Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

I apologize for not responding in a more timely manner, however, our offices were closed over the holidays. Who changed the locks? If there was a notice from the Sheriff or Marshall's office on the door (not the original 5 day, but a final notice saying that you may not re-enter the premises) then the Sheriff conducted a lock-out, and there is very little likelihood that you will be able to do anything about it. That being said, I doubt that the Sheriff came earlier than five days after you were posted. As such, it is more likely that the landlord exercised a little "self-help." First, until the Sheriff came and locked you out, the landlord is not entitled to simply do it himself. Second, he cannot simply move your possessions unless he is moving them to a secure location (if the garage can be securely locked, then the garage is probably okay). You need to call the Sheriff or Marshall's office who issued you the five day notice, and see if they came and performed a lock-out. If not, get an attorney as you are going to have to go back into court to go after the landlord for wrongful eviction.

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