Question
How do you get a tenant out of an illegal rental?
I have a property in Canoga Park, CA (City of Los Angeles), with a main house and a guest house/pool house in the back yard. The guest house is a 2 bedroom apartment but come to find out it has no Certificate of Occupancy and is not a legal rental. I have a horrible tenant in this guest house and she doesnt pay her rent, she is running a massage therapy business out of the apartment without a business license or massage license and has strange men coming over all throughout the day. She refuses to leave and I even offered her a $15,300 relocation fee and she STILL is causing problems and thinks she can just take advantage of us. I know it is my mistake that I rented an illegal rental but at this point, with money not being an issue, how can I get her out??? Lawyers tell me that I need to file something with the city? And the city will arrange for me to pay her the relocation fee she is entitled to? Please help! Be aware that it is an illegal rental and the "lease" and any notices are pretty much void. Its not an eviction issue at this point from my understanding. Its more a city issue.
5 months ago - 6 answers
Best Answer
Chosen by Asker
Follow normal eviction procedures, nothing will change. The judge will not even check for your cert.
by Landlord
5 months ago
Asker's Rating: 
Other Answers
go and stay there
by miles- 5 months ago
If she wasn't paying her rent, evict her. No relocation fee.
by RawrzImo- 5 months ago
Seriously?!? If it was here in GA all you gotta do is say GET OUT!!! The tenant has 30 days to be gone. I guess that's different though. I don't know much about this certificate of occupancy stuff. It just seems to me that if you own the property, you should be able to say who stays and goes. It's your property! Call the cops every time she has random men over there and see what's REALLY going on. Even in a massage therapy business there's only so much they can legally massage - if you know what I mean! Hire a private investigator to find out what's really going on. If she want's a fight, give her one, just don't cross the line. Keep the law on your side. -Or get a certificate of occupancy and then evict her -Yeah, go live there! It's yours right? I like that comment.
by kahnefan_191- 5 months ago
Run an ad in craigslist. "Open Party at XXXXXXX (address) Free Booze!!! Bring friends! Starts around 2am." Post that 3 or four days a week and she will be gone within the month.
by David- 5 months ago
I wouldn't worry about the fact that it's an "illegal rental", that's more between you and the city or county. As far as getting someone out who doesn't pay rent, that's easy. 1. Send a 10 day demand letter from your lawayer (about $150 cost) 2. After they fail to either vacate the property or pay you in full, you file an order w/the sheriff's office to serve your tennant with a notice vacate in 2 weeks or pay the balance in full. 3. After they don't vacate and/or pay in full, the sherrif can and will remove them and thier belongings and put them on the curb. This should be pretty simple stuff, it'll take about a month for the whole process to start and end, cost you minimal fees w/a lawyer and processing fees w/the Sherrif's office and if you want, you can pay somone to remove the belongings rather than pay the sherrif's office. I wouldn't get caught in the whole "relocating expense game", it's not your fault they don't pay rent. Also, most leases worth anything will have a business clause forbidding any tennant from running a business out of your home. You have 2 solid grounds for eviction right there. I wouldn't worry about the "illegal rent" situation as long as the current tennant doesn't know that and doesn't try to blackmail you into letter them stay for free. Just call a good property lawyer in the home's area and have them served with a 10 day demand. Start there, that gets the ball rolling.
by Aaron M- 5 months ago