All roomies need copies of agreement

Question: The apartment complex I manage has many units that are shared by roommates. Do I need to provide each roommate with a copy of the rental agreement or will one copy per unit be sufficient?

Answer: California Civil Code Section 1962 states that a party (property owner or agent) signing a rental agreement or lease must “provide a copy of the agreement or lease to the tenant within 15 days of its execution by tenant.” And if the tenant requests, an additional copy shall be provided once each calendar year thereafter. Each tenant who signs a rental agreement or lease is entitled to this service.

It is a very sound practice to make sure that all roommates are listed on the rental agreement and are signatories to it. So, if there are four roommates on the rental agreement, you must provide four copies.

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Lay off the late rent payments

Question: I don’t budget well, so every few months I pay my rent late. The resident manager has always accepted the rent late without a problem. However, since the first of the year I’ve received two three-day notices, and the manager says he will not tolerate any more late payments. He says I will get a notice to move the next time the rent is not paid on time. Can he do this?

Answer: Your rental agreement should state when rent is due. If the rent is not paid on or before that date, the manager can serve a 3-Day Pay Rent or Quit notice the day after that due date. If the rent is not paid within the three-day period of time, a property owner can proceed with an eviction lawsuit known as an Unlawful Detainer. If you are able to pay the rent within the required time, the manager can still serve you a notice to move if you are a month-to-month tenant. Except for some rent-control jurisdictions, a reason for the notice is not required in California.

The length of notice depends on how long you have lived in the unit. You are entitled to a 30-day notice if your tenancy is less than a year or a 60-day notice if you’ve been there a year or more. Contact your local mediation program if you do receive a notice terminating your tenancy. The mediation program may be able to help you and your landlord negotiate an alternative solution.

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This column is prepared by Project Sentinel, a rental housing mediation service in Sunnyvale, Calif. Questions may be sent to 1055 Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road, Suite 3, Sunnyvale, CA 94087, but cannot be answered individually. For housing discrimination questions, complaints or help, call the state Department of Fair Housing and Employment at (800) 233-3212 or the Southern California Housing Rights Center at (800) 477-5977.