles, or nieces or nephews. stalking, as prohibited by Section 646.9 of the Penal Code. What if you could get a perfect roommate so that you dont even need to think of eviction? Physically hurting or trying to hurt someone intentionally or recklessly; Making someone reasonably afraid that he or she or someone else is about to be seriously hurt (like threats or promises to harm someone); OR. Guide to Laws about Homelessness in California, 4. (And he or she will have to turn in, sell or store any guns they have now and not be able to buy a gun while the restraining order is in effect.). with the court or on the motion of a party. Domestic Violence Restraining Order. A subtenant is impotent and cannot evict anyone, while a landlord can evict all tenants from the premises, with caveats. Essentially, the landlord makes a contract with all of the roommates. However, the fact that an order issued by a court pursuant to this section was not The information posted must be likely to incite or produce unlawful . that, to the satisfaction of the court, shows reasonable proof of harassment of the protected party, the party who is protected by the order shall be given notice, pursuant Your landlord may not know there is a dog living in the house, or may have approved your roommates request to have a dog in the house. Civil Harassment Restraining Order. When someone is being abused or harassed, he or she needs to decide on the best way to get legal protection from the abuse or harassment. You cannot evict a co-tenant. order pursuant to this section, including, but not limited to, the minor's name, address, (3) Harassment is unlawful violence, a credible threat of violence, or a knowing and willful course In general, civil harassment is abuse, threats of abuse, stalking, sexual assault, or serious harassment by someone you have not dated and do NOT have a close family relationship with, like a neighbor, a roommate, or a friend (that you have never dated). with the order and notice of hearing with respect to a restraining order or protective Usually, its a judge-only trial. good cause, specify another method for service of process that is reasonably designed in feeling more confident that they will not be injured or threatened by the other It may affect his or her ability to see his or her children. The civil harassment laws say harassment is: Credible threat of violence means intentionally saying something or acting in a way that would make a reasonable person afraid for his or her safety or the safety of his or her family. issued on forms adopted by the Judicial Council and approved by the Department of Even if theyre guilty of roommate harassment, the best you can do is report them to the landlord. Contact us. (x)(1) The Judicial Council shall develop forms, instructions, and rules relating of the petition. TermsPrivacyDisclaimerCookiesDo Not Sell My Information, Begin typing to search, use arrow keys to navigate, use enter to select, (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), upon. is filed. of requesting or opposing a request for a temporary restraining order or order after I realize that one or both of the parties who sign the lease are responsible for paying the landlord. Technically, all roommates should sign the rental agreement or lease. In California, roommate arrangements can be boiled down to two types of arrangements when the landlord does not live in the rental unit. to the petitioner. In the latter scenario, the two parties present their cases to the court and a judge issues a final ruling on the matter. She specializes in family law and estate law and has mediated family custody issues. Do I have any legal recourse against the other tenant under the terms of the lease? If the landlord does not get paid, he will likely evict. It even protects you if you're being abused by someone you're dating . Landlords also have rights, such as the right to collect rent and to collect payment for property damages that exceed normal wear and tear. If you and your roommate have a separate agreement that each of you is responsible for half of the rent for the length of the lease, then you can sue your roommate for the unpaid rent each month. The master tenant retains all rights and obligations under the master lease, which includes, naturally, paying rent to the landlord. state or local law; nor shall this section enlarge or diminish any ability of local government to regulate or enforce a prohibition against a landlord's harassment of a tenant. The support person is not present as a legal adviser and may not provide legal advice. The court may for good cause, on motion of the petitioner or on its own motion, For an employer to get a workplace violence restraining order on behalf of an employee, there needs to be reasonable proof that: Read about the law in Code of Civil Procedure section 527.8. As per most roommate harassment laws, putting your request in writing creates a paper trail for if and when you go to court. Verbal notice of the terms of the order shall constitute service of the order and (l) In a proceeding under this section, if there are allegations of unlawful violence Under a sublet, one tenant, who is bound by the landlord's lease agreement, makes a contract with a subtenant under terms laid out in a separate contract. She made up lies about my other roommate and her boyfriend and about her family and spread them and always told me these things. of confidential information has been made without a court order, the court may impose The court may also grant a continuance on its own motion. A lease makes you cotenants. . or otherwise, or coming within a specified distance of, or disturbing the peace of, A restraining order (also called a protective order) is a court order that can protect someone from being physically or sexually abused, threatened, stalked, or harassed. Search: Roommate Harassment Laws California. Our plan for leaseholders was designed to take care of replacing roommates on a lease so that neither you or your landlord has to manage the process. Beverly Bird is a practicing paralegal who has been writing professionally on legal subjects for over 30 years. more of the story, More Minnesota homes are getting a glow-up with customizable exterior lights, U professor leaves loft near downtown Minneapolis to remake 'gorgeous' 1905 home, At home with Edina couple who landed new HGTV show. A request for renewal may be brought any time within the three months before the In many cases, roommates cant co-exist and this leads to a revolving door of swapping roommates, creating confusion as to who is responsible for what, when rent can be raised, and how to legally evict tenants/occupants. The protected party may waive the protected party's right to notice if the protected petitioner by the respondent, and that great or irreparable harm would result to the Before a roommate becomes an ex-roommate for breaking a lease, it's essential to understand whether or not they are within their rights. Our partner Rocket Lawyer has lawyers ready to answer your question WITHIN MINUTES for just $49.99 (Save $200+ vs hiring a lawyer). Only a landlord has that legal right. Speaking of the premises, Section 1942 of the state's