When you are a tenant in San Francisco, there are certain rights that you have. Your landlord also has certain responsibilities toward you and the rented property. It is not impossible that an issue will come up while renting that requires the help of San Francisco tenant lawyers, but sometimes this is not needed. Most issues between landlords and tenants can be settled through talking and coming to a shared decision.
There are other cases where hiring a lawyer might be the right answer. We’ll look at what some of those situations might be.
Your Landlord is Discriminating Against You
It is illegal for a San Francisco landlord to discriminate against you based on many different characteristics. These include your ancestry, race, disability status, religion, sexual orientation, and any others that do not relate to your requirements as a tenant. If you are experiencing problems with a landlord who harasses you, refuses to rent to you, cancels your agreement for rental, or takes other actions based on one of your personal characteristics, it is likely that you have a discrimination case. It’s a good idea to seek out one of the many San Francisco tenant lawyers.
Your Landlord Refuses to Provide Repairs
The San Francisco Health Code, San Francisco Housing Code, and California Civil Code all provide a right to live in habitable conditions. To provide this, a landlord must outfit your dwelling with a safe source of heat, adequate weatherproofing, hot and cold running water, stairways that are maintained, and more. They must also ensure that the property is typically free of pests and rodents. When something requires repair, your landlord should have it fixed. If they do not, you should speak with a lawyer.
You Are Unlawfully Evicted
If you believe that you are being faced with an unlawful eviction, you should speak with an attorney who can explain your rights. For those who are covered by rent control, there are only 16 causes of eviction. Even if one of these is used, you must receive an eviction notice and the eviction must follow legal requirements.
Bracamontes & Vlasak, P.C. offer help for those facing problems with landlords. We have been providing help in landlord/tenant issues for years, including situations involving wrongful eviction, harassment, lack of heat, discrimination, and more. If you would like to learn how we can help you, feel free to contact us at 415-835-6777.
