Your Home Is Yours. We Make Landlords Respect That.
California and local ordinances impose serious civil penalties on landlords who harass tenants. We pursue every available remedy.
You may have a case if…
- ›Your landlord has entered your unit without proper notice or permission.
- ›Utilities, locks, or essential services have been shut off to push you out.
- ›You have received threats, intimidation, or repeated demands to leave.
- ›Your landlord refuses to accept rent or fabricates lease violations.
- ›You have been targeted after requesting repairs or asserting tenant rights.
California Civil Code §1940.2 and most major local ordinances (Los Angeles Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance, San Francisco Rent Ordinance §37.10B, Oakland TPO) impose substantial penalties on landlords who harass tenants. Penalties stack: per-violation civil fines, treble damages in some jurisdictions, attorneys' fees, and punitive damages.
Landlord harassment is rarely random. It is almost always strategic — designed to push a long-term tenant out so the unit can be re-rented at market rate. We document the strategy and impose the cost.
Civil Code §1940.2
Prohibits landlords from using force, threats, fraud, or intimidation to influence a tenant to vacate. Each violation carries up to $2,000 in civil penalties plus actual damages.
Los Angeles Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance (TAHO)
Prohibits 19 categories of landlord conduct, including illegal entry, utility shutoffs, refusal of repairs, threats based on immigration status, and bad-faith eviction. Provides civil penalties of $2,000–$10,000 per violation, treble damages, and attorneys' fees.
Civil Code §789.3 — Lockouts and Utility Shutoffs
Criminalizes landlord self-help: changing locks, shutting off utilities, or removing belongings to force a tenant out. Penalties: $100/day plus actual damages.
Retaliation — Civil Code §1942.5
Prohibits eviction, rent increases, or service reductions in retaliation for asserting tenant rights, complaining to authorities, or requesting repairs.
What you can recover
- •Per-violation civil penalties (often stackable across many days/incidents).
- •Actual damages — relocation costs, hotel expenses, lost property.
- •Treble damages where authorized by local ordinance.
- •Emotional distress damages.
- •Punitive damages for malicious conduct.
- •Attorneys' fees and costs.
The process
Step 01
Documentation
We help you build a chronology, gather text messages, photos, video, and witness statements.
Step 02
Immediate Protection
When safety is at risk, we pursue temporary restraining orders or preliminary injunctions.
Step 03
Litigation
We file in Superior Court, often consolidating multiple ordinance theories for maximum penalties.
Step 04
Resolution
Settlement, mediation, or trial.
Why Okojie Law
Frequently asked questions
Can my landlord enter my unit anytime?+
No. California Civil Code §1954 requires 24-hour written notice for most non-emergency entries, and entry must be at a reasonable hour for a permitted purpose. Repeated unannounced entry is harassment.
My landlord shut off my water/power — what do I do?+
Call us immediately. Civil Code §789.3 imposes $100/day penalties plus actual damages, and we can pursue immediate injunctive relief. Document everything: dates, times, photos of meters, communications with the utility.
Can I be evicted for filing a complaint?+
No. California Civil Code §1942.5 prohibits retaliation for 180 days after a protected activity. Retaliatory evictions are independently actionable.
I am undocumented — can my landlord threaten me with ICE?+
Civil Code §1940.3 prohibits landlords from disclosing or threatening to disclose immigration status to influence a tenant. Both LA TAHO and state law impose serious penalties for this.
Do I have to move out to bring a case?+
No. Most harassment cases are brought by tenants still in possession. In fact, staying often strengthens the case.
What does it cost?+
Nothing up front. We work on contingency, and most tenant harassment statutes provide attorneys' fees recovery.
Tell us what happened.
Confidential. No obligation. We respond within one business day.