Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

Unlawful entry or owners right to roam freely through my belongings?

I, along with my minor child, am currently renting a room in a 3 bedroom house. One day, the husband tells me that he needed to talk to my child so he entered our room looking for him, but my child happened to be in the restoom, which is located right across from my room. Shouldn't he have knocked on the door first anyway? He was able to tell me exactly what I had in my trash. When I asked my child if he had heard anyone go into our room when he was in the restroom, he said no. That leads me to believe that he entered my room when my child was not home at all. I just want to know what my rights are as a room renter. I pay a nice amount of money for the room and I always pay on time. I was told at the beginning that the only reason the owners would ever be in my room was if there was an emergency situation. I just feel really violated and to a degree, unsafe. It makes me wonder how many other times have they entered my room to have a look. Can someone please let me know my rights?


Asked on 12/09/05, 11:29 am

2 Answers from Attorneys
Randy Schlosser Law Office of RM Schlosser

Re: Unlawful entry or owners right to roam freely through my belongings?

Hello neighbor, my office is in upland.

Generally, when you rent the room you have full possessory rights to the room and the owner cannot enter without permission. If the owner is violating your privacy you may have an action against the landlord. However, to fully determine this you need to speak face to face with an attorney. You may contact me at 909.931.3722.

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Answered on 12/11/05, 10:36 am
Philip Iadevaia Law Offices of Philip A. Iadevaia

Re: Unlawful entry or owners right to roam freely through my belongings?

There are always going to be breaches of privacy when you rent just a room. The room is without a doubt your private place and should not be entered by your landlord for any reason without notice, whether you pay a ''nice amount'' of rent or a bad amount and whether or not you're on time. But your rights end with the privacy. That is, your landlord can evict you without a lawsuit on 30 days notice, so you should start looking for another place. Good luck.

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Answered on 12/09/05, 1:46 pm


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