Hi DU'ers....I need some guidance....

[Upthevibe]

I'll give bullet points regarding my situation (basically advice/input I'm looking for pertaining to my rights as a rental tenet in the Los Angeles area):

*I moved into this apt. almost seven years ago- It's two bedrooms, two bathrooms. I LOVE my space, the neighborhood, the area, etc.
*My current roommate is a lady who has lived in this apt. for about 20 years - The lease is in her name - I wasn't added to the lease at any time.
*One year ago, we added another roommate (we were able to turn the living room into semi-bedroom with room dividers -and of course charge this new roommate a lot less) because the rent has been steadily increasing.

In the past, the roommate who's name the lease is under could be very difficult about 15% of the time and okay about 85% of the time. Well, due to COVID19, I'm here a lot more than when I was working since we've been hunkering down since mid-March. So, being around her more means that the difficulty percentage has risen.

I have two good friends who are in property management and they both said that the roommate who's name the lease is under (the one who has been here for 20 years) has "illegally leased space to an unauthorized occupant" (me) on property in which she does not own. They said that this is a huge legal infraction (in the property management world) and if the property company/owners find out she had violated her agreement and she could easily be evicted (after COVID19) as well.

I wrote her a letter yesterday stating what my rights are (as least according to my property management friends) and that she has no power over me. Tonight, I overheard her speaking on the phone to a friend. She said that she had contacted a legal agency and they told her she could give me a 60 day notice. This lady has a lot of problems including not getting facts straight, borderline personality disorder, etc. I never really know what to believe.

In the meantime, It's REALLY hard in Los Angeles now to find a place to live! Plus, I'm getting ready to work for The Census and my assigned section is here in the area where I live. I realize at some point I'll probably need to move on but I REALLY don't want to move right now.

Can anyone give me any guidance, numbers to call, or even an attorney I could speak with regarding my rights! (I think a conversation with a lawyer would probably only be about a 15 minute call so I could probably afford it). I need to know if this lady has power over me while I'm here.

Thanks for any help anyone can provide....

[elleng]

1. Post in California.

[brush]

2. Was she threatening/trying to put you out? Is that why you wrote her the letter?

[Upthevibe]

5. brush....Yes....

I just need to know what my rights are....

[abqtommy]

3. Go to your citie's website. You should be able to find renters rights information and

even a contact to help you out. This works very well here where I live...

[Upthevibe]

6. abqtommy....Thank you...

I'll do that tomorrow...

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. Different states and different municipalities have different rules and laws

regarding renters, tenants, landlords, and so on. Perhaps Los Angeles has some kind of ombudsman for this stuff. Good luck on getting this resolved.

[Upthevibe]

7. PoindexterOglethorpe....I pretty much figured that

Last edited Wed Aug 12, 2020, 09:17 AM - Edit history (1)

different states and municipalities have differences...I found a couple of numbers to call. I hadn't thought about an ombusdman but that's a really good idea for me to check out. Thank you so much. I hope I can get this worked out asap....

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. I really hope you do get this worked out.