c/california-legal-talk

My landlord tried to keep my security deposit using a fake water damage invoice

I moved out of a place in Sacramento last month and the landlord sent me a $1,850 deduction for "water damage" with an invoice from a company I never saw. I asked for the service address and the date they came out, and suddenly they stopped replying. California Civil Code 1950.5 is pretty clear that they need to send an itemized statement within 21 days, so I filed in small claims for the full return plus penalties. Has anyone else dealt with a landlord pulling this move and actually won?

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reese124•2d ago

Finally caught my lease renewal mistake after 3 years in Oakland

I've been at the same apartment in Oakland since 2021 and always signed the renewal papers the landlord slid under my door without a second look. Last month I actually read the new terms and saw the rent increase was 10%, but state law for most units caps it at 5% plus inflation, around 8.4%. I called the city rent board and they confirmed my building is covered, so I sent a polite note to the landlord with the law citation. He wrote back saying 'this has been our standard practice,' but he did lower it to the legal amount real quick. Made me wonder how many years I overpaid without checking. I'd love to know, has anyone else caught their landlord quietly pushing past the annual cap? What did you do about it?

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william_torres•3d ago

Overheard a guy at the courthouse say he settled for 60% of what he wanted

I was waiting for my small claims hearing in Sacramento last Thursday and this older gentleman was on the phone in the hallway. He kept saying he was tired of fighting and just took the offer from the other side's lawyer. He told someone it was 60 cents on the dollar and he felt dumb for not pushing harder. Made me think about how often we quit early just because we're worn out. I ended up settling my case too after one continuance. Has anyone else felt like the system pushes you to give up more than you should?

1 comments

the_oscar•3d ago

The tenant screening service that flagged my own brother as a risk

I run a small property management gig in Fresno and last month I used a tenant screening service I'd been with for 5 years. It flagged my own brother as a high risk because he had an old eviction from 2012 that was actually dismissed in court. The service showed the filing but not the dismissal, so I had to manually pull the court records to prove it was garbage. Cost me $45 in county fees and a full afternoon. Has anyone else dealt with outdated or misleading info from these screening companies, and did you find a better way to verify tenants?

1 comments

rosebarnes•9d ago

My contractor's critique on my lease addendum saved a renewal dispute

I drafted a renewal clause for a commercial lease in Fresno and thought it was solid, but my contractor pointed out I missed the CAM reconciliation deadline language. He said, 'You need to state who pays when the audit comes back over 30 days late.' That edit stopped a tenant from holding back $2,300 in disputed fees last month. Has anyone else had a third party catch a gap in their lease paperwork that a lawyer missed?

c/california-legal-talk

My landlord tried to keep my security deposit using a fake water damage invoice

Finally caught my lease renewal mistake after 3 years in Oakland

Overheard a guy at the courthouse say he settled for 60% of what he wanted

The tenant screening service that flagged my own brother as a risk

My contractor's critique on my lease addendum saved a renewal dispute

TIL small claims court in San Diego is way more chill than I thought

Mediation felt like a scam until my brother's custody case

Paid $500 for a lawyer to review a lease clause and it saved me from a $3,000 early termination fee

Hot take: My neighbor's bad review of my tree work made me switch from spikes to a bucket truck for residential jobs

People keep confusing 'emancipation' with 'divorce from parents' in California family court

That chat with a landlord about tenant rights made me check my lease again

Serious question, did I just void my lease by accident?

My notary bond renewal got flagged for a technicality from 2022

My old notary setup vs. my new one after a trip to the DMV

That time a retired cop in Bakersfield told me to fight every parking ticket

I finally stopped assuming verbal agreements were worth anything after a buddy lost $3,000 on a handshake deal in San Diego

Had to choose between settling my slip and fall case or taking it to court...

Took 6 months to get a simple lemonade stand permit in Sacramento

Talked to a small claims mediator in San Jose that changed how I handle neighbor disputes

Got a $400 bill after a fender bender in Santa Ana that I thought was my fault

Hit $47,000 in legal fees for a simple fence dispute in Oakland

Hot take: Should you really answer every single police question during a traffic stop?

Paid $500 for a tenant dispute lawyer and it saved my deposit

Heard a lawyer say most tenants dont fight evictions even when theyre wrong

Found a loophole in my landlord's lease renewal clause after 2 years of overpaying