Landlord and Tenant Lawyers in Sunnyvale

Find the right Tenant attorney in Sunnyvale, CA

Tenant Law in California

The relationship between a landlord and tenant in Sunnyvale, California can occasionally be a touchy one. Landlords and tenants are not always clear on their respective rights and obligations.

There are numerous rights and responsibilities that landlords and tenants have. It's important that each party is aware of their rights, and the rights of the other party. By knowing and respecting these rights, the risk of conflict should be reduced dramatically.

Landlord's Rights in Sunnyvale, CA

The most important and most discernible right that a landlord has is the right to timely payment of rent from the tenant. This, of course, means that the tenant has a duty to pay rent.

They also have a right to compensation for any damage that a tenant causes, beyond ordinary wear and tear. Landlords are free to bill the tenants for repairs to damage they caused, and deduct the cost from the security deposit.

Tenant's Rights in Sunnyvale, CA

Tenants, most essentially, have a right to a habitable apartment. After all, this is what they're paying for. Sunnyvale, California landlords are obligated to see that the units they rent to tenants are fit to be lived in by people. Many different defects might render an apartment uninhabitable, such as serious infestations and other problems with sanitation, lack of running water or electricity, or failure to provide adequate protection from the outside elements.

Tenants also have a right to ensure that the common areas of their apartment building are reasonably safe. Landlords are required to make sure that the common areas of their buildings meet Sunnyvale, California's building codes, and that there are no conditions that create unnecessary safety hazards. They are obligated to make, at their own expense, the necessary repairs.

Under federal and California law, tenants are also entitled to protection against discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, marital status, or gender. Such discrimination can lead to grave civil penalties against the landlord. Landlords also cannot discriminate against tenants based on physical disability, and have to make reasonable accommodations for physically disabled tenants. For instance, they have to allow disabled tenants to make minor physical alterations to the unit (at the tenant's expense) to make it more accessible. Now, they don't need to allow the tenants to have the building remodeled. We're just talking about things like installing handrails in the bathroom, and similar things. The landlord can, however, require tenants to restore the apartment to its original condition, at the tenant's expense, once the tenant leaves.

Lastly, tenants are legally protected from arbitrary eviction. Landlords generally must have a very good reason to evict a tenant before the lease agreement reaches the end of its term (at this point, they are of course allowed to decline to renew the lease). Of course, if the tenant breaches the lease agreement (such as by failing to pay rent, damaging the property, or violating other reasonable rules the landlord has put in the lease), the landlord, like a party to any other contract, is free to terminate the agreement and evict the breaching tenant.

Can a Sunnyvale, California Landlord/Tenant Lawyer Help?

Landlords and tenants generally want to avoid conflict with one another. Nonetheless, conflicts are sometimes unavoidable. If you end up in a major dispute with a landlord or a tenant, a reputable Sunnyvale, California landlord/tenant attorney can help.

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Life in Sunnyvale

Sunnyvale, California is a major city in the Silicon Valley of the San Francisco Bay Area. It has a population of 140,000 and is an important contributor to the field of high-tech electronic and digital technology. Sunnyvale is home to several major high-tech companies, and consistently ranks as one of the safest cities in the entire country.

As early as the 1960's, major corporations have been moving to Sunnyvale, California to participate in the digital and electronic boom centered in the Silicon Valley. Companies such as Yahoo!, Advanced Micro Devices, and Palm, Inc. are headquartered in the city. Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, grew up in Sunnyvale, where he was exposed to the innovation and technology in Silicon Valley.

Sunnyvale is an unique city in that it maintains a Department of Public Safety. This department is a single, unified body that trains all personnel to operate as police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical response teams. This arrangement helps contribute to the city's low crime and overall city. Sunnyvale also holds a number of community social events that provide residents with ample opportunities for recreation.

Lawyers in Sunnyvale, California practice law in a number of fields in order to serve the unique needs of the city's businesses and residents. Sunnyvale lawyers process many legal claims at the Sunnyvale branch of the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara.

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