Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

We moved into a rental property in CA. Unfortunately my wife didn't complete a proper inspection of the premises during the walk through. It is now the 2nd day that we have had the keys. We were informed by the prop mgt. that the house was clean by a professional staff. But I have spent 12+hours and well over $300.00 in actually cleaning the house. We have finally gotten rid of the urine spell, rat fecal matter and other various droppings. What means do I have to be reimbursed for time and money spent on cleaning?

Also we discovered the sink leaks. The owner sent out 2 men who when asked to remove their shoe gave me a few swear words in front of my 2 yr old son. I didnt feel safe so I asked them to leave which they did. Do I have a say so as to who does the work in our rental?


Asked on 7/23/12, 2:34 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
George Shers Law Offices of Georges H. Shers

You do not have a say in who repairs anything inside, except you can reasonably refuse workers who not appear competent. Taking their shoes off is not an unreasonable request and refusing to allow them in when they swore in front of your child is also reasonable, but you can not select the people who will do the actual work.

It is hard to believe that your wife missed things that would require 12+ hours of clean up work [unless you rented a carpet steam cleaner for 2-3 days, I do not understand how it cost $300 to do the clean up]. It will be your word as to how bad it was against the person who showed you the unit; the owner is more likely to believe the person he/she has hired than you. You can try to get reimbursement, but it may cause bad feelings and probably would result in only at most $50-100 reimbursement.

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Answered on 7/23/12, 9:41 pm


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