Eviction and Settlement Conference Training
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Transcript Eviction and Settlement Conference Training
Eviction and Settlement Conference
Training
Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto
Jason Tarricone
Joyce Song
Goals of CLSEPA’s Housing
Practice
Maintain and increase decent, safe, and affordable
housing for low-income people on the Peninsula,
with a focus on East Palo Alto;
Work with tenants to increase knowledge of their
rights, and develop and refine problem-solving skills;
Work with tenants to keep them in their homes and
smooth their transition to new homes.
Overview of Training
Example Cases
Anatomy of an Unlawful Detainer Lawsuit
Grounds for Eviction and Common
Defenses
Types of Settlement
Settlement Considerations
MSC Clinic – What to Expect
What is an Unlawful Detainer?
Expedited
action for possession of
premises
Priority in setting for trial
Possession is the only issue
Eviction by sheriff by writ after
judgment entered and writ issued
Anatomy of a UD
Notice to Quit/Vacate
Landlord files/serves Summons and Complaint
Tenant files Answer/Other Response or Tenant does nothing
LL files Memo to Set Case for Trial
LL obtains default
T files Counter-Memorandum
Trial: set within 8-20 days of LL memo
Judgment for Tenant
Judgment for LL Writ of Possession
Sheriff posts Notice to Vacate T files for
stay of eviction
Grounds for Eviction
30-day notice or 60-day notice (term 1 year plus)
60-day (mobilehome) or 14-day (public housing)
90-day for eviction due to foreclosure
3-day notice (in alternative if breach can be
cured)
Non-Payment of Rent
Notice to Cure Covenant or Quit
Incurable breach
Commission of waste, nuisance, unlawful use of premises
Dealing illegal drugs
Defenses to Three-Day Notice
to Pay Rent or Quit
The landlord refused to accept the rent offered
in full
The landlord accepted the rent
The amount of rent demanded is even slightly
greater than amount due
Does tenant have a receipt?
Especially important in rent-stabilized jurisdictions!
Breach of the implied warranty of habitability
Possibility of back-firing if premises not habitable
Defenses to 30- or 60-Day Notice
Retaliation
Discrimination
In East Palo Alto, good cause required to evict
Disability discrimination, including failure to
provide a reasonable accommodation
Definition of disability: substantially limits a major
life activity
-includes severe psychiatric disorders
-inform Landlord in writing of accommodations needed
Defenses to 3-Day Notice
to Quit / or to Cure or Quit
Deny
allegations
Discrimination
Failure to accommodate disability
Retaliation
Settlement
Timing: before or during litigation
Most often at pre-trial Mandatory Settlement Conference
Happens every Thursday morning for cases going to trial the
following Monday
Another opportunity to settle before trial Monday morning
Factors
Does client want to move or have another place to move to?
If client wants to stay, how much rent or amount due can client
pay and by when?
Trading additional time to vacate
Strength of defenses
Pay-and-Stay Settlement
LL agrees to let tenant stay in exchange for
tenant agreeing to pay what is due or cure lease
violations
Is tenancy sustainable???
Tenant may have to pay LL’s fees and costs
LL may agree to a payment plan and may agree
to fix habitability problems
Waive-and-Go Settlement
AKA “move-out deal”
Tenant agrees to move out by X date
Generally, longer stays will mean rent is not
waived
More time may be better so that tenant can find
a new home
Remember that if tenant loses at trial but has
rent money, tenant can stay eviction for up to 40
days by paying pro-rated rent amount to Court
Sealing the Record
Record is sealed for 60 days after filing of
complaint
Parties can agree to extend sealing or masking
period
Especially important for a move-out deal –
tenant will be looking for a new place to live
Try to seal until 1 to 2 months after date of move
out or final payment
Structure of the Agreement
Agreements are usually written as stipulations to be
signed by the MSC judge
Try to structure so that judgment is entered only
upon default by tenant
If tenant complies, LL should dismiss the case
Important to dismiss before record is unsealed
Once signed, tenant appears before judge, who signs
stipulation
Alternative to Settlement
Trial is in four days
If tenant loses, Sheriff could enforce writ of
possession in about 7 to 10 days
Record will be unsealed
If tenant wins, and rent is owed, tenant will have
to pay immediately
Settlement Conference Materials
Intake Sheet
Brief Services Agreement
Sample Stipulations
Pay and Stay
Move Out
Pink Sheet – Tenant Reminder
Questions?
Clinic Details:
Every Thursday morning, 8:45 a.m. to 12 noon
San Mateo Superior Court, 400 County Center,
Redwood City, CA
Bring quarters for meters!!
Contact us:
650-326-6440
[email protected] or [email protected]