What to Expect During Your Initial Consultation With a Tenant Rights Lawyer

In the meantime, here is what you can expect during your initial consultation with a tenant rights lawyer: 

Your Housing Situation Will Dictate Your Legal Options

As a starting point, understanding where you live and what laws apply to your situation will have a substantial impact on your options and rights. For example, whether you live in a condominium, house, or multi-unit building, when that building was built, and what city or county you live in can all play a large part in what your rights are.

Different cities have different laws related to rent and eviction control, and available damages for violations of those laws. If you decide to take legal action against a landlord, it’s important to work with an attorney who is highly familiar with the laws and procedures of your city. At Wolford Wayne, we focus on assisting tenants living in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley.

Be Prepared to Discuss the History of Your Complaints / Problem

Another important factor that will dictate a tenant's legal options is the history of the issues at play. For example, if you are dealing with a mold infestation we will need to know when you first started seeing mold, when you first brought it to your landlord's attention, whether you did so in writing or verbally, and whether you have conducted any mold testing. Be prepared to walk through the history of the problem/s with the attorney, and to provide written documentation of the problems if available. This will help the attorney to analyze whether you may have a case for a constructive eviction or habitability lawsuit against a landlord, or for a Rent Board petition, for example.

Be Prepared to Provide Written Documentation of the Problems

In many cases, we speak with tenants who explain that they do not have written documentation to show they complained about a problem or that their landlord took a certain action. This can make it more difficult to bring a case because it becomes a "he said / she said" situation. Inevitably we will want to know what, if any, documentation a tenant has to support their claims as we evaluate whether we can take your case. Documentation may include photographs, texts, emails, or letters.

Our Attorneys Will Advise You about Your Legal Rights - and Your Responsibilities.

Once our attorney has gone through the history and evidence related to your situation, we can better advise on what potential legal options you have, what additional steps you may need to take to try and resolve the situation before a lawyer gets involved, and whether or not it is a case we can take on.

While it may be disappointing to learn that an attorney will not be taking your case, the truth is hiring an attorney is not necessary or appropriate for all tenant issues. At Wolford Wayne, we are committed to being honest with our clients about what we believe is in their best interest, and our firm only takes on cases when we feel strongly that we can provide a significant benefit to the client by doing so.

You might also have responsibilities imposed by your lease agreement or by law. For example, to hold a landlord accountable for poor living conditions you have to be able to show that they knew or should have known of the problem. And, in certain circumstances, failing to notify your landlord of a problem could open you up to legal liability. For example, if you are dealing with a bedbug infestation it is important to notify your landlord as soon as possible. If a tenant instead tries to self-treat the apartment, and the problem worsens, it may be difficult to bring a case against your landlord, and they may attempt to place the blame for the spread on you.

Our tenant's rights lawyers will help you evaluate your rights as a tenant.

Experienced, Aggressive Tenant's Rights Lawyers in San Francisco

The tenant's rights lawyers at Wolford Wayne have the experience and dedication it takes to successfully resolve tough landlord disputes and defend clients from wrongful eviction actions. Contact us to schedule your consultation as soon as possible so we can get to work fighting for you.