Landlord has been accessing my unit without my consent and/or excessively
Your landlord (or building owner) is only allowed in your unit for the following reasons
- In an emergency, like a fire or broken pipe, or to inspect the unit
- Repair something in the unit
- Show the apartment, or
- If you consent to it
In a non-emergency, the landlord/owner should:
- Give you at least a 24 hour written notice with the reason for their visit. Note that you do not have to be in the unit but can be, if you need to.
- The visit should be within business hours. An exception to this law is when they are selling the unit. In that situation, they can give you a 120 day notice of their plans to sell, and should write you a notice of any showings they may have.
- They should still give you a 24 hour notice. The landlord/owner should not abuse this right and if they do, you can try and enforce your rights.
If the landlord/owner of the unit abused this right, the first step is to write a letter.
- If you’re covered under the Oakland Tenant Protection ordinance, then include this information in the letter.
- Once you write a letter, wait 15 days to see if your landlord continues to violate their right to enter. If they do continue, then:
- Talk to housing organization or
- Sue your landlord in small claims court