Providing Landlord Certificates for Tenant Safety in 2023

I will use the following real-life scenario to Landlord Certificates lack of responsibility and how to protect oneself from predatory ones. I've rented from many landlords in the past who treated their properties as if they were their own, with little regard for their tenants' rights, the rules governing landlord-tenant relationships, or plain human decency.

A separate "in-law" apartment at the very end of a big mansion was one such place. One person owned the property and was managed by a property management company (with offices a block away), and a renter in the main house handled repairs. Long-term tenant #1 believed he owned the building and had the ultimate right to invade, steal from, and otherwise harass the property's other residents, despite the fact that they paid more rent, had genuine employment, and paid their full amount of taxes.

This person acted as if he were a landlord, with all the obligations that entail, but in actuality, he habitually ignored legal and ethical conventions. He turned up the volume to the point where it shook the house and the trees in the yard. When we called the cops, he'd turn down the level so officers couldn't hear him from the required 35-foot buffer zone (in our state/city), and the cops would tell him he was free to do whatever he wanted in his own home. Everyone, however, mistakenly assumed he was the Landlord and was exercising his Landlord Certificates.

There are SO MANY PROBLEMS with such an official response, and it's not even his apartment. He pretends to be the Landlord and pays $300 of the $1700 rent since he believes he is the Landlord (the remainder is split between the other two renters). He also believes he can get away with a variety of illegal activities, such as smoking crack, doing crank, selling both, working on a scrap vehicle in the driveway at unreasonable hours, collecting SSI for a two-decade-old disability that no longer exists, working under the table, not paying taxes, and gaining access to my property while I am at my real job, for which I am responsible for paying real taxes.

Although I have been relieved of his landlord duties for quite some time, I find myself reflecting on those days to serve as a caution to anyone considering entering into a scenario with Landlord Certificates. The law safeguards your human rights. Tenant protections are available in all large cities and towns and many smaller towns and villages. Landlords have obligations as well, which are spelled out in the law. For example, typical tenant-rights disputes would involve...

The Landlord has the right to enter the rental unit at any time for the following reasons:

1. In the event of an emergency.
2. With a "reasonable" warning.
3. To inspect, repair, or demonstrate the unit, but only during "reasonable/business" hours and with at least 24 hours' notice.

Landlord Certificates of occupancy is a legal document establishing that a person other than the Landlord can lawfully occupy the rented property. This document must have the Landlord (or landlords). They have no right to collect rent if they do not have this certification.

Pretending landlords cannot issue eviction notices or take any other legal action.

Landlords that accept rent payments made to a name other than the Landlord's legal name must obtain a DBA (Doing Business As) license.

What you see here are California laws, nothing more and nothing less. Renter and landlord protections differ from state to state, so it's critical to understand the laws in your area. Avoid the misery, stress, and financial burden.

Tenant Possessions and Privileges

Regardless of whether they are covered under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, all tenants have the following rights under state law.

Having the Legal Right to at London Property Inspections you against unfair treatment. Possession of the legal right to sue the Landlord for any harm caused by the Landlord Certificates. Protection against eviction, lockout, or landlord property seizure.