Landlord and Tenant Lawyers in Visalia

Find the right Tenant attorney in Visalia, CA

Tenant Law in California

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

There are various 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 Visalia, CA

Most obviously, landlords have a right to collect rent from their tenants. When a tenant agrees to pay a landlord a particular amount of money for the right to occupy the landlord's property, a contract is formed. Tenants have to hold up their end of the deal.

Landlords also have a right to be free from damage to the rented unit. Tenants are expected not to damage their dwellings, intentionally or negligently. Landlords can deduct the cost of repairs from the tenant's security deposit. In general, tenants are not accountable for damage resulting from ordinary wear and tear.

Tenant's Rights in Visalia, CA

At the most basic level, tenants have a basic right to what they're paying for: a habitable living environment. Thus, landlords in Visalia, California must ensure that the units they rent to tenants meet some basic standards for human habitation. These requirements vary from state to state, but are often fairly easy to meet. There are no legal standards that rented units be pretty, particularly spacious, or luxurious. They simply have to be fit for human beings to live in them. To be considered "habitable," rented units must have water, electricity, some form of heating (if the local climate necessitates it), and adequate protection from the elements (proper insulation, no roof leaks, windows that close, etc.).

Furthermore, tenants have rights to common areas that are free of physical obstructions, as well as serious health and safety hazards. Common areas are the places in apartment buildings and other residential complexes which every tenant can access, and include hallways, stairwells, and fire escapes. In Visalia, California, these areas must be kept in a safe condition, at the landlord's expense.

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 further 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 typically 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 Visalia, 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 seasoned Visalia, California landlord/tenant attorney can help.

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Life in Visalia

Visalia, California is a city in Tulare County, in California's central valley. It is also the largest city in Tulare County, with a population of about 125,000 people.

Human habitation of Visalia, California dates back several thousand years, with Native American tribes inhabiting the area. The first written European account of the area known as Visalia came in 1722, when Spanish explorer Pedro Fages explored the area.

Throughout most of its history, and to this day, the economy of Visalia is dominated by agriculture. Grapes, citrus, cotton, and olives are all grown in the area. Because of the presence of large numbers of migrant agricultural workers, the lawyers who practice in Visialia are particularly skilled in practice areas like immigration and labor law, but most Visalia, California lawyers can also handle other legal issues.

If you live in Visalia, California and are in need of legal services, there are several places you can turn, such as legal aid organizations. However, your best bet for competent and comprehensive legal advice is to seek the advice of a good Visalia, California attorney.

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