Hayward, CA asked in Land Use & Zoning, Real Estate Law and Landlord - Tenant for California

Q: Can someone who owns a Big property, with many code violations , reel many volunteers on a lie and make them fix it?

This lady owns about 45 acres and rents the houses on it to about 3 tenants. She also rents its it out to campers on the weekends. But the property has many housing code violations. She uses volunteer websites and sells this place as a “free meditation experience, with monks who can teach you about Buddhism, 3 meals a day and housing” to reel young 20 year old volunteers in. Once they are here, they have to fix the Dangerous violations on the property, have to freeze outside in a tent, and eat food pantry food that she brings once a week. There is no meditation or Buddhism going on. She is barely on the property herself and just basically wants free labor but is not giving what she promised in return. Many volunteers have had emotional distress over this experience, she lies to her tenants as well. Is this legal?

1 Lawyer Answer
Yelena Gurevich
Yelena Gurevich
Answered
  • Real Estate Law Lawyer
  • Studio City, CA
  • Licensed in California

A: Volunteers by definition are people who do something without the expectation of payment or receiving something in return. It is the choice of the volunteer to volunteer or not. A volunteer can always leave and hence has no real damages. Lying in and of itself is not generally a violation of law without more specific facts. Based on the post it is not clear what would be illegal here.

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