11Apr
Meeting with a lawyer can be intimidating - especially if you have never had to deal with legal issues before. Understanding how a consultation works can help you feel more in control of the process. The tenant's rights lawyers at Wolford Wayne LLP are here to answer all your questions. During your initial consultation our goal is to learn about your situation, answer questions and explain your options.
In the meantime, here is what you can expect during your initial consultation with a tenant rights lawyer:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Recovered on behalf of a group of 30 tenants living in an SRO in San Francisco who were living with horrendous conditions in their rent controlled apartments, including rodents, bedbugs, mold, water leaks and harassment.Read More
Recovered on behalf of three families living in a building in San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood who were forced to live with substandard conditions for years as a result of their landlord’s negligence, including issues with lack of heat, lack of hot water and cockroach/rat infestations.Read More
Recovered on behalf of a couple living in a rent-controlled home in the outer Sunset neighborhood. Our clients were forced to vacate after the landlord served them with an Owner Move-In Eviction Notice. After the landlords failed to move into the property, our clients filed suit for wrongful eviction.Read More
Recovered on behalf of a San Francisco tenant in Russian Hill. Tenant was forced to vacate her illegal apartment in retaliation for reporting unlawful rent increases to the San Francisco Rent Board.Read More
Recovered for a single long-term tenant in San Francisco. Our client was forced to move out of his apartment as a result of extreme landlord harassment.Read More
Recovered on behalf of three long-term tenants in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood who were constructively evicted due to noise and nuisance conditions created by their downstairs neighbors, which the owner refused to address.Read More
Recovered on behalf of elderly, disabled tenant who was forced to move out of her rent-controlled San Francisco apartment of 50 years after landlord/owner failed to resolve numerous building code violations that remained outstanding for over a decade.Read More
Recovered on behalf of seven tenants living in a makeshift boarding house in East Palo Alto.Read More
Recovered on behalf of two former San Francisco tenants who were evicted via an Owner Move-In Eviction and owner failed to occupy the unit as her primary place of residence.Read More
Recovered on behalf of an elderly long-term tenant who was forced to vacate her long San Francisco apartment as a result of her landlord’s refusal to address longstanding defective conditions, including lack of heat, mold, rodent infestations, and defective plumbing. Read More
Recovered on behalf of a San Francisco tenant who was forced to vacate his home as a result of ongoing, disruptive construction and the owners’ refusal to provide him with alternative housing. Read More
Recovered on behalf of a San Francisco family that was constructively evicted from their home in the Richmond District as a result of unlawful rent increases, defective conditions and tenant harassment.Read More
Recovered on behalf of a tenant living in an illegal “in-law” unit. In this case, a new owner purchased the building and then demolished our client’s unit without permits while she was displaced for seismic retrofitting.Read More
Recovered on behalf of two long term San Francisco tenants who were fraudulently evicted from their home of over twenty years under the pretext of an owner move-in eviction.Read More
Recovered for tenant who was injured when their stairway railing collapsed at the tenant’s Mission District apartment building.Read More
Recovered in action for a group of tenants forced to vacate their San Francisco apartment house due to severe habitability defects including mold and water leaks.Read More
For more information or to discuss your legal situation, call us today at (415) 649-6203 for a phone consultation or submit an inquiry below. Please note our firm can only assist tenants residing in San Francisco, Oakland & Berkeley.