Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

Re: Leasing Agent Issues

The civil code actually provides for a pre-move out inspection, so she did nothing wrong by insisting you do it. There is no law that requires people to be polite (as much as we want to wish there was such a law). She can be as rude, mean and nasty as she wants to be, and she hasn't broken the law. Only where that rudeness crosses the line and becomes a threat of economic or physical harm does it reach a point where it might be actionable in court. From what you describe, she may not be the most professional property manager, but I don't see where she crossed the line and would be subject to legal action. The closest she may have come is in refusing to give a reference unless you performed the pre-move out inspection, however, unless your lease states otherwise, she is not required by law to provide any reference to any prospective landlord, and most property management companies have a strict policy against giving anything more than move-in date, move-out date, beginning and ending rent. They are not even required to provide that information. I'd suggest that you review your lease, go back and look for any documentation of the condition of the property when you moved in, and compare it to today. You almost certainly owe the landlord a carpet cleaning - if it was clean when you moved in, then it must be cleaned before you move out.

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