If you're a California landlord, you've probably noticed the laws aren't exactly on your side. Portraying property owners and landlords as the "bad guy" is a nationwide trend that needs to change. I'm David Piotrowski, a California attorney who has represented landlords for over 20 years in eviction cases throughout Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. I post about landlord-tenant law, property rights, rent control, "just cause" evictions, legal updates impacting rental properties, eviction strategies and pitfalls to avoid, policies affecting the bottom line, real-world scenarios from eviction cases I've handled, and the occasional current event that strikes my interest. If you own rental property in California, you're facing some of the most landlord-hostile laws in the country. I don't sugarcoat it—California is tough for landlords. But knowing the rules and staying ahead lets you succeed. My goal is to help you navigate the rules and protect your investment. Follow me @DavidPiotrowski for practical advice, legal updates, and landlord best practices. Engage with my posts. Spread the word. We can work together to bring fairness back to landlord-tenant law!

Measure ULA (the mansion tax) has been a disaster for Los Angeles. It killed property sales. Reduced city revenue. Hurt development. And made housing even less affordable. The data is clear - this tax failed. It's time to repeal it.

Local tenant protection laws protect bad tenants.

When it comes to move-in inspections, document EVERYTHING. Take dated photos and videos of every room, appliance, and surface before the tenant moves in. Get the tenant to sign off on the condition report before you give the tenant the keys. Why? Because when that tenant moves out and claims the carpet stain was already there, you'll have proof it wasn't. This documentation protects you from bogus damage claims and helps you keep the security deposit you're entitled to. It takes 30 minutes and can save you thousands. Bonus tip: Create a standardized template that you use before a tenant moves in (pre move-in inspection), another one for the preliminary move-out inspection, and lastly a final one documenting the condition at move-out.

Tenant emergencies have impeccable timing. Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm: Radio silence. Saturday at 7am: "The toilet won't stop running." Sunday evening: "Hope you're having a nice weekend. Just wanted to let you know the garbage disposal isn't working." Who can relate?

A tenant provided false information when applying for a rental unit. The landlord should have verified everything before agreeing to rent the unit to the tenant. Now it's eviction time. Landlords should include a provision in their rental agreement that says they can evict a tenant if the tenant provided false information on the application. Some rental agreements have this clause. It "should" be a very simple and fast process to evict someone who provided false information when applying for the unit. California makes it very easy for bad tenants to game the system. Landlords absolutely must do their due diligence up-front and verify everything. Verify verify verify.

A landlord who does proper tenant screening before move-in will spend a lot less time talking to an eviction attorney.

People assume California landlords can't evict anyone. That's not true. You can evict for nonpayment, lease violations, nuisance, illegal activity, and several other valid reasons. The process is just harder and longer than it should be, and the paperwork has to be just right.

Had a landlord reach out. Tenant hadn't paid rent in three months. When I asked if he'd served a proper 3-day notice, he said he'd been texting the tenant about it instead. Texting is not a legal notice. It doesn't start the clock. It doesn't give you anything you can use in court. The eviction process has specific steps that have to happen in a specific order. Skipping steps doesn't save time. It just means you are wasting time and losing money.

Update on the sheriff lockout process in LA County. If you recall from prior posts, it has been taking about 3 months to perform a lockout. But the sheriff just completed a lockout on one of my cases in only 1 month. That's a huge improvement. I don't know if this is the new normal or if we just got lucky, but I'll take it. Faster lockouts mean less lost rent and less time dealing with a tenant in the property that has already received a judgment against them. Hopefully this trend continues. Landlords have been waiting way too long to regain possession of their properties after winning eviction cases. Bravo! 👏

California keeps piling on landlord regulations and then acts surprised when housing supply shrinks. You can't make owning rental property this painful and expect people to keep doing it.

SpaceX launched a rocket, recovered the booster, and went public—all this week. California eviction law still needs months to remove a non-paying tenant. Some things are just harder than rocket science.

City-funded money for tenant eviction defense in Los Angeles is drying up (at least temporarily). As a result, some tenant law firms are cutting back and not taking new tenant clients. laist.com/news/housing-homel…

Drafting and serving a 3-day notice sounds simple. It isn't. Wrong form, wrong amount, wrong service method...the list goes on. Any of those can get your case thrown out and put you back at square one. The notice is the foundation. Get it right.

A client let a "friend" move in to their home with nothing in writing. Friend was supposed to stay for "a few weeks." How do you think that ended? Hint: The friend is still there after 4 months and refuses to move without a court order.