Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

You are obligated to pay the current landlord rent until the house is actually sold off at the foreclosure sale. So, you should continue paying him the rent until then. However, after that, you are no longer obligated to pay him the rent, but pay the new owner, which could even be the bank.

Under new federal law, effective on May 20, 2009, if you have a fixed-term lease (like a one-year), you cannot be forced to move even after the property has been sold through foreclosure until the end of the terms of the lease or 90 days, whichever is later. If your lease is a month-to-month, you also have 90 days to move out. If the property is sold at foreclosure to an owner who plans to occupy the property, then you have 90 days to move.