These 4 cases are valid reasons for eviction under the CA Tenant Protection Act. These evictions require relocation assistance, which is a payment from the landlord equal to 1 month of rent (to you). They must pay that relocation money within 15 days of giving you the eviction notice. If both you and the landlord agree in writing, you can also get your last month’s rent waived instead. Make sure it’s in writing and that the landlord notifies you of this option before your rent for the last month is due. You can try to negotiate with your landlord for more time or even money to move if you are willing to your move out without conflict on the agreed-on date. If you receive that relocation money and don’t move out of the unit, the landlord has the right to recover that money in court. It may be best to have a lawyer help you make the agreement, especially if it involves a buy-out.

Remember: If a landlord is evicting a tenant with Just Cause for certain no-fault reasons (eviction for repairs, owner move-in, Ellis Act eviction), the landlord is required to pay a relocation payment to the tenant. If the landlord fails to pay that amount on time, the tenant cannot be evicted. A tenant need not sign any documents stating that they will not fight the eviction lawsuit in order to receive the relocation payments. Half of the payment is due when the landlord serves the eviction notice, and half is due when the tenant moves out.