Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California
Bad faith by property management company
My husband and I had a 6 month lease on a house. Our contract was with a property management company. Even though the owner wanted to sell the house while we were living in it, he and the pmc agreed NOT to show the house for several months. Suddenly, despite our paying our rent promptly every month and being model tenants, we were served with a "30 day notice to quit" by the management company. We also began to be pressured to permit realtors in the house. We finally had to hire an attorney to protect our rights. Do we have a small claims case - both to recover attorney fees from the management company, and also to recover part of our security deposit which was held back incorrectly? This management company claims they have no responsibility - that we can only go after the owner - We feel they acted egregiously, and should be held accountable for their behaviors for harassing us before our lease was up.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Bad faith by property
You should be able to get your deposit back but you can only get attorney fees if the rental agreement allows it.
Ken Koury
Kenneth P. Koury, Esq.
5807 Topanga Cyn Blvd., Suite G-201