Q: My landlord came in my home stating she smelled marijuana. She did this after I made a complaint about her. Help!
I don’t smoke and this is false I believe it’s retaliation to try and evict me. Can you help me. How can I prove she’s wrong
A:
In California, your landlord must provide reasonable notice, typically 24 hours, before entering your home, except in emergencies. If your landlord entered without proper notice, this could be a violation of your rights as a tenant.
Regarding the accusation of marijuana use, if you believe this is false and possibly retaliatory, document all interactions with your landlord, including dates, times, and the nature of each interaction. This documentation can be crucial if legal action becomes necessary.
If you feel your landlord is attempting to retaliate or evict you unjustly, it’s important to know that California law protects tenants from retaliation. This means a landlord cannot evict or harass a tenant for exercising their legal rights, such as making a complaint.
To address this situation, consider writing a formal letter to your landlord stating your concerns and the inaccuracies of their claim. If the issue escalates, seeking legal advice may be necessary to ensure your rights are protected and to discuss potential steps such as filing a complaint with a local housing agency or considering legal action.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.