Navigating a Tenant Eviction and Property Sale: In November 2023, I was contacted by a client whose elderly mother needed to sell her long-term rental property to help cover the increasing costs of her care. The home was tenant-occupied, and unfortunately, the occupant had no intention of leaving voluntarily.
Recognizing the challenges of California’s tenant-friendly environment, I advised the client early on to hire an eviction specialist, such as Dennis Block & Associates. While known for their no-nonsense, results-driven approach (and minimal handholding), their efficiency can be invaluable in difficult situations.
At first, the client decided to manage the process himself, including serving the 60-day notice to vacate. However, he made an error when he prepared the notice, which invalidated it. I don’t recall the exact mistake, but it was significant enough to require starting over. He then hired an attorney for more hands-on support. Together, they reissued the notice, but they included the wrong ZIP code. That mistake forced them to restart the process again.
As a result, legal issues continued to mount, and months passed. More than six months later, the tenant still occupied the property. At that point, they finally served a properly executed notice.
During this entire period, the tenant stopped paying rent. Meanwhile, legal fees increased, property taxes became due, and the client continued paying out of pocket for his mother’s care. The tenant used free legal aid and challenged each step of the process. She also requested a jury trial, which she was legally entitled to do. Ultimately, the court resolved the case.The tenant received an additional three months to vacate, and the matter settled just before trial.
We initially hoped to negotiate a Cash for Keys agreement. This is a common solution where the tenant receives payment to leave voluntarily. However, the tenant refused a reasonable settlement, forcing us to pursue litigation as the only option.
The buyer canceled escrow. We had no choice but to relist — this time at $499,000. The home with a substandard notice, being a two-bedroom, one-bath fixer on a flag lot with no garage, didn’t qualify for conventional financing. Now, it was a cash-only deal, limited to investors or buyers using hard money.
Eventually, we closed escrow in September 2025 for $475,000. This sale marked the end of nearly two years of delays, legal battles, and stress. Most importantly, it gave the client’s mother access to the funds she urgently needed.
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It’s stories like these that keep me out of the tenant rental business.although that notice from the city could happen to any property I suppose