Landlord Harassment

[skelly123]

Originally Posted by Texamichiforniasota

Sounds like the typical roommate mismatch- from the texts it appears the landlord is some kind of health care professional with a full time job. Your boyfriend's late night hours mean he's probably either a student, bartender, unemployed, etc. Nobody who works regular daytime hours wants a roommate staying up and making noise all night, just as your boyfriend doesn't want her getting up in the morning to get ready for work when he's sleeping.

When you rent a room in someone else's house, there are usually some extra rules that don't come with renting an apt. That's one of the reasons it's cheaper. From the texts, your boyfriend sounds immature and inconsiderate. It sounds like this was a bad roommate match, either because the landlord didn't explicitly state what she was looking for in a lodger, or because your boyfriend misrepresented his hours/lifestyle. He should move out and try to find some college age roommates that would sync with his lifestyle better, or rent his own apt.

The converted garage is not a separate residential rental unit because it is still attached to the same house. Therefore, your boyfriend is NOT a lodger. HE'S A FULL-BLOWN TENANT with all the rights to sue and seek damages as a "tenant". (I'm writing this in 2015 so he's probably left that place.) The Cal. Lodger Law applies only to "one lodger" living in the same house as the owner. She has 2. Therefore, she's committed several violations here against your boyfriend "the tenant".

[greggd1]

I would bail out of that situation....in about 1 week. During that last week, tell your boyfriend to walk around in his underwear and cook up and eat 100% re-fried beans... let his presence be known.