Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

Once the new owner is in place, it likely will serve you with an eviction notice. At least cooperate in providing a copy of your rental agreement and you might be able to stay for a few months, or the owner might wish to provide you with an incentive to relocate.

Regarding the situation with your present landlord, as he/she is still the owner, you have an obligation to pay rent. Once in bankruptcy, you might call the bankruptcy trustee to obtain instructions on where to pay your rent. If you owe back rent, that might be considered a bankruptcy asset.

Of course, the other issue is whether the landlord would want to spend money on a lawyer to proceed with evicting you when the property might no longer be his/hers in several weeks.

Under current law, you will have 90-days to stay once the eviction is completed, provided you are current and remain current on your rent. The buyer at foreclosure may be willing to help you relocate if you move out sooner, i.e., offer "cash for keys." I would recommend against paying the landlord in cash unless you have that as a requirement of the rental agreement. Otherwise you might be accused of complicity in some bankruptcy fraud she is trying to pull, but you most certainly have to pay rent to whomever owns the property while you live there. What they do with it is not your business.