IF YOU RECEIVE AN EVICTION NOTICE

If you live in Los Angeles County and have received an eviction notice (called an Unlawful Detainer—Summons and Complaint), you have five (5) business days to file your Answer with the court.

If you do not file your Answer on time, your landlord may automatically win the eviction lawsuit against you without a trial.

Day 1 starts the day after you are served the eviction lawsuit. Do not count weekends and court holidays.

To file your Answer, you can either:

1. Go in-person to one of the court houses listed here. Staff in the Self-Help Center can give you the Answer paperwork and tell you how to file it. They may also help you complete it.
2. Complete your Answer paperwork online here. When you are done, the website will also file your Answer with the court if you are low income and qualify for a court “fee waiver.” Note that the people who made this website are not part of SAJE, and we cannot guarantee that this answer tool will work or make any claims as to the quality of services.

Here are some additional resources to help you fight an eviction:

• SAJE hosts a Tenant Action Clinic on Tuesdays from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. that can help you understand your rights. We also have attorneys present to advise you. The clinic is by appointment only; please call (213) 745-9961 to make an appointment. 
• Stay Housed LA  provides Los Angeles County residents with information and resources to fight eviction and keep people in their homes.
• The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles holds an Eviction Trial Workshop every Thursday afternoon. To sign up, click here or call (888) 694-0040.
• The Eviction Defense Network holds an Eviction Trial Workshop every Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. and Monday and Wednesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. Visit this link to join by Zoom. If you cannot access Zoom, call (214) 485-8112 on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. to join by phone.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT EVICTION

Temporary COVID-19 eviction protections are still in place for Los Angeles City and County. Click here for more information. 

When temporary protections expire, your landlord may be able to file an eviction for the following “just-cause” reasons: 

• Failure to pay rent (Remember: never pay rent in cash. Buy a money order or pay with a check or online.  Receipts and electronic records are your only proof in court)
• Failure to fix or address a violation of your rental agreement
• Causing damage to your rental unit
• Using your rental unit for an illegal purpose (such as manufacturing or selling drugs)
• Failure to renew a substantially similar rental agreement when the term of your lease is up
• Failure to provide the landlord reasonable access to your rental unit (note that landlords and property managers must provide you with a WRITTEN 24-HOUR NOTICE prior to entering your unit)
• The person at the end of the lease term is a subtenant not approved by the landlord

Your landlord can also file an eviction for the following “no-fault” reasons:

• The landlord or their immediate family members (spouses, children, parents, grandchildren, or grandparents) will move into the rental unit
• An on-site manager will move into the rental unit
• The rental unit is being demolished and permanently removed from the housing market
• There is a government order to vacate the rental unit because of dangerous conditions 
• HUD is the owner of the building and wants to sell it 
• The rental unit is being converted to affordable housing

If you are being evicted for a “no-fault” reason, you may be eligible for relocation assistance. For more information, click here.