Law Office of David Piotrowski

Law Office of David Piotrowski We represent landlords with eviction cases. Contact us to begin the tenant eviction process.

The Law Office of David Piotrowski represents landlords in Los Angeles county, Ventura County, Santa Barbara County, and Orange County.

09/16/2026

Landlord serves a 60-Day Notice to terminate tenancy. Two weeks later, tenant gives a 30-Day Notice.

Which notice controls?

In California, the tenant's 30-day notice typically governs the move-out date if it falls before the landlord's 60-day deadline. The tenancy ends on the tenant's stated date.

09/16/2026

Someone offers more than asking rent, a year prepaid, and wants keys tonight. That is not a win.

California caps security deposits and regulates prepaid rent. Same-day move-in pressure is how bad tenancies start.

Run the same process for every applicant. Collect what the law allows. Do not trade paperwork for cash.

Needing to move in today is almost always a big red flag.

09/16/2026

Tenant ghosts on rent. Owner starts thinking about killing their WiFi to force a response.

In California those are two tracks.

Unpaid rent: serve a proper 3-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Quit, then UD if they don’t cure.

Cutting WiFi is self-help. Even when rent is owed, shutoffs create liability and can sidetrack the eviction. Keep amenities on. Put the money case on the notice.

09/16/2026

"I never raised the rent on my upstairs residential tenant, so they should live with the restaurant noise from my downstairs commercial tenant."

That's how mixed-use landlords talk themselves into a quiet enjoyment fight.

In California, Civ. Code 1927 still applies upstairs even when the commercial lease downstairs is lucrative. Below-market rent is not a waiver. Constant music and loud noises can support nuisance and constructive eviction claims and can be a breach of quiet enjoyment.

09/16/2026

California tip: prepaid cash and "move in tonight" are red flags, not closing leverage.

Deposit limits and prepaid-rent rules still apply. Screening comes before keys. Same-day pressure is how you create inconsistent fair housing treatment and a tenancy you cannot unwind cleanly.

Same criteria for everyone. Collect only what the statute allows. Then decide.

09/16/2026

Every file that lands on my desk starts as two versions of what happened. The landlord's version and the tenant's version. They rarely match on the details and almost never match on the tone.

The lease, the notices, and the ledger don't have a version. That's usually where the case actually gets decided.

09/15/2026

Landlord mix-up I see constantly: “I paid to fix the water heater, so the tenant’s rent-credit demand is greedy.”

In California, habitability is about whether the unit was usable, not whether you eventually got the repair done.

A few days with a bad water heater can support a rent reduction claim even when you acted in good faith. Document outage dates, vendor delays, and any temporary measures. A tiny credit that forces a full release often backfires.

09/15/2026

CA landlord tip: if your approved household suddenly changes mid-application, you are not stuck with the first story.

You can require every adult who will live there to apply and qualify under the same written criteria. If someone drops off the lease and income no longer clears, restart screening with the new lineup. Be consistent, every time.

09/15/2026

Third trial date. Third excuse from the tenant on the morning of court.

First was car trouble. Second was an unspecified family emergency. Third was a note from urgent care with no diagnosis, just a date stamp.

Do you think the judge is going to allow another continuance?

Reminder for California landlords:There's no such thing as a non-refundable security deposit.Civil Code 1950.5(n) explic...
09/15/2026

Reminder for California landlords:

There's no such thing as a non-refundable security deposit.

Civil Code 1950.5(n) explicitly prohibits any lease provision that characterizes a security deposit as non-refundable. Doesn't matter what you call it. Cleaning fee, pet deposit, last month's rent... If it functions as security, it's refundable.

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Valencia, CA
91355

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