Tenant Association / Organization

Southern California Tenant Association/Organization Lawyer

What is a Tenant Association Law Suit?

Just like when employers and employees have disputes over issues such as work hours and wages, landlords and tenants often disagree over issues pertaining to their leased property. Disagreements between landlords and tenants range from such things as rent increases to the condition or maintenance of the building’s parking lot or common areas. Similar to class actions or unions where employees are able unite to resolve disputes on behalf of all employees similarly situated, tenants often form or join groups that look after their rights and interests.

Tenant Associations/Organizations are often formed to help tenants within an entire geographic area or those within a specific building. The purpose of Tenant Associations/Organizations is to effectively address the grievances of tenants who experience the same particular injury as a result of action or inaction taken by the landlord. In effect, Tenant Associations/Organization help tenants and renters resolve disputes with their landlord within the confines of one transaction rather than having each tenant deal with the landlord on an individual basis.

Similar to a class action lawsuit, does a Tenant Association/Organization have Legal Standing to sue as a Collective group?

A Tenant Association/Organization is analogous to a class action lawsuit or a union and allows tenants to unite to collectively bargain or sue their landlord for violations of their tenant rights with regard to the leased or rented real property. Similar to a class action lawsuit, but without the rigorous requirement of obtaining a class action certification by a court, a Tenant Association/Organization can be an effective tool to reclaim the rights denied by a landlord to a group of tenants. Better stated, a Tenant Association/Organization gives tenants the legal standing to sue a mutual landlord for grievances that are common to all tenants without jumping over the court required hurdles for a class action, court mandates and lawsuit certification.

Unfortunately, many renters or tenants do not understand that they can collectively sue their landlord in Tenant Association/Organization lawsuits. A landlord can be collectively liable for issues such as violations of lease agreements to multiple tenants, failure to repair common areas of the leased property or leased property issues that are common to all tenants such as no heat or hot water in the building, failure to protect the tenants because of inadequate protection issues (i.e. the building’s front door is broken which allows trespassers to enter) and/or leaks in the apartment or leased premises. As listed, these are only a few of the issues that allow tenants to collectively sue their landlord for failure to fulfill his duties as owner and lessor of the leased property.

Under California case law, there are two general requirements that must be satisfied for a Tenant Association/Organization to have proper legal standing to bring suit. The two general requirements are (1) an identifiable class (all tenants that suffer the same grievance can be determined) and (2) common questions of law or fact will arise in the same lawsuit against the landlord rather than different claims that would normally be particular to an individual tenant.

Khansari Law Can Get the Job Done for a Tenant Association/Organization or Landlord when it comes to Filing or Defending Claims.

At Khansari Law, we are dedicated to bringing you top notch and aggressive legal advice. We have extensive experience dealing with these particluar types of lawsuit and have succefully been able to receive favorable results for our clients. Whether you are a landlord who is seeking to defend a Tenant Association/Organization lawsuit or a group of tenants seeking to file a Tenant/Organization lawsuit, our firm handles a vast array Landlord – Tenant issues.

For Landlords we can:

• – Negotiate on your behalf with members of a Tenant Association/Organization;
• – Legally address Tenant Associaiton/Organization concerns; and/or
• – Defend and investigate Tenant Association/Organization claims.

For Tenant Association/Organizations we can:

• – Organize individuals to identify the Tenant Association/Organization members;
• – Determine the common issues of law and fact that are unique to the Tenant Association/Organization as a whole;
• – Serve as the “voice” or “negotiator” for the Tenant Association/Organization and tenant-members to ensure that the landlord deals with the association and not the tenants individually;
• – Ensure fairer rents, or at least the prevention of arbitrary rent increases;
• – Argue for lower security deposits;
• – Guarantee better and more frequent maintenance occurs on the leased property, including repairs and improvements thereof;
• – Help increase enforcement of state and local housing codes to ensure safe and habitable housing conditions; and/or
• – Help control higher rents, poor maintenance and abusive treatment by landlords.

It is important to have an attorney who is experienced in the intricacies of Tenant Associations/Organization Law and who cares about your situation. At Khansari Law, our staff is committed to doing just that.

If you wish to speak to an experienced Tenant Association/Organization Attorney, please do not hesitate to call our offices at 818.650.6444. You may also e-mails us now at info@khansarilaw.com to answer any of your questions or to request a consultation to discuss your Tenant Association/Organization Law options.