Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

I have lived in my apartment for almost 2 years (it will be 2 years July 1st). I lost my copy of my rental agreement and I asked the onsite building manager for a copy of it. She flat out refused to provide me with one saying she had no legal obligation to do so. I was asking for it simply because I needed it for school tuition purposes. She also refused to give me any way to contact the managing company such as address or phone number, saying she only had to tell me the name of the company and nothing more. So, I looked up the rights of renters in the state of California and found the California Civil Code 1962 (a)(4) law. Is this enough grounds to request a new copy of the lease? We have only been given the original, which was only 1 year long. We are now doing a month to month lease.


Asked on 6/21/11, 11:59 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
David Gibbs The Gibbs Law Firm, APC

You did a good job finding the relevant code section. � 1962(a)(4) does require the landlord to provide you a copy of the lease each year, or a statement containing the relevant terms (which should be satisfactory for school purposes). Send the manager a written demand for a copy of the lease. Enclose a copy of that code section. Also demand to know who the off-site management company is. If they won't provide it, then your only remaining remedy is to file suit based on their refusal to comply with 1962.

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Answered on 7/11/11, 4:08 pm


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