Slum Conditions Are a Business Model. We Make It Unprofitable.
When owners collect rent on buildings they refuse to maintain, the harm to tenants is real and the law's response is unforgiving. We litigate slum-housing cases as the public-health matters they are.
You may have a case if…
- ›Persistent vermin — rats, roaches, bedbugs — that the landlord has failed to abate.
- ›Mold, water intrusion, or sewage backups left unrepaired for weeks or months.
- ›No working heat, no hot water, broken windows, exposed wiring, or unsecured doors.
- ›Repeated city or county housing-code citations against the building.
- ›Children diagnosed with lead poisoning, asthma, or other conditions linked to housing conditions.
California courts have long recognized that landlords who knowingly profit from substandard housing can be held accountable for the full scope of harm — physical, emotional, and economic — they cause. These cases sit at the intersection of the implied warranty of habitability, statutory tenant protections, public-nuisance law, and, where appropriate, punitive damages.
We approach slum-housing cases as building-wide problems, not isolated complaints. Code-enforcement histories, prior tenant complaints, insurance records, and ownership structures often reveal patterns that transform an individual case into a litigation matter the owner cannot afford to defend.
Implied Warranty of Habitability
Green v. Superior Court (1974) established that every residential lease in California carries an implied warranty that the unit is habitable. Breach entitles tenants to rent abatement, damages, and other remedies regardless of lease language to the contrary.
Civil Code §§ 1941–1942.4
Codifies habitability requirements, the tenant's repair-and-deduct remedy, and special protections when a unit has been cited as substandard by a public agency.
Public and Private Nuisance
Where a building's conditions affect multiple units or the surrounding community, nuisance claims allow building-wide relief, including injunctive orders for repair.
Punitive Damages — Civil Code § 3294
When a landlord acts with malice, oppression, or fraud — including knowing indifference to dangerous conditions — punitive damages are available to punish and deter.
What you can recover
- •Rent abatement — recovery of the portion of rent paid for an uninhabitable unit.
- •Out-of-pocket costs — medical care, lost belongings, alternative housing.
- •Emotional distress damages, including for fear, shame, and disruption of family life.
- •Personal injury damages for illness or injury caused by conditions (lead exposure, mold-related illness, vermin bites, falls).
- •Statutory penalties under §§ 1942.4 and local ordinances.
- •Punitive damages and attorneys' fees in qualifying cases.
The process
Step 01
Building Workup
We pull code-enforcement records, prior tenant complaints, ownership history, and insurance information.
Step 02
Medical and Habitability Documentation
We coordinate with physicians, industrial-hygiene experts, and inspectors to document conditions and causation.
Step 03
Filing and Discovery
Aggressive discovery aimed at the owner's knowledge, repair budget, and pattern across other properties.
Step 04
Resolution or Trial
Mediation where the math is clear. Trial where it is not.
Why Okojie Law
Frequently asked questions
I am behind on rent. Can I still sue?+
Yes. Habitability defects can fully or partially offset rent, and a pending eviction does not bar a tenant's affirmative claims. In many cases, we resolve both the eviction and the tenant's claims in a single negotiation.
Do I need an inspector before I call?+
No. Bring whatever you have — photos, videos, text messages, work orders, complaints to the manager or city. We handle expert inspections as part of the case.
My child has been sick. Is that part of the case?+
Often yes. Where conditions caused or contributed to illness (asthma exacerbation, lead exposure, infections), those damages are recoverable.
Will I be retaliated against if I sue?+
Retaliation is independently unlawful under Civil Code § 1942.5. We document the timeline so retaliation, if it occurs, becomes another claim.
What if the landlord is a corporation or LLC?+
Discovery often reaches the principals when they have personally directed or knowingly tolerated the conditions. We pursue full corporate and individual liability where the facts support it.
What does it cost?+
Nothing up front. Contingency representation in qualifying cases, with attorneys' fees recoverable under § 1942.4 and habitability doctrine.
Tell us what happened.
Confidential. No obligation. We respond within one business day.
Related — Housing & Tenant Rights