Civil Code allows roommates and other tenants to break the lease agreement if they experience inhabitable or unlivable conditions in the rental space. This section does not preclude a petitioner from using other existing civil remedies. Constitutionally protected activity is not included within the meaning of course However, if it's just a personal problem between roommates, then you have to find another way to resolve it. You need to contact your landlord, apprise him or her of your living situation and request to terminate your lease early. Please do! First, get out or immediately start making arrangements to leave. Calmly explain why youre upset might also help. Typically, each roommate signs the lease agreement individually, making them cotenants of a single unit. The subtenant has no specific responsibilities to the original tenant's landlord. If your houseguest has been there 30 days or more, they become a tenant (even if they havent paid any rent), and removing them is more complicated (see Roommate section below). are sought and, if the petition is granted, the restrained person. Read More: California Sublet Laws: Rules for Tenants & Subtenants. order before the expiration date specified in the order by a party other than the Communication is key to a quick resolution. the alleged harassment, or may file a cross-petition under this section. Neither Sally nor Joe has any individual rights that the other doesn't share, but a landlord typically isnt barred from entering into a new lease with one of them who's an innocent party to let him or her stay. and the circumstances surrounding the request for a protective order with respect Search California Codes. If your roommate has any issues with the eviction, they may try to discuss it with you. ordered by the court. Roommates rights can be limited when their behavior gets seriously out of line. ammunition while the protective order is in effect. first-class mail sent to the respondent at the most current address for the respondent for the expiration date is issued at the hearing, a copy of the restraining order Related: What Happens If One Roommate Breaks The Lease? the time for hearing under subdivision (g), not to exceed 25 days, unless otherwise Elder or Dependent Adult Abuse Restraining OrderYou can ask for an elder or dependent adult abuse restraining order if: Find more information about Elder and Dependent Abuse. If your roommate is not paying rent, doing something illegal in the unit, or damaging the apartment, your landlord may step in to evict them for you. For a workplace violence situation, the harassment is defined in the same way as for civil harassment. If you are evicting for just cause and your roommate remedies the situation, you cannot move forward with the eviction process. An example of such a person would be a roommate or a neighbor. You are between 18 and 64 and have certain mental or physical disabilities that keep you from being able to do normal activities or protect yourself; Treatment that has physically or mentally hurt you, or. (7) If the law enforcement officer determines that a protective order has been issued to subdivision (i) of Section 6380 of the Family Code. (2) If the respondent named in a temporary restraining order is personally served . Examples of people "not in a close relationship" include. (p)(1) Either party may request a continuance of the hearing, which the court shall order or protective order issued at the hearing may be served on the respondent by A roommate of mine was spreading rumors about me and another of our roommates. 0 comments. If, for example, you are pursuing eviction and plan to give 30 or 60 days notice, you dont need to provide a good reason. The order may be renewed, upon the request of a party, for a duration of no more A co-tenant can, however, evict a subtenant. Information provided by readers is not confidential. All evictions must begin with written notice. This is a cardinal sin we see all too often at Bornstein Law. themselves of the services described in this subdivision. A legal guardian or a protected party who makes a disclosure under this clause is The same would apply to a co-tenant who had to make an entire rent payment because a roommate didn't contribute his portion. Is it Legal to List Your Place on Airbnb? But you are still responsible for the entire rent. Again look at your lease. You cant evict them. If not, you will most likely need to go through the court eviction process. In this case, you need to serve them a 30-day written notice to vacate the premises. The difference is that the harassment happens primarily at work AND it is the employer of the harassed employee who asks for protection for the employee (and, if necessary, for the employees family). Co-tenants cannot be evicted without just cause, meaning they can be evicted only for certain reasons, such as non-payment of rent or other violations of the lease terms. It all comes down to your unique situation and what your roommate may have done. (commencing with Section 1788) of Part 4 of Division 3 of the Civil Code or by Division 10 (commencing with Section 6200) of the Family Code. These situations can get complicated because you are still living with this person, so you may want to see if you two can negotiate a solution to your problem. If you do have a good reason to evict a roommate, you have to know how it works. The employee has suffered unlawful violence (like assault, battery or stalking) or a credible threat of violence; The unlawful violence or the threat of violence can reasonably be construed to be carried out or to have been carried out at the workplace; The conduct is not allowable as part of a legitimate labor dispute; and. A fee shall not be paid for filing a response to a petition alleging these acts. California law lets you terminate your lease without penalties if youor someone you live withis being subjected to domestic violence by a current or former spouse, partner, or roommate. Under state law, a landlord can evict a month-to-month tenant by serving a 30-day notice that the tenancy is being terminated - no reason is necessary. (7) Unlawful violence is any assault or battery, or stalking as prohibited in Section 646.9 of the Penal Code, but does not include lawful acts of self-defense or defense of others. If you are living in a rent-controlled apartment in some larger cities in California, local law demands that you provide just cause for any eviction. This might be the case if a subtenant fails to pay rent. Unfortunately, you cant just evict a roommate in California. Kelly Klein is a Minneapolis attorney. (u)(1) A person subject to a protective order issued pursuant to this section shall shall be granted or denied on the next day of judicial business in sufficient time domestic violence counselors and resources, Welfare and Institutions Code section 15610.07, Living together or used to live together (but more than just roommates), OR. My Roommate Is Really Creepy! (a) (1) A person who has suffered harassment as defined in subdivision (b) may seek a temporary restraining order and an order after hearing prohibiting harassment as provided in this section. a reasonable period, to respond to the petition.