Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

tenant /landlord

i live in a complex that consists of about 20-25 small individual cottages. i fust sent the prop mgrs letter informing them of california civil code 1941.3, regarding dead bolts on all main doors of residential dwellings. every cottage has 2 doors o which there is just the one doorknob and lock. when a tenant moves in or out, they do not change the locks, and the lock dont even have that blocking strike plate so a butter knife will easily go thru and unlock the door. (i know cuz ive done it) my question is; can i speake on behalf of every unit here that is not up to this code that needs deadbolt locks installed, since none have one. or do i only have the right to speak on my unit only? when i wrote to let them know that no unit has deadbolt on either of the 2 doors and enclosed a copy of the code she called and left a message that a dead bolt will be installed on my unit soon. i want to write back and say i am speaking on behalf of all the cottages here where i live and time is of the essance to take care of this so not to be in violation or breach of contract. so can i write on behalf of all units in my complex ?


Asked on 9/17/08, 12:51 am

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

Re: tenant /landlord

You may not speak on behalf of all residents unless you are an attorney retained by all residents, or have their written consent to act as a "spokesperson". I'd suggest that unless you are an attorney retained by the residents, you not even attempt to negotiate with the owners on behalf of everyone else because many of those residents may not want to "rock the boat". Without their having given you consent, you could become a target of their anger and/or even a lawsuit. You can certainly give your fellow residents the information, and let them make the demand, but I wouldn't be surprised if you receive a notice to terminate your tenancy shortly thereafter. Although evicting you after you distribute that information may be retaliatory, it generally won't stop a landlord from going forward and costing you a lot of time, money and frustration. I'd suggest that if you are getting what you want, you should be happy with that.

*Due to the limitations of the LawGuru Forums, The Gibbs Law Firm, APC's (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided is general and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.

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Answered on 9/17/08, 12:34 pm


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