tenant's rights lawyer in Oakland

Breaking Your Lease

September 27, 2017 | Gregory J. Brod

Most residential leases are for a period of one year. Typically, the lease starts on the first of a month, and you are entitled to live in the unit at that price for the next 12 months. However, a lot can happen during that year. You may get a new job in another state, suffer a medical emergency, become pregnant, or for any number of reasons need to move. If you cannot stay in your apartment until the end of your lease, then you will have to move out early. This is known as breaking your lease and amounts to a breach of contract. You can do it, but there will be consequences.

When it comes to breaking a lease, you should understand your rights to ensure your landlord does not try and take advantage of the situation. If you believe your landlord is treating you unfairly or unlawfully during this situation, contact a San Francisco tenants’ rights attorney right away.

Breaking a Lease

California Appellate Court Sides with Landlords Over Relocation Assistance

April 7, 2017 | Gregory J. Brod

A San Francisco Court of Appeal ruled that relocation assistance payments for tenants, increased by a 2015 law, were unlawful and pre-empted by the 1985 Ellis Act since they placed a “prohibitive” cost upon a landlord’s right to leave the rental industry. This is a disappointing decision for tenants who are kicked out of their buildings and have to find suitable housing in a challenging market. For tenants who were long-time residents of these buildings, the move may be particularly difficult since rents have increased drastically in San Francisco in recent years. It may not be possible to find an apartment of comparable size or within the area for the same price.

If you are being evicted and you are not sure it was lawful or you need relocation assistance, contact the San Francisco tenant rights lawyers of Brod Law Firm right away.

More on the Appellate Court’s Decision

Tenants’ Rights Spotlight: Northern California Tenants’ Lawyer on Housing Discrimination

August 9, 2016 | Gregory J. Brod

Shelter is one of our most basic and most universal needs. Like other basic needs, the need for safe housing is particularly urgent for parents for whom with the health and well-being of their children often takes precedence over their own. As a San Francisco housing lawyer, Attorney Greg Brod represents renters throughout Northern California who have been treated unfairly by a landlord or property owner. Our work includes representing the victims of housing discrimination, including families, minorities, and others whose rights are violated by increasingly powerful owners and landlords.

DOJ Announces $75,000 Settlement in Case Alleging Discrimination Against Families with Children

A recent case out of Colorado serves as a useful illustration of these wrongs. On July 25, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued a press release announcing that the owners and manager of a 28-unit apartment complex in Lakewood, Colorado have agreed to pay $75,000 to settle a claim filed under the Fair Housing Act. The underlying lawsuit alleges that the defendants implemented a policy that generally excluded families with young children from residing in units located in the complex’s front building. Per the allegations contained in the complaint, representatives from a Denver non-profit posed as potential renters and were told that families with children were generally housed in the rear building. The suit further alleged that prospective renters with children were not offered the opportunity to consider available units in the front building.